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August 25, 2023 | An APTA Publication
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APTA Nominating Committee Selects 2023 Board Executives
APTA’s nominating committee met in Chicago, IL, Aug. 24, to select the association’s 2023 Executive Committee and Board of Directors. APTA members will vote on the 2023-2024 slate of nominees Oct. 7 during APTA’s TRANSform Conference and EXPO in Orlando, FL.
Michele Wong Krause, chair, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, will assume the position of APTA chair for 2023-2024. MJ Maynard, CEO, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, was selected as vice chair. Current APTA Chair Dorval R. Carter, Jr., president, Chicago Transit Authority, will serve as APTA immediate past chair. Jeffrey Wharton, director, contracts and technical services, Systra Engineering, will serve as secretary-treasurer for 2023-2024.
Nominated to three-year terms as members-at-large of the 25-member APTA Executive Committee are:
- Kimberly Slaughter, CEO, Systra Engineering, as the Business Member-At-Large
- Gary Giovanetti, chair, San Joaquin RTD, CA, as the Transit Board Member-At-Large
- Bacarra Mauldin, deputy CEO, Memphis Area Transit Authority, as the Executive Committee Member-At-Large
The committee also approved the following individuals to fill portfolio seats on the Executive Committee:
- Sharon Fleming, CEO, Calgary Transit, AB, as the Canadian System Representative
- Erin Rogers, CEO, Omnitrans, San Bernardino, CA, as the Bus and Paratransit CEO Committee Representative
- Charles DiMaggio, CEO, Greystone Management Solutions, as the BMBG Representative
Nominations for three-year terms on the APTA Board of Directors are:
Transit system directors:
- Michael Hursh, CEO, AC Transit, Oakland, CA
- Richard Kwasneski, board chair, Pace Suburban Bus, Arlington Heights, IL
- Benjamin Limmer, bureau chief, Connecticut DOT
- Charles Reeves, deputy COO, Pittsburgh Regional Transit, PA
- Gary Rosenfeld, CEO, Memphis Area Transit Authority
- Frank White, CEO, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, MO
Business member directors:
- Chris Alfano, CEO, Jarvus Innovations
- Eric Kaled, CEO, Genfare
- Janet Gonzalez, director of advisory Services, HDR
- Eric Reese, managing director, VIX Technology
- Peter Rogoff, managing partner, Contorta Group
- Mandee Steele, vice president, business development, Transdev
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APTA Testifies Before Maryland Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs
The Maryland Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs held its inaugural meeting Aug. 24 in Annapolis. Chairman Frank N. Principe Jr. and Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul J. Wiedefeld gave opening remarks. In attendance were transportation experts and officials from Maryland DOT, who discussed the state’s capital program.
APTA Vice President, Government Affairs and Advocacy Ward McCarragher testified about the significant operating budget shortfalls, or fiscal cliff, affecting public transit agencies in the wake of the pandemic. He noted that ridership is approximately 72 percent of pre-pandemic levels, which has impacted farebox revenue. Operating costs have increased, and agencies have fully expended the funds Congress provided during the pandemic, he said.
McCarragher cited a recent APTA survey of 122 public transit agencies, which found that one-half of agencies, including 71 percent of large agencies, will face a fiscal cliff within the next five years. He cited examples of what agencies are doing throughout the U.S. to identify additional state and local funding.
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APTA TRANSform Conference Early-Bird Registration Ends Today!
Early-Bird registration rates for APTA’s TRANSform Conference, Oct. 8-11 in Orlando, FL, end today! Presented by HNTB, TRANSform is the flagship event for public transportation professionals. Engage in educational sessions, take part in technical tours and network with your industry peers.
APTA EXPO, Oct. 9-11, is the public transportation industry’s premier resource for advancing mobility systems through a robust showcase of the latest technologies, products and services. Find the solutions your organization needs for success!
NOTE: Discounted hotel room block rates expire Sept. 8, or when rooms fill up, whichever comes first. Book your stay now before these savings are gone!
Learn more and register.
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Particiate in APTA’s 2023 Legislative Advocacy Fly-In
APTA is hosting a day of legislative advocacy Sept. 14 in Washington, DC. Industry voices are instrumental in advocating for full funding of public transit and passenger rail in the FY24 THUD Appropriations bill. APTA will schedule in-person meetings with Members of Congress and their staff on Capitol Hill throughout the day.
APTA encourages its members to meet with their Representatives and Senators to show them how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making a difference in communities across the U.S. View APTA's Advocacy Communications to find messaging resources, first-hand stories and local data. Access additional tools here.
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NTI Webinar Discusses NTD Reporting System
The National Transit Institute (NTI) is hosting a webinar Aug. 31, 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern, to explore changes to annual National Transit Database (NTD) reporting requirements. Areas discussed will include 2023 reporting systems updates, new data elements, data formatting, forms validation and where to enter data.
The NTD is a source for U.S. public transit system data and collects annual financial, asset and operating information. FTA is implementing safety and security reporting changes to expand the data collected on transit worker assaults and bus impact fatalities. The reporting changes will apply to calendar year 2023 and NTD report year 2023, based on the type of reporter.
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Engineering Education for Passenger Rail: Exploring Options at p-REES
What does it take to integrate the workforce development needs of passenger rail with the curriculum of the nation’s leading higher education engineering programs? More than 30 industry professionals and college and university professors explored this question, and more, at APTA’s fifth bi-annual Passenger Rail Engineering Education Symposium (p-REES) recently in Washington, DC.
Amtrak and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) co-hosted the three-day p-REES program, which took place at Amtrak headquarters. APTA business members funded the event, and the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) was co-sponsor. p-REES is modeled on AREMA’s Railway Engineering Education Symposium, a longstanding program that fosters interest among university faculty in freight railway engineering.
APTA business members, the host agencies and participants from numerous universities provided instructors for the symposium. Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner and VP of Engineering Services Ray Verrelle, WMATA Chief Infrastructure Officer Andy Off, AREMA CEO Beth Caruso and APTA Chief Operating Officer David Carol addressed attendees and discussed trends and needs in the passenger rail industry.
The program included presentations and panel discussions on the rail industry in general, education and recruitment needs, infrastructure, engineering and design, systems engineering concepts, simulation software use, internship programs, passenger rail projects and research. The event also featured tours of the WMATA operations and training centers and the Amtrak Acela service and inspection facility.
“There are tremendous career opportunities for a new generation of young professionals educated in principles of rail transport,” said Christopher Barkan, executive director, Rail Transportation and Engineering Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Public transport organizations should encourage and support partnerships with colleges and universities to help them expand their rail educational and research programs. p-REES was a critical first step in achieving this.”
Michael Loehr, Jacobs, and a member of the APTA Business Member Board of Governors; William Thomsen, Urban Engineers; and Michael Allegra, Stadler were instrumental in putting the symposium together with the support of APTA staff, including Nathan Leventon, senior program manager, APTA Standards.
“The 2023 p-REES session was a great success for the participants,” said Loehr. “The support of the APTA business members and the entire APTA organization working together with our co-sponsors and hosts to address the workforce development needs of our industry will have a lasting benefit.”
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Will YOU Be a TCRP Day Local Host?
TCRP Day is a national event to create greater awareness of this valuable industry program and to increase the number of transit professionals involved.
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FTA Seeks Comment on Proposed New Consolidated Urban Grant Programs Circular
The new circular will update information published between 2014 and 2015 in the three existing circulars and streamline programmatic information. It will also incorporate regulations and provisions from the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act; Pub. L. 114-94 (2015)), the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; Pub. L. 117-58 (2021)), the Uniform Administrative Requirements for Federal awards to non-Federal entities, and current FTA policies and procedures.
FTA has published a notice summarizing the proposed new consolidated circular in the Federal Register. FTA encourages stakeholders to review the notice and provide comments through Sept. 11.
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New CEO Named
Michael Gould, Zonar
 Zonar, Seattle, WA, has announced the appointment of Michael Gould to president and CEO. Gould has more than 20 years of experience leading teams in transportation, SaaS based businesses, consulting and product engineering. He has served as chief operating officer for nearly five years.
Prior to Zonar, Gould led the North American technology consulting organization for Oracle. Before that, he was vice president and general manager for Hewlett-Packard’s America’s consulting business.
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American Public Transportation Association | 1300 I St. NW, Suite 1200 East | Washington, DC 20005
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