Safety & Risk Management Seminar Speakers

Brian is the manager of APTA’s Safety Management Audit and Peer Review Programs and organizes and executes numerous yearly safety audits and peer reviews at properties throughout the United States, Canada and internationally. The safety audit program is based on a continuous improvement model and works to improve the safety culture at all size transit agencies. Brian organizes the audit and peer review panels, schedules audits and peer reviews, and works with the team to report out to senior management. Brian has led several safety audits and peer reviews, including at MTR Hong Kong, Transport for London, TTC, WMATA, CTA, SEPTA, Houston Metro, TriMet, Miami-Dade Transit, and numerous other transit properties throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia.

Prior to APTA, Brian was a Senior Program Analyst and Policy Lead in the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Office of System Safety. During his tenure, Brian authored the SSO Program Final Rule and the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Brian also served as program manager of the Safety Management Systems Pilot program and received numerous awards for his efforts in safety by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. In addition, at the FTA, Brian worked in the FTA’s Office of Budget and Policy for over three years on MAP-21 implementation and legislative analysis.

Prior to joining FTA, Brian worked as a program manager and policy analyst at AASHTO and for various members of the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill. Brian has over 18 years of experience in the transportation, safety, and environmental policy fields and received his Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree from the George Washington University and Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Communications from Boston University. Brian is a graduate of the 2018 Leadership APTA Class and the 2020 Eno Transit Senior Executive Program.

As for System Security, I am highly skilled in Common Criteria, Evaluation, and Formal Methods. I employ various tools including Fault Tree, Atelier B, Coq, and SAT solvers. I am also well versed in the following Methods and Norms: EN-5012x, DO178, DO333, CEI 61508.

Dr. Baker’s research centers on occupational experiences of vulnerable or underrepresented groups. Dr. Baker collaborates with worker organizations, government partners, industry partners, and unions to characterize physical and mental health outcomes experienced by workers, characterize their risk perceptions and needs, and propose and evaluate interventions for safe work. Dr. Baker has led research studies working with construction workers, welders, app-based drivers, scrap metal recyclers, loggers, maritime workers, public transportation operators, and others. Dr. Baker also studies the experiences of women in the workplace, and the unique gendered exposures they face.

Trained as an industrial hygienist, Dr. Baker has expertise in workplace exposure assessment, using techniques such as air sampling, biomonitoring and exposure modeling. Recently, her interests and expertise have expanded to characterize stress and mental health in worker populations, using both survey and qualitative methods. Based on her occupational studies of manganese exposures and health effects in welders, she was invited to serve as a committee member for the International Agency for Research on Cancer in reviewing welding fume as a carcinogen. In 2021, Baker was appointed by the administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency to the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals. In 2023 she accepted a position on the OSHA Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH). She also serves as a member of the World Health Organization Technical Advisory Group on Occupational Burden of Disease Estimation.

Dr. Baker received her BA in Biology from Northwestern University and her MS and PhD from University of Washington in Exposure Sciences, and Environmental and Occupational Health, respectively.

Scott served as the Principal Investigator for the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) on several critical studies on the transportation and cybersecurity, including MTI’s most recent cybersecurity study, Ensuring that the Transit Industry and Their Vendors Are Aligned to Face the Increasing Cybersecurity Challenges: Recommendations for Quickly Identifying and Addressing Challenges. He is currently leading research on the state of cybersecurity insurance for transit as well as benching transit agency investment in cybersecurity.
Before founding CYBRBASE and SFB Consulting, Scott was the CEO of the Telecommunications Industry Association and of ITS America. Scott has also held executive leadership positions at several other prominent trade associations, practiced environmental law with Beveridge & Diamond, PC, served as professional staff for the U.S. House of Representative Appropriations Committee, and served in several positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Scott received is law degree at the University of Virginia, his MPP at Georgetown, and his BA at the University of Redlands.

Prior to joining Aon in 2017 Chetan served as the Chief Technology Officer at Data Partner, Inc. In this role, he was responsible for the technical vision, strategy, and roadmap for the organization. He was also a Cyber-Security Consultant for Advance Resources and Consultants, a firm made up of former senior-level government and military officers, where he conducted cyber security risk assessments for organizations awarded federal government contracts. He also worked for Nexum, where he served in a variety of roles such as Business Development Director and Practice Manager and was responsible for the project management and network/security engineering teams. Before joining Nexum, he worked at Hewitt Associates and Aon, where he deployed and administered security controls and was part of a team that maintained the network security infrastructure protecting the PII of over 75% of the Fortune 500 organizations.

Chetan serves as a Professor at Washington University in St. Louis where he also a Member-at-Large on the Cybersecurity Education Advisory Board for Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Chetan also serves as faculty at Marquette University in Milwaukee and Loyola University in Chicago where he served as one of the founders of the Cybersecurity Technology Management Certificate. He has successfully mentored students to complete in the National Cyber League and the National Collegiate Cyber Defense competitions. Chetan is often invited by the FBI and US Secret Service to provide executive debriefings on cyber and other investigative matters.

Chetan earned a Master’s in Business Administration and Master’s in Project Management degree from Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor’s in Network and Communications degree from DeVry University. Chetan also earned a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Executive Certificate from Carnegie Mellon Heinz College and CERT Division of Software Engineering Institute and is a graduate of the Asian Executive Leadership Program at McKinsey Executive Leadership.

Kathy has over 30 years 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.

Currently she is the Vice Chair for the APTA Risk Management Committee; Treasurer for the Missouri Self-Insurance Association (MSIA) and is also a member of the Missouri Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA). She served over fifteen years in various positions on the Board of Directors for the St. Louis Chapter of Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS).

Kathy enjoys spending time with her daughter, friends and family.

Since taking office, Judge Brown has significantly increased resources to historically underserved communities, including starting a mass COVID-19 vaccination effort prioritizing communities of color. During winter storm Uri, Judge Brown directed additional food, water, and utility support to the hardest hit areas in Travis County. Judge Brown focuses on investing in mental and behavioral health to help people receive care outside of the jail system, improving access to affordable housing, and increasing transparency and community participation in County business. Under Judge Brown’s leadership, the Commissioners Court voted to fund $110 million for housing for people experiencing homelessness which is anticipated to create as many as 3,000 additional housing units in Austin and Travis County through models like the Community First Village.

Before taking office, Judge Brown helped create the Sobering Center-Austin to serve as an alternative to jail for intoxicated people, started a successful law firm, and served on local boards and commissions. He grew up in Austin and graduated from The University of Texas School of Law. Andy served as a legislative aide to former Texas Speaker of the House Pete Laney, a campaign manager for Congressman Lloyd Doggett, a law clerk for the US District Court in McAllen, finance director and senior advisor to Beto O’Rourke, and Travis County Democratic Party Chair.

Judge Brown lives in Austin with his wife, two kids, one dog, two cats, and three chickens.

Carol has spent his entire career in transportation as a lawyer, government affairs manager, advocate and project director. Prior to joining APTA in 2018, Carol spent nine years with WSP, serving as its Market Leader for Passenger, Freight and High-Speed Rail. He led various major passenger and high-speed rail projects across the US, and most recently helped manage design and construction of new light-rail transit projects in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Carol also worked for the Charlotte Areas Transit System (CATS), leading commuter rail, streetcar and multimodal station programs.

Carol spent 19 years with Amtrak, where he served as Assistant General Counsel, Senior Director of Congressional & State Affairs, and Vice President High Speed Rail. Carol served on Amtrak’s Management Committee and led the planning and construction of the Northeast corridor Acela High-Speed Rail program, including electrification and acquisition of the Acela high-speed trains.

Carol received his bachelor’s degree from Amherst College, and master’s and law degrees from the University of Virginia.

Prior to joining the Board, Member Chapman served six years as minority counsel to the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation & Space. He engaged in a broad range of issues, including the bipartisan effort to pass comprehensive legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration, the Transportation Security Administration, and the NTSB. In total, Member Chapman has four decades of experience in government, legislative, and regulatory affairs in the transportation industry.

Chapman previously served as US Airways’ vice president for government affairs, responsible for outreach on all federal policy initiatives. Prior to joining US Airways, he was legislative counsel for Southwest Airlines. His work in the airline industry spanned approximately 16 years.

Earlier in his career, Member Chapman was senior vice president for government and technical affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. His time in that role capped a 17-year tenure at the Association, beginning in 1981. While at AOPA, he held a variety of policy and safety related positions. He also earned his private pilot certificate and regularly enjoyed the opportunity to improve his skills, flying out of AOPA’s home base airport in Frederick, Maryland.

Because of Member Chapman’s practical experience in the aviation industry, an awareness and sensitivity to a pervasive culture of safety is imbedded in his approach. He brings that perspective to key challenges facing the NTSB, including advances in automation and the development of autonomous vehicles, meeting the expectations stemming from NTSB’s reputation as the world’s premier transportation safety organization, and the importance of recruiting and retaining the skilled team members on which the work of the agency is highly dependent.

Chapman considers public service to be a responsibility for those who have benefitted from professional life in the private sector. Appointment to the NTSB is a rewarding opportunity for Member Chapman to apply his experience and skills in a role allowing him to continue giving back through public service.

Member Chapman is a graduate of the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in music from C.W. Post College in Greenvale, N.Y.

Brian manages IndyGo’s insurance portfolio – broker services, procurement of coverage, evaluation of insurance needs, and management of the self-insurance program. Brian is also responsible for the duties of the Chief Safety Officer, all claim investigations, subrogation, and TPA administration for IndyGo’s AL/BI/PD claims. Brian is the Designated Employee Responsible (DER) for the management of their drug and alcohol program, IndyGo’s Emergency Response Team Chair, and a charter member of the Safety and Security Committee.

Brian calls home Greenwood, Indiana with his wife Sarah and their two twins Isaac and Lainie. Enjoys fishing, gardening, and serving his church as a trustee.

Over the span of his career, Mike has worked on a number of high profile projects that individually range between $1-$2 Billion in construction value. He has placed OCIPs for large, complex capital improvement programs, including for insureds with multi-phased construction periods that span over a decade. His range of coverage specialization for project specific placements includes primary and excess OCIP coverage, builders risk, contractor’s pollution liability, and owner’s protective professional indemnity.

Mike received his Bachelor of Arts and Science in English from the University of Redlands and has his Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist (CLCS) designation. In his free time, Mike enjoys snowboarding, fishing, going to concerts, and volunteering with Special Olympics.

Immediately prior to joining the 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 in field experience and, also 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 B.S. in Criminal Justice and Sociology, and a Master’s in Public Policy and Management.

Robert graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 2009 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He started his career with Kawasaki Rail Car and served as the lead QA engineer on two vehicle contracts with NYCT (R188 and R160). Robert then served in similar positions with HART in Honolulu, Hawaii and WMATA in Washington, DC prior to joining Hatch (previously LTK).

Currently serving as Assistant Vice President and Chief Safety & Security Officer, Chris has been with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority for six years. In this role, Chris is responsible for strategic leadership and oversight of the JTA’s safety, security, emergency preparedness, risk management, drug and alcohol, and quality assurance programs. Before joining the JTA, Geraci served as a Safety Director for Hyperbaric Medicine at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, and held previous positions as a Regional Safety & Training Director, 911 Paramedic, EHS Representative/Remote Duty Paramedic and Commercial Diver in the Gulf of Mexico oil & gas industry.

Geraci is a veteran of the United States Army, where he served as a Combat Infantry NCO and heavy dive team member. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety from Waldorf University, where he graduated summa cum laude; and has completed programs in emergency management and homeland security, critical infrastructure protection, and transit safety & security. His certifications include Certified Protection Professional, Certified Safety & Security Director, TSSP Bus & Rail, Florida Paramedic, Florida CPTED Practitioner, Certified Environmental Specialist, Certified Healthcare Safety Professional, and Hazardous Waste Management & Transportation.

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.

Betty has over 20 years of experience in the health, safety and environment field and has held various positions within the Safety and Environment Department. Prior to joining TTC in 2002, she began her career as an Industrial Hygienist at Ontario Power Generation.

Betty holds an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree in Physiology and a Master of Health Science Degree in Occupational and Environmental Health, both from the University of Toronto. She is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and a member of both the Occupational Hygiene Association of Ontario and the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

He led the implementation of the agency’s new approach to Public Safety that is made up of three programs: Public Safety Ambassadors, Community Intervention Specialists, and a Police Department.

From 1994 – 2017 Mr. Jamail served with the Austin Police Department, retiring as Police Commander.

Mr. Jamail graduated from Texas A&M University in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and managed retail grocery operations in Dallas and Houston for eight years before pursuing a career in law enforcement.

Currently, Kevin is a Principal – Eastern Region with ADS System Safety Consulting, LLC, a dss+ company. At ADS, Kevin helps to lead a team that is responsible for assuring compliance with the federally mandated Safety and Security requirements for transit agencies, including SMS and Safety Certification during design and build of applicable transit systems.

Kevin is a Senior Associate Staff Instructor for TSI and has been actively teaching for 17 years. He is also actively involved in APTA where he currently is the Chair of the Rail Safety Committee and Chair for the APTA Recommended Practice on Safety & Security Certification.

Kevin holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Safety and Environmental Management from Slippery Rock University and has earned the TSSP designation through TSI and the PTSCTP Certification (Bus and Rail) from FTA. Kevin also has earned the designation of Certified Safety & Security Director and Certified Safety Executive from the World Safety Organization.

Dr. Jerome M. Lutin currently serves as a consultant to Robotic Research LLC on application of autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems to transit. He served as Principal Investigator for the FTA/Pierce Transit Automated Collision Avoidance and Mitigation Safety Research and Demonstration Project and as Chair of the Transportation Research Board’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) panel on Effects of Automation on the Transit Workforce. Jerry’s career includes 50+ years of professional experience in transportation planning and engineering. He retired from positions as Distinguished Research Professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology and as Senior Director of Statewide and Regional Planning at New Jersey Transit, where he planned new light rail lines and the Newark International Airport rail station. Jerry earned master’s and PhD degrees in Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University where he was appointed Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering and Lecturer in Architecture and Urban Planning. A Fellow of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Jerry is a licensed professional engineer, a certified planner, and a US Air Force veteran.

Prior to joining Operation Lifesaver, Inc., Maleh ran a communications consulting firm offering comprehensive nonprofit management services. Previously, she was Deputy Executive Director of the Greater Washington Region of the American Heart Association. Her experience also includes serving as Senior Advisor/Chief of Staff with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition in Washington, D.C.

Maleh has advanced degrees both in International Relations and International Communications from Boston University as well as a Master of Science in Marketing from Johns Hopkins University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and French from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Dan is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and has completed the Public Transportation Safety Certification Training Program (PTSCTP) for Rail.

He was recognized as a Safety Professional of the Year (SPY) for ASSE Region II for 2004-2005, as well as the recipient of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, James R. Christie, Health and Safety Professional of the Year during and the ASSE Colorado Chapter SPY for 2004.

Michele serves as a Broker within the Aon Global Rail & Transit Practice. In this role, her primary responsibilities include broking excess casualty insurance for freight and transit rail systems. In additional, she places casualty coverage for rail related construction projects as well as rail related industry clients. Working directly with clients, she plays a primary role in the development of submissions for presentation to underwriters, for domestic and international insurance markets. She is well known and respected amongst underwriters for her ability to present a client’s risk through underwriting submissions. These documents as well as her long professional relationships in the rail insurance marketplace, help to leverage Aon’s position to achieve the most beneficial coverage and costs outcomes for clients.

CTDOT completed an award-winning Customer Experience Action Plan in 2023. This assessment has led to a $9M expansion in bus service expansion across the state, a $20M turnkey program for bus stop improvements across the state, and the award of microtransit proposals in 9 municipalities.

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 in all 50 states. He is active in several professional organizations, including American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA).

Prior to joining RTA in 2020, Mike held increasingly responsible roles at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and several small/mid-size bus transit systems, and supported FTA’s Transit Safety and Oversight programs as a federal contractor. From 2010-2015, he also served on APTA’s staff in Washington D.C. where he was responsible for managing its safety and security programs and developing technical assistance resources for the transit industry.

Mike earned Transit Safety and Security Program (TSSP) certificates from the U.S. Department of Transportation in bus and rail and is PTSCTP-certified in rail. He also achieved the World Safety Organization’s Certified Safety and Security Director (WSO-CSSD) certification. He holds degrees in urban planning and project management. In his spare time, he remains engaged in transportation safety groups, both locally and nationally, including APTA’s safety committees and standards development working groups, several Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) project panels, Louisiana Operation Lifesaver, and the New Orleans Regional Traffic Safety Coalition.

As a part of an industry-wide leadership role and demonstration of his overall commitment to safety and security excellence, he serves as the American Public Transportation Association’s Commuter Rail Safety and Security Subcommittee chair.

He is a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers, National Fire Protection Association and World Safety Organization. He is certified by the World Safety Organization as a certified safety executive and holds a USDOT-required Transit Safety and Security Program or TSSP certification.

• June 2010 to January 2016: Resident Managing Director, Aon Capital Region
• Chief Executive Officer for Capital Region operations. Responsible for all aspects of property and casualty and health and benefits service delivery within the region. Oversaw revenue, expense management, recruiting, personnel management, strategic partnerships and alliances, and all mission critical activities related to operations.
• October 2007 to June 2010: Chief Operating Officer, Aon Capital Region
• Responsibilities included leadership of client service model, implementation and management of financial performance metrics, and management of service team platform.
• Member of various industry groups and board member of several charitable organizations. Otis has also coached youth AAU, club, travel, and house sports.

Otis’ specific areas of expertise include complex risk analysis, due diligence, alternative risk finance, and complex client management

Dottie holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Texas and a Master of Business Administration from St. Edward’s University. A native Austinite, Dottie regularly enjoys trips to the pool with her daughter and plays French Horn in a local community band.

Prior to becoming an executive at TriMet, Andrew served as Interim Director of Safety and Environmental Services. He was the leader of the Virus Leadership Team during COVID and Incident Commander during the 2020 wildfire/hazardous air quality events that threatened the Pacific Northwest.
Andrew began his TriMet career in 2016 as Director of Risk Management, quickly becoming the agency’s go-to source for insurance questions, risk analysis and expert assessment during construction planning processes. He created TriMet’s first Enterprise Risk Register, a comprehensive online portal cataloguing hundreds of high-impact risks and their associated mitigation strategies. Andrew also led the completion of TriMet’s first Carbon Audit, guiding its environmental plan and climate actions.

After his promotion to TriMet’s Chief Safety Officer and Executive Director of Safety, Security, Emergency Management, and Environmental Services, in January of 2022, Andrew has overseen a time of expansion and innovation within the Safety and Security division. In June of 2023, under Andrew’s leadership, TriMet’s Safety and Security division was awarded gold awards for both Safety and Security improvements.

Andrew has a Transit Safety and Security Professional designation (TSSP) for both bus and rail, holds a PTSCTP certification, and has been qualified as a Certified Safety Executive by the World Safety Organization (WSO).