2022 APTAtech Speakers

Blossom Albuquerque has over eleven years of experience contributing to transit operations, data systems, database operations, product testing, and product management. She’s especially focused on pushing the peak of her creativity in the Business Intelligence Life Cycle Management area. She specializes in product development while delivering full-stage BI products and the product management role for in-house software development, with 12+ project team members.

Blossom started her transit career as a Management Analyst with a lead role in special projects. Her on-going mission has been to help answer the top business questions to help clarify business problems and provide customized tools and automation for. These contributions honed her skillset in product life cycle planning and delivery of information to all levels of the organization, helping create efficiencies, increasing reliability, and savings costs.

In 2012, Blossom stepped in as Operations’ first Data Analyst, where she helped expand the organization’s data-driven culture, focusing on data collection and reporting. Later, she partnered with IT Department for Power BI product testing and BI Report/Dashboard development to automate tasks and create efficiencies. In 2018, she led a new initiative for the Maintenance team providing email report subscriptions for customized BI reporting. She leveraged the district’s first Enterprise BI collaboration space with IT known as ACBI. She is currently a DevOps team member and leads the Enterprise BI upgrade project in IT.

Tonya Anderson joined the Regional Transportation District in 2013 as its Product Manager of Electronic Fare Operations and brought to RTD a wealth of experience and knowledge in crucial electronic fare collection technology. In Tonya’s current role at RTD, she leads a cross-functional team to maintain and operate two electronic fare collection systems: a card-based, contactless smart card system and a mobile ticketing platform.

In 2019, under her direction, RTD collaborated with Uber and became the first transit agency in the world to sell tickets in the Uber app, providing customers with an option to buy RTD tickets right in the Uber app seamlessly. In addition, the FTA awarded RTD the Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) Challenge Grant to develop multi-modal trip planning and single integrated payment features in the Transit app. As a result, customers across Colorado will be able to purchase RTD tickets, CDOT Bustang tickets, and book and unlock scooters in a single transaction from the Transit app. Under her direction, RTD is replacing all smart card validators and implementing Account-Based Ticketing in 2022.

Doug Bermudez is Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation & Public Works (DTPW), Chief of the EASY Card Services Division.

He is a seasoned professional with over twenty-two (22) years of executive, and managerial experience working in a team environment, managing client relationships, strategic planning, community outreach, measuring customer satisfaction, and public-private partnerships.

Doug currently oversees the customer service experience for DTPW’s EASY Card fare collection system, regional contact center, contactless fare payments, fare capping, GO Miami App, digital college pass program, and other innovative customer service projects for the department’s fare collection system.

Mr. Bermudez holds a Master of Science in Management from St. Thomas University, Fl, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Florida International University (FIU). He is a member of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Fare Collection Systems Committee and Florida’s Fare Professional group.

Nancy Brooks has worked 19 years across agencies in the public transit industry (MBTA-Boston, WMATA-DC, MDOT MTA-Baltimore) and 22 years in computer-tech private enterprises (HP, DEC, Compaq). Her blended background gives her insightful perspective on new opportunities to develop innovative solutions and manage team delivery of agile process transformations.

Her accomplishments include: design & delivery of the CharlieCard automated fare system transformation in Boston; managing the Regional SmarTrip Operating budget with interface across 10 jurisdictional partners in Virginia, Maryland, and DC; and overseeing capital programs and budgets within Treasury at Maryland Transit Administration.

Nancy currently works on Advising Development of Innovative Programs, Equitable Policies, Best Practices in Multi-Modal Payment Systems; Core Business Operations, Transit Markets, and Government Public Services at Deloitte Consulting.

She’s been a member of APTA and COMTO since 2004 and is currently with the COMTO Maryland Chapter.

Dale Brown joined Hatch in 2019 as Director – Systems Engineering. Dale is currently working as Systems Engineering Manager on the BART CBTC program.

Dale has acquired expertise in embedded control of specialty equipment, mining, heavy construction, military and rail vehicles throughout the US, Canada, South America, and Europe. Dale is a licensed professional engineer with extensive design, management, and business development experience. He has been awarded a number of patents in the areas of PTC, train control and inter-consist trainline communications.

Dales’ recent industry experiences include BART, LIRR, MARTA, NYCT, Ottawa CLE, GE Transportation Systems, Progress Rail, Alcatel Transportation Automation Systems (JNUP – UK), GM Light Armored Vehicle and GM Locomotive Group.

Dale is co-chair of the INCOSE Transportation Working Group and co-chair of the INCOSE Configuration Management Working Group. Dale is also the relationship manager for the APTA/INCOSE cooperative agreement and is the technical lead / project manager for the proposed APTA Systems Lifecycle Engineering Standard currently under development. Dale is the current Chair of the APTA Systems Engineering Subcommittee.

Paul Comfort serves as SVP & Chief Customer Officer for Modaxo Americas one of the world’s largest transit technology companies and is host of the industry leading public transportation podcast, Transit Unplugged and the new YouTube sensation, Transit Unplugged TV show. Paul has authored two Amazon #1 best-selling books “The Future of Public Transportation” and the children’s picture book “Public Transportation – From the Tom Thumb Railroad to Hyperloop and Beyond”. He also serves as Executive Director of the North American Transit Alliance.

Mr. Comfort is an attorney, popular keynote speaker and the former CEO of one of America’s largest transit systems, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) in Baltimore. He has also served as an elected County Commissioner and County Administrator for two Maryland counties.

Backed by a 22-year career in technology and cybersecurity, Tim has been the head of cybersecurity for multiple public sector transportation agencies including Denver International Airport and currently Colorado’s Regional Transportation District.

Tim’s experience with the intersection between technology and public transportation systems gives him a unique perspective on protecting our nation’s critical infrastructure and region’s transportation services.

Tim also actively collaborates at local and national levels through partnerships such as the American Public Transportation Association, as well as Department of Homeland Security agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration and the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency.

He also holds a BS degree in Management of Information Systems from The University of Iowa and a MS degree in Sociology from San Diego State University.

Bonnie is Vice President and General Manager of Umo Mobility, Cubic Transportation Systems Software as a Service business. Umo provides innovative mobility solutions to transport operators and agencies of all sizes, from small family-owned bus companies to large complex cities, through equitable platform-based technology.

Bonnie joined Cubic following several years as Vice President of Client & Product Delivery at Daimler & BMW’s joint venture where she oversaw the successful launches of over a dozen transit agency programs for TriMet, MDOT-MTA, Caltrain & VIA. She’s been in the payments & technology space for nearly 25 years, leading global teams for GE, Heartland Payments & Viewpoint (a Trimble Global company) with a focus on opening new markets, developing world-class products, and building customer success and services groups that help clients leverage technology to address challenges they face in the global marketplace.

She serves as Planning Lead for APTA’s Fare Collection Committee, is a member of the Portland WTS chapter and as an advisor for the Young Entrepreneurs Business Group & the Technology Association of Oregon. Bonnie has a BA in Political Science from Lewis & Clark College and resides in Beaverton, OR.

Carlos Cruz-Casas, P.E. is the Chief Innovation Officer at Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works. His primary focus is to introduce mobility innovation and plan for a fully integrated transportation system. His career includes both public and private sector experience ranging from conceptual design to implementation of pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and traffic projects. As a professional engineer dedicated to the development of Livable Transportation, Carlos seeks to achieve the right balance between mobility and livability.

Carlos received his Master’s degree in urban transportation planning from University of Florida’s College of Engineering, and his Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Puerto Rico. He now serves as a Board Member for the Open Mobility Foundation.

Monica F. DaCosta’s career in the public sector has spanned more than 20 years. She is currently the Chief Officer of Subways Operations Training at the MTA, New York City Transit.  Ms. DaCosta oversees the division responsible for technical, operation and safety training of  approximately 30,000 employees within the Department of Subways. Ms. DaCosta is a strong collaborative leader with the ability to navigate a political culture while driving change. Her work is noteworthy for its focus on building new methods to solve age-old problems; motivating employees to use out-the-box solutions; and collaborating with stakeholders while challenging the status-quo.

Prior to joining the MTA, she worked at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. At the PANYNJ, Ms. DaCosta began as a Leadership Fellow and continued in positions with progressive responsibilities. She has held positions that spanned from central office management to managing strategic and programmatic initiatives. Ms. DaCosta started her career in a nonprofit organization holding successive roles.

Ms. DaCosta received her Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Sociology/Anthropology from Pace University. In addition, she has Masters of Public Administration from Baruch College, City University of New York (National Urban Fellow) and a Masters of Divinity (Cum Laude) from New Brunswick Theological Seminary. She is a member of numerous professional and community service organizations including, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Ms. DaCosta is committed to making an impact through her professional
and personal endeavors.

Sheri is the Director of Revenue at Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) located in Hampton Roads Virginia. She holds a bachelor’s in accounting, master’s in accounting and taxation, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy at Old Dominion University. Sheri is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Smart Cities & Innovation Committee (Hampton Roads), COMTO Hampton Roads, as well as the American Public Transportation Association where she serves on the Fare Collection Systems Committee and the Research & Technology Committee. She has worked as a senior-level financial/accounting executive for over 25 years. Sheri has worked in the transportation industry for almost 7 years and is an expert in Equity in Transportation, Fare Collection Systems, Fare Revenue Collections and Reconciliations. Throughout her career, she has held every position from a basic staff accountant and controller to CFO, Vice President, and General Manager in private, public, international, and government sectors.

Sheri’s Ph. D. research and dissertation focus on inequity in public transportation for vulnerable populations and how those inequities create “transit-induced” inequities in other public sectors such as education, employment, housing, and healthcare.

Gregory Elsborg joined Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) in 2019 as Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer.

As Chief Innovation Officer, Gregory’s responsibilities include driving new business partnerships, growing DART’s Mobility as a Service (MaaS) offering and leveraging technology to facilitate innovation across the enterprise. Greg has a strong track record of driving ecommerce, mobile and innovation initiatives across a variety of industries throughout his career. His background includes Fortune 500 and global leadership roles in digital innovation and brand strategy spanning various industries.

Originally from the United Kingdom, Gregory studied Marketing at Lancaster University Management School, a Top 5 UK Business School, graduating with multi-disciplinary Honors. After a successful career in the UK, including general management and marketing leadership roles in the transit industry, he relocated to the United States in 2011.

Endya started her professional career as a Financial Auditor. Her auditing career led her to transit via LYNX in Orlando Florida as the Supervisor of Revenue Control overseeing the money room operation. She was later promoted to the Manager of Business Relations.

She joined Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) as a Management Analyst and then promoted to Assistant Manager of Customer Service. In 2013 she was promoted to Revenue Manager overseeing a team of twenty of the best people in transit and all fare programs.

She has participated in the implementation of a smart card program and the MYJTA App with fleetwide validation bring mobile payment options to JTA customers for the first time. Most recently she created a partnership with Token Transit and ID.me creating a seamless eligibility program for college students.
She is a former Chapter President of (COMTO) Conference of Minority Transportation Officials and is the previous Chair of the APTA Fare Collection Systems Committee. Her passion is tackling the challenges associated with digital literacy and equity in fares.

Endya is a CPA from Florida State University and has a MBA from Webster University. She is married with two young children Angela and Christopher.

A lifelong resident of Jacksonville, Kevin J. Holzendorf is an Executive Account Manager at Emtec, Inc. Holzendorf has spent his professional career in both the private and public sectors working in the accounting, financial services and technology industries.

Holzendorf holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of North Florida. Holzendorf is active in the community serving as a “Big Brother” for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida, Jacksonville Cultural Council Board Member, Wolfson Children’s Hospital Development Council Board Member, Leadership Florida Cornerstone Class XXXVI, and YMCA of Florida’s First Coast Regional Board, to name a few.

Holzendorf was appointed to the JTA Board by Mayor Alvin Brown in August 2013 and reappointed by Mayor Lenny Curry in September 2017.

AI has the ability to transform many industries and Krish is leading Preteckt as its CEO to apply specific Artificial Intelligence technologies to maintenance in transit buses and commercial trucking. Preteckt is headquartered in Memphis and works closely with MATA. Krish leads all of Preteckt’s initiatives with transit agencies, bus OEMs, the largest truck OEM – Freightliner, and the US Army.

Krish worked with OnStar, GM, Ryder and Cisco, before becoming CEO of Preteckt, and this experience trained him well to build a successful company . Krish has more than 15 patents.

At Preteckt, Krish has tripled staff and works 20x the number of agencies since 2020, with a clear focus on transforming the maintenance function and providing a tool to maintenance technicians. Krish spearheaded collection of vehicle diagnostic data on zero emission buses. Today Preteckt has the largest data set of vehicle maintenance data powering AI applications.

Krish has a passion for transit and is a member of APTA’s Bus Technical Maintenance Committee and serves as a panelist with TCRP. Krish led Preteckt to work with the largest agency, NYC MTA, to the smaller agencies in rural areas. Krish can be reached at krish@preteckt.com for any ideas on maintenance innovation and also on ways to use AI-based technologies to all aspects of transit.

Preteckt’s focus on maintenance innovation increases mean distance between failure and empowers technicians with AI built from 1 billion miles of driving data. Reducing road calls and diagnostic time are the metrics Krish sets as Preteckt goals.

Robert is an Executive Consultant and Innovation Advisor for public and private companies supporting dozens of initiatives around the world. Serving as the Subject Matter Expert for the Chief Innovation Officer at NJTRANSIT he is applying tomorrow’s technologies to today’s operational and customer service needs in bus, rail, light rail and paratransit. Innovation areas include Resilient Communications, Smart Trains and Buses, Multi-modal Trip Planning, Video Analytics, Micropositioning, Augmented Reality, and Automated Vehicles. He is a thought leader in guiding the implementation of Connected, Automated, Shared, and Electric (CASE) vehicles in multi-modal operations around the country. These include the design, build, operations and maintenance of fixed and on-demand service for DOTs, Port Authorities, transit agencies, universities and airports. He coordinates Connected Vehicle (CV) and Mobility as a Services (MaaS) applications in Smart Cities implementing emerging mobility solutions.  Robert is Cofounder and CTO of Parkway Autonomous providing Innovation as a Service (IaaS) for agencies around the country and has 30 years of technology and engineering experience in transportation innovation. Robert was Vice President Technology and Innovation at First Transit and at Chief Engineer of Emerging Mobility at HNTB. Previously, he was Director Technology Services for 12 years at New Jersey Transit.

Robert earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and a Master of Science in electrical engineering from John Hopkins University.

Debra A. Johnson is a person in the people business, a transit executive guided by the knowledge that her decision-making has direct bearing on the public’s ability to make connections that benefit their lives. Her public transportation journey began as a child in Fresno, California, and encompasses more than a quarter-century of leadership experience honed at some of the largest transit agencies in the United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington, D.C., and Southern California.

Johnson was selected as General Manager and CEO of RTD by the agency’s Board of Directors on Aug. 25, 2020. She carries top responsibility for RTD’s budget, capital projects and service delivery, which include bus, light rail and commuter rail options across the Denver metro region.

Johnson joined RTD from Long Beach Transit, where she served as Deputy CEO of the Southern California agency from May 2014 to October 2020. Prior to that, Johnson held executive positions at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). She moved into public sector service after beginning her transportation career in the private sector in the Bay Area.

Johnson holds a master of arts degree in public administration from California State University Hayward (now CSU East Bay), and a bachelor of arts degree in international relations from the University of California Davis. She is a proud alumna of civic leadership programs in San Francisco and Long Beach, as well as the Eno Center for Transportation’s Executive Development Program.

Sheila Jordan is CEO at Knowledge Architects, also known as KA, a consulting company that provides workforce development solutions. In 2020, KA was named one of the fastest growing companies on the Inc.5000 list.

KA equips today’s talent with the knowledge needed to succeed in this increasingly competitive landscape via next-generation technology and on-demand access to integrated solutions.

Sheila brings 30 years of experience in Organizational Change Management, Workforce Development and Training to her practice. More specifically, Sheila has over a decade of experience working directly with U.S. transit agencies on upskilling technicians. KA accelerates technician productivity and proficiency through an immersive 3D and Augmented Reality platform which delivers innovative tools and interactive experiences.

Throughout her career, Sheila has been a committed advocate and a voice for both women and underserved communities of color. She believes that by creating learning ecosystems within our communities, we create positive pathways to jobs, skills, and career opportunities that dismantle barriers to success.

Sheila has recently begun working with targeted Universities and industry leading Vocational Partners to develop creative programs in the field of industrial automation that will prepare today’s tech savvy workforce for highly technical, entry level opportunities.

Eric Kaled, President, brings more than a decade of international technology management to Genfare. He is a highly accomplished and strategic global P & L leader with an extensive background in transit, payment processing and software and hardware innovation.

Eric is a leader of multiple businesses and possesses a broad background in payment and technology knowledge, he believes in sharing his knowledge through mentoring and stewardship.

Eric is a member of the SPX Diversity and Inclusion Executive Council. The council is designed to create greater awareness of the principles and values of diversity and inclusion, and to develop tools for more effective management that facilitates inclusion and encourages diverse perspectives.

Christos Karanicolas has served in various engineering roles developing technology for the public transit (ITS), Department of Defense and secure file transfer industries.

Christos currently serves as Senior Vice President of Engineering for Clever Devices, the leading ITS provider in North America. Christos has been with Clever Devices since 2005 where he led the development of the company’s RPTI and CAD/AVL product lines which are currently deployed at some of the largest transit agencies across North America. Christos has served in his current role as SVP of Engineering since 2015 where he heads all engineering activities related to Clever Devices’ CAD/AVL, RTPI, Business Intelligence, Depot Management and Onboard/Embedded product lines.

Christos has also recently led the formalization of Clever Devices’ engineering and corporate Cybersecurity program. Through this experience, Christos has gained a deep understanding of the challenges faced by corporations and the public transit industry in implementing sound security processes and procedures.

James Keel serves as the Public Transportation Director for Greenlink, the City of Greenville’s (SC) Public Transportation Department, where he has been since 2015. Prior to his tenure at Greenlink, he worked at East Carolina University (ECU) Transit in Greenville, North Carolina where he started his public transit career as a Bus Operator before being promoted to lead the Charter Services Unit until his departure. He received his B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Management in 2012 and his M.B.A. in 2014 from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

Since joining the staff in 2015, he has served as the project manager for the deployment of the agency’s Intelligent Transit System, which included real-time information for customers, the Cubic UMO Ticketing System, Remix Transit Planning and Scheduling Software, and the Proterra Electric Bus Build and Deployment. In July 2019, he guided staff to implement systemwide changes as recommended in a Comprehensive Operational Analysis, which include changing over 60% of the route structure.

Currently, his primary focus is on the design and construction of a new Operations and Maintenance Facility, of which the completion will allow for service expansion as outlined in the Transit Development Plan.

Joffrey Lauthier is an expert in train control technology with experience across a diverse range of rail networks, from driverless metros to high-speed railways. He is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and leads WSP’s rail systems pursuits on the West Coast.

Joffrey started his career commissioning control centers for light rails. He then transitioned to project management and business development roles at Alstom and GE Transportation before heading the sales organization of Bombardier’s signaling division in Asia Pacific. After this, Joffrey went on to grow a global line of business at SGS, providing testing and certification services to rolling stock manufacturers.

Prior to joining WSP, Joffrey ran the sales operations of Humatics, a venture capital-backed startup pioneering ultra-wideband radio positioning infrastructure on transit systems.

Alex Litchfield is Vice President Business Development & Marketing at Bytemark, Inc. Alex works with transit agencies, city and municipal governments, and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) helping them understand how ticketing, fare payment and trip planning intersect to deliver a comprehensive, seamless travel and mobility solution to travelers. With over 25 years’ experience delivering solutions to the transit industry, Alex also holds a Master’s in Sustainable Transportation (MST) from the University of Washington. A degree program which attracted Alex due to its instruction in environmental and economic sustainability, social justice, and social equity.

Alex’s participation in APTA includes being a long standing member of the Fare Collection Systems Committee where he previously held the position of Second Chair and currently holds the position of Secretary.

David L. Mayer, PhD is the first-ever chief executive officer of the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC), the state safety oversight agency (safety regulator) for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail system. Dr. Mayer joined the WMSC in June 2018. Under Dr. Mayer’s leadership, the WMSC’s work includes inspections, safety audits, and event investigations, and the use of enforcement authority when necessary. Dr. Mayer previously served as the first-ever chief safety officer of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a position he held from December 2014 through May 2018. Dr. Mayer also served as the managing director of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for five and a half years ending in November 2014. In that role, he functioned as the agency’s chief operating officer and senior career executive by overseeing the agency’s technical organizational units.

Dr. Mayer’s NTSB career began in 1991 as a safety researcher. At the NTSB, he worked on accident investigations and safety projects in all modes of transportation. In 2001, he was named assistant managing director and in 2005 he was promoted to deputy managing director. While serving in that role, Dr. Mayer concurrently served for 10 months as the NTSB’s chief information officer, where he oversaw information technology, records management, and information security programs.

He was trained in experimental psychology as a human factors specialist and holds a doctorate from Rice University in Houston.

Ravi Misra is the Assistant General Manager of Technology and Chief Information Officer at San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). Since 2007, Ravi has served in this role marking more than 15 years of experience in the public sector.

Spearheading the Office of the CIO, Ravi provides leadership for the continued development of an innovative, robust, and secure IT platform for BART. Widely recognized as the Turn Around Specialist, Innovator, and Change Agent with extensive IT and cybersecurity expertise, Ravi and his management team focuses on designing IT strategies to maximize today’s opportunities while preparing for the future. As AGM & CIO, he is responsible for divisions which support enterprise applications, enterprise data, tools, customer support, infrastructure, shared services, district collaboration platforms, and information security. Under his leadership, OCIO completes technology initiatives by incorporating cutting edge solutions and leads the way to be one of the pivotal transit agencies.

Ravi represents BART’s information technology interests by affiliating with several regional and national organizations and agencies.

Ravi’s leadership was instrumental in mobilizing resources to respond to the COVID -19 SIP and enabling the transition to a remote workforce to engage virtually for day-to-day business activities.

He also founding member of The Transit CIO Consortium encouraging fellow CIOs to share and adapt best practices in the field of Information technology while addressing mutual challenges.

Mihir has held the position of Sr. Product Manager for Artificial Intelligence, Energy Monitoring and Train operations product lines since 2018. In that role he is responsible for market research for Artificial intelligence products including defining go to market plans with class1, short line and passenger customers. He has worked on development of products like using inward camera imagery to detect if a crew is using unauthorized mobile device inside cab and using outward camera imagery to detect if gate arms and flashing lights are working at highway grade crossings.

Prior to that, Mihir worked at Cummins Inc. for 11 years in a variety of engineering and product management roles and at General Electric Transportation for 2 years as Product manager for digital products to support locomotive productivity and reliability.

Mihir has a BSME from Pune University, India & MSME from University of Cincinnati and an MBA from Purdue University.

The BART Board of Directors unanimously appointed Robert (“Bob”) Powers as BART’s tenth General Manager (GM) on July 25, 2019. As GM, Powers manages an operating budget of $1 billion, oversees $1.4 billion in capital projects, and leads an agency with 4,000 employees that keeps the San Francisco Bay Area moving.

Powers helps to carry out BART’s mission to provide safe, reliable, clean, quality transit service while putting riders first and prioritizing safety. He is leading the agency through historic infrastructure re-investment while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on improving the customer experience and advancing equity throughout the organization.

Powers, a licensed Professional Engineer, has more than 20 years of experience in the public transportation industry overseeing major infrastructure projects and transportation programs. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering, and a M.S. in Structural Engineering, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Powers began his career at BART in 2012 as the Assistant GM of Planning, Development and Construction where he was responsible for multi-million-dollar capital projects. In 2017, he became Deputy GM providing strategic leadership and direction in support of the GM and the management of all District activities. He was responsible for overseeing the immediate implementation of Measure RR, a $3.5 billion infrastructure bond approved by voters.

Prior to joining BART, Powers served as the Deputy Director, and Director of Major Projects for Seattle DOT, and the Division Chief of Transportation Engineering and Construction Division, as well as the Conduits Division, for Baltimore City DOT.

Gary Rosenfeld is the Chief Executive Officer of the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA). Rosenfeld has led the transit agency since 2016 and has implemented new transit initiatives that focus on increasing mobility options and elevating services for residents in Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee.

Under his leadership, MATA has recently launched two microtransit programs, initiated a new fare collection system and collaborated with community stakeholders to encourage ongoing public support of MATA. The agency is also working through a formal plan adopted by the Memphis Land Use Control Board to reconfigure the transit network. Once complete, the Memphis Transit Vision will connect more passengers to important destinations like employment, education and medical providers.

Rosenfeld is a true innovator and understands the importance of AI. He identified how AI can revolutionize maintenance, and reached out to Preteckt, a Memphis AI company, to work on MATA buses.

Rosenfeld has more than 30 years of experience in transit as an executive, strategist and advisor. Prior to joining MATA, he was responsible for the nationally recognized transportation programs at Yosemite National Park which under his tenure boasted the first all-diesel-electric hybrid transit fleet in the nation.

Prior to joining Yosemite National Park, Rosenfeld served as the Director of Operations for Laidlaw Transit Services in Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to his decades of public service, Rosenfeld’s experience extends to the private sector where he launched his own transportation consulting firm that secured more than $600 million in public contracts.

Carl G. Sedoryk, is Chief Executive Officer for Monterey-Salinas Transit District, a small urban/rural transit operator, and has worked within the California public transit industry since 1988 and during that time has never been more than a half hour bike ride from his work to the beach. Carl started with Monterey-Salinas Transit in June 2000 and has been its CEO since September 2005.

Under the guidance of the District Board of Directors which represents the 13 jurisdictions within the County of Monterey, Carl is responsible for leading his team of 350 direct and contract employees in providing mobility throughout the 4 counties of the vast California Central Coast region which comprises an area equivalent to one-fifth of the state coastline.

In his spare time, Carl is an underemployed multi-instrumentalist and volunteer martial arts instructor.

Paul P. Skoutelas is president and chief executive officer of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). His entire career has been in public transportation, serving in both the public and private sectors.

Skoutelas is a champion for the power of public transportation to create personal and economic opportunities for all and to connect and build thriving communities. He testifies often before Congress and is a frequent speaker on public transportation issues as APTA leads the industry’s transformation in the new mobility era.

Prior to joining APTA in 2018, Skoutelas served as senior vice president for WSP USA, one of the world’s largest architectural and engineering firms and national director of WSP USA’s Transit & Rail Technical Excellence Center. He also was chief executive officer at the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority (LYNX), Orlando, Florida.

Skoutelas serves on numerous boards and committees, including the Transportation Research Board, Mineta Transportation Institute, ENO Center for Transportation, Transportation Learning Center and the Alliance to Save Energy’s 50×50 Commission on U.S. Transportation Sector Efficiency. He is a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Executive Advisory Board on Smart Mobility and Carnegie Mellon University’s Mobility 21 Advisory Council.

He is also a long-time member of WTS International and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO).

Skoutelas received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a licensed professional engineer.

Skoutelas and his wife, Denise, are residents of Washington DC, and he commutes to work on Washington’s Metro system and the DC Circulator.

Steve Young has served as the Vice President of Technology & Innovation at VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, Texas, since 2015. VIA Metropolitan Transit serves as the transportation leader for the greater San Antonio Metropolitan region, moving over 38 million passengers a year. Steve’s team oversees a wide range of areas including data center management, application development, business operations support, fare technologies, intelligent vehicle systems, and innovation opportunities.

Formerly, Steve served as Chief Technology Officer for nine years at Judson Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas. In 2014 Steve was the recipient of the Texas K-12 CTO Council Grace Hopper CTO of the Year Award for Texas. In 2016 and 2019 Steve was selected as an Honorary Commander for the 433rd Airlift Wing at Lackland Air Force Base. In 2017 he served as the Chair of the North San Antonio Chamber CIO Breakfast Series. And In 2018 VIA Metropolitan Transit received a Smart 50 Award from Smart Cities Connect for their VIA goMobile app. Also, in 2018, VIA received a coveted national award from the American Public Transit Association and was named the most Innovative Transit Agency in the United States. In 2019 Steve was named the CIO of the year for San Antonio and received an international CIO Award from Info-Tech. Steve currently serves as the Vice Chair for the American Public Transit Association Information Technology Committee, a Board Member of the Transit CIO Consortium and as a trustee for the San Antonio School District Foundation.