Schedule Subject to Change

Monday, December 9

TIME (all times Eastern)
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM Badge Pickup

Location:  Registration 3

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Coffee Service
Location: Gibson Foyer
9:00 AM – 11:00 PM Nuts and Bolts of Running a Campaign: Products and Services to Build On
Location: Presidential Ballroom 2

Panelists:

  • Scott Wilkinson, President, AlphaVu (Social Listening)
  • Jared Kamrass, Principal, Technicolor Political (Television and Digital ads)
  • Chris Hayler, Partner, Stones’ Phones (Telephone Town Halls)
  • Molly O’Shaughnessy, Managing Principal & COO EMC Research (Polling)
  • Michael Davies, Partner, GDA Wins (Direct Mail)
  • Richard Bernard, Partner, FM3 Research (Research)
  • Ruth Bernstein, CEO & President, EMC Research Inc. (Polling)

Moderated by Art Guzzetti, Vice President, Policy and Mobility, American Public Transportation Association

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Campaign Roadshow / Products & Services Showcase
Location: Gibson Foyer
12:00 PM – 1:15 PM Lunch on Your Own
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM Breakout Sessions

Grassroots and Grasstops: Effective Community Engagement (Location: Presidential Ballroom 2)

Panelists:

  • Megan Owens, Executive Director, Transportation Riders United
  • Jared Kamrass, Principal, Technicolor Political
  • Jessica Dauphin, President & CEO, Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee

Moderated by Jordan Hess, CEO and General Manager, Missoula Urban Transportation District (Mountain Line), Missoula, MN


Legal Steps to Secure an Enduring and Tamper-Proof Outcome (Location: Presidential Ballroom 3)

Panelists:

  • Kim Schaefer, Partner, Vorys Law Firm
  • Kathryn Holmes, Holmes & Associates

Moderated by Christy Setzer, President and Founder, New Heights Communications

1:30 PM – 4:00 PM Badge Pickup

Location:  Registration 3

2:15 PM – 2:30 PM Networking Break
Location: Gibson Foyer
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Breakout Sessions

Get-out-the-Vote Strategies for Transit Campaigns (Location: Presidential Ballroom 2)

Panelists:

  • Lillian Brents, President/Business Agent, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)
  • Kirk Hovenkotter, Executive Director, Transportation Choices Coalition, Seattle, WA

Moderated by Jessica Grennan, Executive Director, APTA’s Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE)


Equity in Planning: Community Involvement and Impact (Location: Presidential Ballroom 3)

Panelists:

  • David Bragdon, Hudson Skykomish LLC
  • Matthew Sutherland, Advocacy Director, Transportation Choices Coalition
  • Michelle Witman, Asset Based Consulting

Moderated by Dawn Distler, CEO, METRO RTA, Akron, OH

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM Opening Reception
Location: Fountain Room / Foyer
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Brewery and Heritage Trail Tour

Begins at Findlay Market. Meet in the Westin Lobby at 5:30 to walk down to the streetcar together.  Streetcard passes will be provided.

Information and Registration


Tuesday, December 10

TIME (all times Eastern)
7:00 AM – 11:30 AM Badge Pickup

Location:  Registration 3

7:00 AM – 8:00 AM Continental Breakfast
Location: Gibson Foyer
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM Opening General Session: Transit on a Roll! Voter Support for Transit Initiatives

Host Session: Hamilton County’s “All in for Transportation” Campaign and its Aftermath

Location: Presidential Ballroom 1

Welcome by Paul Skoutelas, President / CEO, American Public Transportation Association

Panelists:

  • The Honorable Aftab Pureval, Mayor of Cincinnati
  • Darryl Haley, CEO and General Manager, SORTA
  • Brandy L. Jones, APR, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, SORTA
  • John Cranley, Former Cincinnati Mayor
  • Pete Metz, Vice President, Civic & Regional Partnerships, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber
  • Taylor Dalton, Former Coalition Leader & Campaign Manager for the Move Forward PAC, Yes on Issue 7
  • Kim Schaefer, Partner, Vorys Law Firm
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM Networking Break
Location: Gibson Foyer
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Breakout Sessions

Successful Outcomes in Large Regions (Location: Presidential Ballroom 2)

Panelists:

  • Steve Bland, CEO, WeGo Public Transit, Nashville, TN
  • Monica Tellez-Fowler, President & CEO, Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), Columbus, OH
  • Tony Cani, Founder, Slingshot Campaigns, Phoenix, AZ

Moderated by Michael Schneider, Managing Partner, InfraStrategies LLC, Irvine, CA


Partnering with Pollsters: Effective Strategies (Location: Presidential Ballroom 3)

Panelists:

  • Richard Bernard, Partner, FM3 Research
  • Molly O’Shaughnessy, CEO & President, EMC Research

Moderated by Jessica Grennan, Executive Director, APTA’s Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE)

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM General Session Luncheon – Election Dynamics: A Review of Transit Election Outcomes, Trends, and the Year Ahead
Location: Presidential Ballroom 1

Panelists:

  • Jessica Grennan, Executive Director, APTA’s Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE)
  • Jeff Morris, Executive Director, Nashville Moves
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Badge Pickup

Location:  Registration 3

1:00 PM – 1:30 PM Networking Break
Location: Gibson Foyer
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Breakout Sessions

The Role of the Transit Agency in Ballot Measures (Presidential Ballroom 2)

Panelists:

  • Dwight Ferrell, General Manager, Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), Detroit, MI
  • Laura Koprowski, CEO, Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA), Toledo, OH
  • Patrick Harris, Chief External Relations Officer, Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), Columbus, OH

Moderated by Art Guzzetti, Vice President, Policy and Mobility, American Public Transportation Association (APTA)


Leveraging the Federal, State, Local Partnership (Presidential Ballroom 3)

Panelists:

  • Paul Kincaid, Associate Administrator for Communications and Congressional Affairs, Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
  • Ward McCarragher, Vice President, Government Affairs and Advocacy, American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

Moderated by Christy Setzer,President and Founder, New Heights Communications

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM Networking Break
Location: Gibson Foyer
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Breakout Sessions

Successful Outcomes in Smaller Communities (Presidential Ballroom 2)

Panelists:

  • Meehan Fee, Mayor Pro Tempore, Town of Telluride, CO
  • Matt Carpenter, CEO, TheRide, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Katherine Conrad, Executive Director, NEORide

Moderated by Jordan Hess, CEO and General Manager, Missoula Urban Transportation District (Mountain Line), Missoula, MN


The Importance of Pre-Campaign Activities: Setting the Stage (Presidential Ballroom 3)

Panelists:

  • Scott Wilkinson, President, AlphaVu
  • Josh Cohen, Senior Advisor, Accelerator for America Action
  • Meg Fencil, Director of Engagement & Impact Sustain Charlotte

Moderated by Jessica Grennan, Executive Director, APTA’s Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE)

4:00 PM – 4:30 PM Networking Break
Location: Gibson Foyer
4:15 PM – 5:30 PM The Big Picture of Transit Campaigns: Zooming In,  Zooming Out
Location: Presidential Ballroom 1

Panelists:

  • The Honorable Eileen Higgins, County Commissioner, Miami-Dade, FL
  • Mary Ellen Wiederwohl, President & CEO, Accelerator for American Action
  • Michael Briggs, Director of Transportation Planning, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County

Moderated by Art Guzzetti, Vice President, Policy and Mobility, American Public Transportation Association

6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Reception Hosted by Cincinnati Metro
Location: Cincinnati Museum Center Union Terminal

NOTE:  Buses will depart the Westin at 6:15 pm, 6:30 pm, and 6:45 pm and will depart Union Station to return at 7:15 pm, 7:45 pm, 8:00 pm.


Wednesday, December 11

TIME (all times Eastern)

7:00 AM – 11:00 AM Badge Pickup

Location:  Registration 3

7:00 AM – 8:00 AM Continental Breakfast
Location: Gibson Foyer
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM General Session – Working with Media at Multiple Avenues
Location: Presidential Ballroom 1
Panelists:

  • Christy Setzer, President and Founder, New Heights Communications
  • Morgan Snyder, Campaigns Director, APTA’s Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE)
  • Brandy Jones, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, Cincinnati Metro
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM Networking Break
Location: Gibson Foyer
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Breakout Sessions

Assessing Revenue Sources: Finding the Right Funding Solution (Presidential Ballroom 2)

Panelists:

  • Amanda Vandergrift, Deputy CEO, WeGo

Moderated by Art Guzzetti, Vice President, Policy and Mobility, American Public Transportation Association


Transit Means Business: Amplifying the Private Sector Voice (Presidential Ballroom 3)

Panelists:

  • Frank White III, President & CEO, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority
  • Pete Metz, VP, Civic & Regional Partnerships, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber

Moderated by Jordan Hess, CEO and General Manager, Missoula Urban Transportation District (Mountain Line), Missoula, MN

10:30 AM – 11:00 AM Networking Break
Location: Gibson Foyer
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Participant Roundtable: The Road Ahead – What Do We Most Need to Know?
Location: Presidential Ballroom 1
Panelists:

  • Art Guzzetti, Vice President, Policy and Mobility, American Public Transportation Association
  • Jessica Grennan, Executive Director, APTA’s Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE)