Making Connections 2017
Join industry leaders, experts, and partners from workforce development and education to exchange ideas, share successes and learn about emerging best practices for public transportation and transportation workforce development.
From left to right: David Bragdon (Transit Center), Madeline Janis (Jobs to Move America), Vincent Valdes (Federal Transit Administration), Stephanie Wiggins (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority), Robert Puentes (Eno Center for Transportation), Dr. Beverly Scott (Beverly Scott Associates), Larry Hanley (Amalgamated Transit Union International), Ferdinand Risco Jr. (Transit Authority of River City), Larry I. Willis (Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO), Joseph Calabrese (Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority).
Speakers and panelists include several top leaders and thinkers in transportation and workforce development. We will be announcing additional speakers as well as plenary and workshop topics in the coming months. Several Center board members are also expected to have major speaking roles in the conference. We are looking forward to lively discussions and interesting topics this October 26th.
David Bragdon is the Executive Director of the Transit Center, a foundation that supports advocacy, research and leadership development for transportation reform across the U.S.
Madeline Janis is the Executive Director of Jobs to Move America, a national project dedicated to ensuring that the billions of public dollars spent on public transit systems create better results for our communities: good jobs, cleaner equipment and more opportunity for low income people.
Vincent Valdes is the Associate Administrator for FTA’s Office of Research, Demonstration and Innovation. He leads a group of program managers, transportation specialists and engineers who work on FTA’s critical transit research program. The program provides a forum for transit research at the national level and facilitates the development of innovative transit practices and technologies to support national public transportation.
Stephanie Wiggins, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), most recently served as Executive Director of Vendor/Contract Management for Metro. She has more than 20 years of experience working for transportation agencies. Prior to Metro, she served as Regional Programs Director for the Riverside County Transportation Commission and oversaw transit, commuter rail, rideshare, goods movement and rail capital projects. She is a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Congestion Pricing Committee, TRB Research and Technology Coordinating Committee, and serves as a Transportation Learning Center Board member. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Whittier College and an MBA from the University of Southern California.
Robert Puentes is the President and CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation, a neutral, non-partisan think-tank that promotes policy innovation and provides professional development opportunities across the career span of transportation professionals.
Dr. Beverly Scott is the CEO of Beverly Scott Associates LLC, an infrastructure-focused executive management consultant practice which specializes in workforce development at all levels; practical solutions and results that advance equity and inclusion; improve safety, reliability, overall system performance; and achieve positive outcomes for people and communities.
Larry Hanley is the international president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, a major labor organization that represents employees in the public transit industry. ATU has over 190,000 members throughout the United States and Canada.
Ferdinand Risco Jr. is the Assistant Executive Director for The Transit Authority of River City (TARC), the largest public transit agency in Kentucky, carrying 15 million passengers annually. He is responsible for leadership and direction for all operations in the system.
Larry I. Willis is the President of the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO (TTD), a coalition of 32 member unions, provides a bold voice for workers in every mode of transportation – both in the private and public sector – and is devoted to protecting middle-class jobs, expanding collective bargaining, and ensuring modern, safe, and secure transportation operations and infrastructure.
Joseph Calabrese is the CEO and GM of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA), which provides transportation services for about 45 million riders annually through a variety of services. In 2016, RTA provided 18.1 million vehicle-miles of service on all modes -- HealthLine, bus, Paratransit, light rail and heavy rail.
Plus many others!
(Speaker list subject to change)
The Center is offering limited opportunities to sponsor the Making Connections conference; additionally we will provide a place for a limited number of vendors to share their programs, tools and technology with attendees. Interested sponsors and vendors should submit this online Vendor Form by September 29, 2017. For more information, contact John Schiavone at johnjschiavone@cs.com.