2022 Mid-Year Safety Seminar & Risk Management Seminar Speakers

Kathy has over 30 years’ experience in Risk Management, primarily in the transportation industry. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Iowa Wesleyan College and her Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation from Insurance Institute of America. She currently serves on the APTA Risk Management Committee as Secretary and is on the Board of Directors as Treasurer for the Missouri Self-Insurance Association (MSIA). She served over fifteen years in various positions on the Board of Directors for the St. Louis Chapter of the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS). She is also a member of the Missouri Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA).

Kathy has a seventeen year old daughter that keeps her busy with many activities.

Presently Carl is working for Armand Consulting (ACI a division of Transit Systems Engineering (TSE)) and holds a TSSP for rail and is actively providing safety and security certification services as well as communications/systems design services to the transit industry,
Carl is also a member of the APTA Safety Committee and APTA Control & Communications Security Working Group and has co-authored the “APTA Recommended Practice for Securing Control and Communications Systems in Rail Transit Environments” (published and evolving).

• Attended Eastern Kentucky University – Political Science
• Worked at CSX for 20+ years – Multiple positions
• Worked at Bombardier Mass Transit for 2 years – Manager of Train Operations
• Working at Jacobs for 3 years – Director of Operations for the Central Florida Rail Corridor
• Memberships:
  • American Association of Railroad Superintendents
  • American Public Transportation Association
  • Assocation of American Railroads Positive Train Control Interoperability Committee
  • Interoperable Train Control Configuration and Change Management Team
  • Interoperable Train Control, Positive Train Control Support Team
  • Florida Public Transportation Association

Brian is married to his wife Sarah and has two 16-year-old twins Isaac and Laynie. He enjoys serving as a trustee in his church and serving others.

Before joining FTA, Mr. DeLorenzo served as the Acting Associate Administrator for Enforcement for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Agency’s Director of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance, where he was responsible for policy and program development for the Agency’s enforcement and compliance program.

Mr. DeLorenzo comes to the FTA with more than 30 years of experience in the transportation industry. Mr. DeLorenzo’s career includes over 15 years of in-field experience that extends to managing training and education related to Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety and Security as Director of FMCSA’s National Training Center. In that role, he was responsible for a wide range of Commercial Vehicle Safety training for Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies in the areas of Commercial Motor Vehicle and Hazardous Materials Safety and Security, Criminal Interdiction and professional development.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Sociology and a Master’s in Public Policy and Management.

Alice is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Massachusetts and Texas, Certified Project Management Professional by Project Management Institute, Certified Reliability Engineer and Certified Quality Auditor by American Society for Quality.

Throughout her career at RTD, Svetlana has worked on a wide range of projects, aiding in the ongoing progress of public transit in the Denver metro area. Some of her previous work includes design and construction of transportation hubs, rail and bus rapid transit corridors.

Numerous times Svetlana attended the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Transportation Research Board (TRB) conferences presenting on various technical subjects.

Previously Ms. Hanson was the Chief of Police for AMTRAK where she led a national police department responsible for protecting over 30 million passengers and 20,000 employees.

Polly began her career at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) where she progressed through the ranks of the Metro Transit Police Department. As the Chief of the Metro Transit Police, Polly led a tristate police department and directed the response to the terrorist attacks in Madrid and London.

Polly received her Masters degree in Applied Behavioral Science from Johns Hopkins and her Bachelors degree in Communications from Temple University. Polly has her FTA TSSP and PTSCTP certifications.

Polly is the recipient of WMATA’s Carmen E. Turner Award, was a COMTO Women Who Move the Nation. Ms. Hanson is a member of the Operation Lifesaver, Inc Board of Directors.

Prior to entering consulting, Kevin was the Senior Rail and Facilities Safety Specialist for the Port Authority of Allegheny County, now Pittsburgh Regional Transit. During his 10 years of experience there, Kevin oversaw the safety of a light rail system with 83 LRV’s and 30 miles of track, including 2 system extensions and a new LRV procurement. Kevin also had safety responsibilities for railcar maintenance employees, and facilities, rights of way employees and power and signal employees. In addition to light rail safety, Kevin also has safety oversight of 2 inclined planes (funiculars).

Kevin is a Senior Associate Staff Instructor for TSI and has been actively teaching for 15 years. He is also actively involved in APTA where he currently is the Vice Chair of the Rail Safety Committee and Chair of the APTA Recommended Practice for Safety & Security Certification.

Kevin holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Safety & Environmental Management from Slippery Rock University and has earned the TSSP designation. In additional to the PTSCTP for Bus and Rail, Kevin has earned the designation of Certified Safety & Security Director and Certified Safety Executive from the World Safety Organization.

Rex has over 25 years’ experience in commercial property and casualty insurance. He started career with a global insurance broker in Washington, D.C. conducting in-depth client risk assessments and placing property and casualty coverage for clients in the public entity, transit, technology, education and other industries. He continued this work in his hometown of Phoenix until 2007 when he joined an independent risk management consulting firm. As a consultant, Rex performed outsourced risk manager responsibilities for public and private entities including: insurance program oversight, contract review, coverage analysis, litigation management, training and vendor management.

Rex received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Arizona. He earned the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation and is a licensed Property & Casualty broker. He is active in several professional organizations including APTA, local and national Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA).

In his spare time, Rex enjoys being active with his family including hiking, golf, cribbage, backgammon, and seeking adventures on the backroads of Arizona.

As a former public-sector transit official, Chris understands the unique needs and challenges for agencies managing FTA-funded projects.

Prior to joining FTA, Mr. Mader founded VaxTransit to promote more than 580 public transit providers connecting communities to vaccines, and was formerly the first Chief Customer Officer for NJ Transit. He also helped the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey establish the PATH Riders Council, and he led the council as chair and chief spokesperson.

Mr. Mader created the Transit Standards project, New York & New Jersey Subway Map, and New England Transit Map to elevate the importance of design in the transit experience. His writing on transit policy is published by CTAA, Mass Transit, Mobility Lab, Philadelphia Inquirer, and other publications. He holds a BS in Chemistry from University of Hartford, and an MS in curriculum development and instructional technology from University at Albany.

Previously, Mr. McLemore served as a General Engineer in FTA’s Region V Chicago office. As an Engineer, he was responsible for several major capital investment projects throughout the Region. His responsibilities also included management and oversight of various transit programs delivered to Transit agencies and State DOT’s in the Region.

He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), certified Contracting Officers Representative (COR II), earned a Transit Safety and Security Program (TSSP) certificate and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering Technology from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN.

While at Metro Transit she led a reimagining of its bus system, which improved frequency to more than half of daily riders. She has demonstrated success at reducing carbon emissions by making transit more attractive and accessible. This includes the launch of microtransit and connector services. At Metro Transit, she led a shift toward renewable energy through its battery-electric bus program and partnerships to shift utilities to renewable sources. She has overseen the expansion of St. Louis’s 46-mile light rail system while also supporting public-private partnerships as a way to leverage rail investment with thriving transit-oriented development.

Previously, Mefford-Miller held posts at the National Park Service, the Ohio Department of Transportation and The Ohio State University. She holds a B.S. in Geography from Southern Illinois University, an M.S. in Geography from Texas State University, and is a Ph.D. candidate in Geography from The Ohio State University.

He also serves as a Major in the United States Army Reserve and currently commands the 647th Expeditionary Terminal Operational Element (ETOE) at Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington.

For four years, Laura was a classroom teacher herself in the Roosevelt and Isaac Elementary School Districts, working primarily with at-risk students. During that time, she created a volunteer program to provide after-school tutoring and authored an accountability program for teachers, students, and parents.

Currently, Laura is the Community Liaison at Phoenix College. In this capacity, she implements, communicates, coordinates, and administers the community relations activities at Phoenix College with a variety of internal and external communities and partners throughout the local region. 10 years prior to this, she was the Director of Early Outreach at South Mountain Community College and Phoenix College.

Laura is also a current member of the Phoenix Union High School District Governing Board, where she has been a strong advocate for strategic planning and participatory governance for the District.

In 1999, Laura was selected as one of 30 participants in the National Urban and Rural Fellowship. She attended a master’s program at Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs, City University of New York. As part of this program, Laura relocated to Chicago for her master’s practicum with the Board of Education at Chicago Public Schools. There, she organized the National Conference for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans in Chicago and designed and implemented Theater in Public Schools. She also participated in the creation of the Global Educators Outreach.

In August 2000, Laura received her Master of Public Administration degree and joined the City of Chicago’s Office of Language and Cultural Education as the project director for Mayor Richard M. Daley’s innovative initiative Museums and Public Schools (MAPS). She was responsible for a new partnership between nine world-class museums and Chicago Public Schools. Laura administered the operating budget and collaborated with museum presidents, board members, and non-profit organizations to continue the expansion of this program. MAPS served over 10,000 students in grades 2 through 6.

Laura is the current chair of the Economic Development Subcommittee and serves on the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Planning Subcommittee. In addition, Laura serves as the Phoenix representative on Valley Metro RPTA, Valley Metro Board of Directors and the Valley Metro Audit and Finance Subcommittee. Finally, Laura​ serves as co-chair of the Fast Track Cities Ad Hoc Committee​ and is a member of the Workforce Ad Hoc Committee.

She has served as a member of the Encanto Village Planning Committee and is a former member of the Hispanic Advisory Board of Maricopa Community Colleges, the Homeless Task Force, the Maricopa Transportation Advisory Board, and Phoenix Day.

She resides in Phoenix with her husband, Henry Cotto, a former major league baseball player and minor league coach. They have four children, Henry Jr., Claudia, Eduardo, and Sophia.

As an actuarial consultant and member of the leadership team, he works collaboratively with clients to explore innovative solutions to managing risk, utilizing expertise from all areas of Aon.

P.J. has been a property and casualty insurance broker since 2002, where he began with Arthur J. Gallagher, working on non-profit and large commercial accounts. After spending three years with Gallagher, P.J. moved to Alliant and begun working primarily with public entity clientele, including both insurance brokerage and Joint Powers Authority program administration.

P.J. holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from San Diego State University. He has also earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Risk Management (ARM). P.J. is a licensed Property & Casualty retail broker. He is active in several professional organizations, including American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA).

Education:

• North Dakota State University – 1999 – Bachelor of Science Electrical Engineering
• Engineer in Training – 1999 – North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Certificate No. 9307)

Experience:

• 1 year experience at Wabtec Corporation: Senior Director, Product Management
• 22 years of experience on BNSF Railway Co. in the following capacities: Track laborer, Welder, Grinder, Machine Operator; Intern; Corporate Management Trainee; Signal Supervisor; General Construction Supervisor; Manager of Special Projects; General Signal Supervisor; Assistant Division Engineer; Manager of Signal; Director of Signal Engineering

AREMA Committees Historical and Current Participation:

• Current Participation: Communications, Signals, and Information Technology – Functional Group Vice President; Chair of Membership Committee; Publications Committee; Seminar Review Committee; Committee 36 – Highway Grade Crossing Warning Systems; Committee 37 – Signal Systems; Committee 39 – PTC
• Prior Participation: Membership Committee; Nominating Committee; Communications & Signals – Board of Directors

She has served as the Public Information Officer for bus and transit services and Public Relations/ Marketing Coordinator for local rideshare programs and the Clean Air Campaign efforts. Experience with transportation and air quality began at the Orange County Transportation Authority in southern California as Senior Project Manager where she developed traffic mitigation campaigns. In 1994, she directed the countywide marketing and public relations efforts for the opening of Metrolink, the commuter rail service between Orange County and Los Angeles.

Susan has served as a board member for the WTS Metropolitan Phoenix Chapter from 2011-2017 including President, Immediate Past President, Vice President, Secretary, Nominations Chair, as well as providing support for Transportation You. She is a member of the AZTech Media and Communications Task Force and the Public Relations Society of America. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications and Human Ecology from Kansas State University.