Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting - 64

Private Sector Executive Profiles
Jim Adams, Michael Baker Jr. Corporation
Jim Adams, P.E. is vice president and National Rail & Transit Technical Services Manager for Michael Baker Jr., Inc. (Baker). Mr. Adams provides leadership and oversight for quality assurance, risk management, technical resources coordination and business development. He also provides guidance to a number of multi-talented rail and transit professionals on projects across Baker’s more than 90 offices. Mr. Adams holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering, and a Master’s of Engineering Degree in Structural Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. He is also an active member of AREMA, IEEE, ASCE, ACI and WTS.

A Glance at Some of the People Shaping the Public Transportation Industry
Dwight Brashear, Tectrans
While Dwight Brashear may be a new face at Tectrans, he is certainly no stranger to the public transportation industry. Dwight joined the transit industry in 1985 as a part-time bus operator for San Diego Transit Corporation (SDTC) where he spent the next 16 years in various positions, including two years as Manager of Transportation. In 2004, Dwight joined Capital Area Transit System (CATS) in Baton Rouge as its CEO. In September 2005, three days after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco asked Dwight to become the state transportation coordinator for the evacuation of New Orleans. Dwight was recognized for his efforts in 2006 when he received APTA’s first-ever Special Award for Extraordinary Leadership. Today, Dwight oversees development efforts for Tectrans, one of the fastest growing companies in our industry. Dwight is a graduate of Leadership APTA, and has studied transportation in France, Austria, and Germany.

Dave Amoriell, ACS Transportation
ACS, a Xerox Company, is a leading provider of Intelligent Transportation solutions and mission-critical revenue optimization solutions. From fare collection and CAD/ AVL systems to back office processing and infrastructure installation, the Transportation Solutions Group (TSG) at ACS processes more than 100 million public transport tickets daily and provides a range of innovative technical and funding solutions to public transportation agencies worldwide. Dave Amoriell joined TSG as Executive Vice President and Group President in 2009. In this role, he oversees TSG’s global operations; working with government agencies throughout the world to address transportation challenges and ensuring service delivery excellence in revenue collection and regulation compliance services. Before joining ACS, Dave was General Manager for IBM where he helped grow the company’s Federal sector portfolio. Key programs included business transformation programs, consulting, systems integration, and outsourcing for the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Internal Revenue Service.

Dane R. Cornell, ABC Companies
Dane Cornell is the President and CEO of ABC Companies, a leading provider to the transportation industry with diverse product and service offerings including new and pre-owned highway coaches, mid-size shuttle transport vehicles, and advanced design heavy duty transit equipment. Actively involved in ABC since his father, Clancy Cornell, founded it in 1972, Dane was named to the Board of Directors in 1986 and became President of the ABC Coach division in 1989 when the company moved its Van Hool import and distribution headquarters to Winter Garden. He was promoted to President and CEO of ABC Companies in 2006 and is responsible for the overall strategic planning of the company participating in sales, product development, marketing, and customer and vendor relations. He was elected to the Board of Directors for the American Bus Association in 2008 and also serves on ABA’s Strategic Safety Committee and the Policy and Government Affairs Committee.

Rick DeBella, Megger Karen Becerra, Principle Partnering Group, LLC
Karen Becerra is COO of The Principle Partnering Group, LLC. (PPG). She leads and directs the firm’s activities in all aspects of business development, program planning and implementation. The firm is a premier management consulting organization with an unsurpassed track record in helping companies of all sizes establish, manage and maintain successful businessto-business collaborations. The firm offers objective solutions, effective project management, and strategic support services across all business segments. PPG currently serves as the Program Advisor for Parsons Transportation Group in support of the METRO Rail Project. Ms. Becerra is responsible for developing program policies and procedures for the implementation of METRO’s SBE/DBE Program in support of the Prime Contractor’s SBE/ DBE management team. She developed and directed a team to ensure the development and implementation of outreach, compliance, and training plans designed to assist in attaining the overall METRO SBE/DBE goals. For more information please visit www.theppgllc.com or call 713-527-0702. Rick DeBella is National Account Sales Manager for Megger. He has been with Megger for over 26 years and held various positions. As Distributor Sales Manager he pioneered a limited distribution policy which continues today. Other positions include Government Sales Manager, Product Manager, Applications Engineer, Central Regional Manager, Eastern Regional Manager, and he now manages the day-today initiatives to the transportation industry. He also is an industry participant in the S305 Technical Subcommittee on the next generation of high-speed locomotives. Megger is a member of RSI, APTA and ASLRRA. Megger was highlighted as a new member in RSI’s newsletter. The Megger name has a global presence with three manufacturing locations: Valley Forge PA, Dover England, and Dallas TX. Our AVO Training Institute offers courses that are specifically designed for personnel safety practices and maintenance procedures to the transportation industry.

Albrecht (Al) Engel, P.E., AECOM
Currently a Vice President and High-Speed Rail Director for AECOM, Al Engel has been involved with the rail transportation industry for 40 years, serving in various capacities in the public and private sector. He has been active in the study, advocacy and development of high speed rail projects for more than 25 years. After earning his BS in Electrical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University, he joined General Electric as Manager of Domestic Electric Motive Power, followed by periods as Vice President and Managing Director of Transportation for Gibbs & Hill, Inc., and the first President and CEO of LS Transit Systems, which later became SYSTRA Consulting. Currently an APTA Board of Directors member, he served as Past Chairman of the IEEE Land Transportation Division, Transportation Research Board, National Association of Railroad Passengers, NJ National Society of Professional Engineers, NJ Regional Business Partnership Transportation Committee, and High Speed Ground Transportation Association.

Nick Benedico, Wilbur Smith Associates
Nick Benedico, PE, PMP, AICP serves as Wilbur Smith Associates’ Roadway Engineering Service Leader, and currently manages WSA’s Florida High Speed Rail general consultant contract. He has more than 20 years of extensive transportation engineering experience, including serving as project manager on several roadway/expressway projects for clients such as the OrlandoOrange County Expressway Authority, Florida Department of Transportation, and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise.

60 | Passenger Transport

Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting