Workforce Summit Speakers

In her current role as Senior HR Business Partner for the Americas, Kiara collaborates with key Infrastructure business leaders and clients on business strategy, workforce development, planning and retention for major Infrastructure Projects across the USA and Canada. She leads teams to develop innovative solutions for employee engagement, creating a highly-skilled workforce and the development of cultural and organizational values.

Alongside her hands-on leadership experience in project execution environments across the US, Australia, Eastern Europe and Taiwan, Kiara holds an undergraduate degree in Business, and a Master of Laws in Construction Law and Arbitration.

Barnes has a transit career that spans the course of twenty years. He is a graduate of Leadership APTA and the ENO Executive Program. Barns completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado Boulder and received his master’s degree from the San Jose State Mineta Transportation Institute.

Calhoun also spent over 20 plus years in the private sector as a General Manager and Regional Vice President. He was able to see over 100 contracts and was involved and chaired several union negotiations with ATU, Teamsters, IBEW, SEIU, and AFSCME.

At VTA, Calhoun provides strategic leadership and day to day oversight to the Operations Division and is responsible for directing all VTA transit operations including Bus Operations and Maintenance, Light Rail Operations and Maintenance, Accessible Services, and Facilities Maintenance.

Derik was born and raised in Richmond, California. He attended Cal State Hayward majoring in Sociology and is graduate of leadership APTA. He served on the Board of Directors for VCTC and was one of the founding members of Leadership Vallejo. Derik is the current Vice Chair for APTA’s Workforce Development Committee.

Before joining Metro, Randy served more than four years as President and CEO of Capital Metro in Austin, Texas, where he helped secure one of the country’s largest voter-approved transit referendums in US history. The initiative, called Project Connect, resulted in a multi-billion-dollar infusion for CapMetro’s capital program.

Prior to his work in Austin, Randy held key leadership positions in public transportation around the country. He served as the Vice President of Operations and Member Services for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) in Washington DC from 2016 to 2018.

Randy also spent more than six years in various positions with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in Boston, including Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Assistant General Manager of Engineering, Maintenance and Preparedness, and Senior Director of Security.

Originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, Randy holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History from Acadia University and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Southern Maine. He lives in Washington DC with his wife Kimberley (they met in Boston while riding the subway to a Red Sox game) and their two dogs.

Trish spent 10 years in private sector human resources before joining PSTA in 2012.  She also spent three years working in an Exotic Animal Veterinary Hospital, so she knows how to stay calm when things get hairy!

Trish is Chair of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Labor and Employee Relations Subcommittee, and Chair of Pinellas Technical College’s School Advisory Committee.  She is a proud graduate of Leadership APTA Class of 2019.

Trish and her husband live on a boat in St. Petersburg and love sailing and traveling around the world.  She always rides public transit when exploring new places.

Keniq holds a Master of Science in administration, school leadership degree from Trinity University, and a Master of Arts in special education from Loyola Marymount University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in communication disorders from the University of Houston.

In her spare time, Keniq serves on the board of The Right Fit, Inc., collects kitchen gadgets, and dabbles in interior and closet design.

Ms. Copeland is a certified Asana Pro and Solutions Partner that has helped numerous organizations and teams define expectations, harness requirements for business value, and device strategies for implementing training and knowledge transfers. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Wildlife Ecology from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in Data Science from the University of Denver.

He is one of the original founders of TOOTRiS, the first and only Child Care technology platform built for business, that is revolutionizing the Child Care space. Eric helped launch TOOTRiS so that all parents – especially women – have the same opportunities for career advancement and so that every child, regardless of family income or zip code, has access to quality Child Care.

Eric is passionate about business intelligence research, and synthesizing information from a variety of data sources to make accurate and well-formulated brand decisions.

Dawkins is a graduate of the Benjamin Banneker Honors College and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Prairie View A&M University and received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Texas Tech University School of Law. She is a member of the State Bars of Texas, Florida, and Georgia, and is also admitted to practice in federal court. She has handled federal civil matters in the United States District Courts for the Middle District of Florida and the Northern District of Georgia and has appeared before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Dawkins is a Certified Retirement Pension Fiduciary. She is the Chair of the Non-Represented DB Plan and a Trustee of the MARTA/ATU Local 732 Employees Retirement Plan. Dawkins serves as the Chair of APTA’s Workforce Development Committee and is a Leadership APTA Class of 2015 graduate.

Jana has over 18 years of experience in the transportation field and has worked at Metro since 2008. Prior to joining Rail, she worked as a transportation planner, a strategic planner and as Metro’s Managing Director of Employee Services, working to improve the employee experience in Metro’s recruiting and centralized workforce development functions. Jana has a proven ability to build teams for success, solve problems, and navigate systems and structures for successful implementation and execution. Through her work, Jana seeks to center and operationalize equity and lead with a commitment to belonging and inclusion.

Jana has Master’s Degrees in Public Administration and Urban Planning from the University of Washington. She is a graduate of Leadership ATPA 2019. She serves as the Secretary of the Workforce Development Committee for APTA and the Chair of the Recruitment Fast Track for the Workforce Summit. She is also the Chair of Transportation Research Board panel on New Tech, New Skills, New Jobs.

Before joining Metro, Sherri served as the Personnel Officer for Anne Arundel County. Prior to Anne Arundel, Sherri was a senior human resources executive with the city of Atlanta for over 20 years. Sherri’s tenure with the city of Atlanta spanned four administrations, allowing her to play a key role in many initiatives including developing a workforce strategy for the city’s full-service water utility and implementing major pension reform, saving the city $22 million annually.

Sherri holds a Master of Political Management from George Washington University, Master Public Administration from Valdosta University and Bachelor of Science from Spelman College.

Ms. Ducre, who joined APTA in 2023, leads APTA’s educational programming (including Leadership APTA, Emerging Leaders, and APTAU) and supports APTA’s member organizations with strategic workforce development, succession planning, and recruiting and retention initiatives. She also provides oversight of APTA’s Foundation.

Prior to joining APTA, Ms. Ducre was a Managing Partner and Senior Consultant with Insight Strategies, Inc. where she worked with public and private sector organizations across the United States on workforce development and education, strategic organizational assessments and initiatives, performance management, and thought leadership relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

She is a graduate of Notre Dame with a BA in English and holds several University certificates including the Yale University School of Management. She is a Marshall Goldsmith Certified Coach.

Geisha is an advocate for underserved youth and justice-involved individuals and is passionate about educating both populations about careers in the transit industry. She creates transit-focused youth development programs and oversees the Authority’s high school and college internship programs, while leading CTA’s Second Chance Program, a nationally recognized program that has become a model in the industry for preparing returning resident and others with barriers to employment to re-enter the workforce. Her work for returning residents extends beyond transit through her service as a member of the City of Chicago Mayor’s Interagency Reentry Council.

Geisha has the honor of serving the transit industry as the Chair of the American Public Transportation Association’s Education and Career Awareness Subcommittee, Vice Chair of the National Transit Institute’s advisory board, and Chair of the Transit Cooperative Research Program’s Project F-34, FY2024.

Denis manages international HR development projects and facilitates a worldwide community of “International careers” focused HR representatives to enable the Group’s “People vision and ambition”: The right person at the right place at the right moment.

Denis has been representing Transdev to the UITP Business and HR Management committee since 2018. He is currently vice chair of the committee.

Within his role with Transdev, he dedicates his enthusiastic efforts to stimulate, inspire and accompany talents in their individual international journey project while feeding business and operations with the right talents and experts.

At stake: delivering the performance expected by clients and passengers.

In 2000 he graduated from law school in France (Toulouse) and immediately joined Veolia (Paris) as Human Resources Manager in charge of Junior Talents Acquisition and Human Resources Marketing. Denis specialized in people’s development, first in Campus Veolia France where he focused on training solutions for managers and executives and then for five years as Corporate Training Center Director (Shanghai). In 2012, he was appointed Human Resources & Training Development Director in the Sultanate of Oman. In 2015, he joined Veolia Middle East’s head office (Dubai) as advisor to the CEO in charge, among other missions, of conducting business transformation, organizational change and digital transition projects. In 2017 he was appointed Head of Training and Competences within CCI France (Paris).

Mike learned how to deploy zero-emission vehicles by spending 15 years at Proterra in various engineering, field service, training, customer success and leadership roles.

Mike served as the Chair of the APTA Zero Emission Fleet committee for 7 years and also served on the board of the California Transit Training Consortium for 5years.

Clients include LA Metro, National Transit Institute, Women’s Transportation Seminar, WMATA, MBTA, Omnitrans, SYSTRA USA, Trasndev, SEPTA, DART, CA DOT, BART, Metra, OCTA, Sound Transit, Collins Aerospace, The Wonderful Company, Wells Fargo, Amazon, Sun/Oracle Microsystems, GoHealth, and the CIA (but she can’t tell you about that or you know what she’d have to do!) 🙂

Teri is recognized in the areas of succession planning, leadership development, creating strategies for a healthy and high-performing culture, developing high-impact leaders, understanding employee engagement and morale, wellbeing and resilience, leading organizations through change, and executive coaching.

Teri has been published by Forbes, the Financial Times, BizDig, Authority Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal, and was a Contributing Author to a book entitled, Blueprint for Success with Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard. Over this past year, she’s been cited as a thought leader in assisting organizations as they pivot out of the pandemic and toward greater success moving forward. Teri is an active Board Member with both the Los Angeles YMCA and the UCSB Executive Women in Leadership.

Sebron is recognized as an empowering leader who motivates and collaborates with leadership teams. Sebron coordinated a global merger and acquisition spanning three continents, North American, Europe, and India as the Vice President of Human Resources and Organization Development for Hexaware Technologies. This position led to a career defining moment: melding a small boutique operation with a multinational software technology company, while embracing linguistic and culture diversities. He rebranded its digital assurance services and united the cultures by designing leadership development, instituting a culture of competence, and implementing a multi-cultural succession model. His diverse professional experiences include Mobil Oil Corporation, Target Corporation, The Home Depot, Kaiser and City of Sausalito, California. He has consulted to Samsung, Bluescape, Port of Oakland, and CSU Maritime. Sebron holds two bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration in Transportation and Logistics, and Economics, he equally holds two master’s degrees in Transportation & Engineering Management, and Organization Development. He was not only a standout in the classroom, but equally excelled in track and field as a member of a Division I All-American mile relay team and an Olympic Trial qualifier in the 400 Intermediate hurdles for the 1988 Seoul Summer Games. An Oakland native, Sebron is deeply committed to his family as the eldest of seven children, with a large extended family throughout the Bay Area.

Jamaine is a trusted leader and advocate for workers’ rights and is committed to ensuring that all individuals have access to the training and resources they need to thrive in their careers.

He is known for his strategic thinking, collaborative approach, and strong communication skills. Jamaine is dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workforce and is passionate about helping individuals from all backgrounds succeed in their careers.

His combination of degrees provides a valuable specialization that helps clients visualize transit possibilities and how to deliver the capital resources to make them real. Because of this he’s held leadership roles on major transit projects in cities like Boston, Seattle, Chicago and more. Living in Houston, Texas, Granson helped lead the $823 million Purple Line Light Rail project for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County.

Granson is known as an expert in the Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts capital funding program at HNTB. With his financial background he has developed an understanding of the program’s rules, mechanisms and policies, helping transit agencies advance projects.

Granson is also a leader within HNTB on delivering complex transit projects by bringing an array of technical and project management expertise to assists clients nationwide. Through these mega projects, Mr. Granson is able to work with small businesses, helping them gain expertise and grow their capabilities.

He currently serves as President of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials Houston chapter, where he works to ensure opportunities and maximum participation in the transportation industry for minority individuals and certified MWDBE businesses. He’s also a 2021 graduate of the American Public Transportation Association’s Executive Leadership program.

He has served as a volunteer board member for the City of Manvel Economic Development Corporation after being appointed by the city council. In this role he advocated for development and transportation infrastructure investments.

“My career in transit started with me wanting to fix our traffic issues where a live in Houston, Texas. I felt that our mass transit system needed to be expanded to reach diverse ridership in terms of travel destinations and travel patterns. I decided to pursue higher education and work in the public transportation industry to help make a difference where I live.”

James’s career has been marked by his leadership in significant advancements in transportation technologies, such as hybrid-electric systems, battery-electric technologies, and vehicle charging infrastructure. Notably, during his tenure with ITLC, he spearheaded the industry-wide effort to author the Recommended Practices for Zero-Emission Bus Maintenance Training through the APTA Standards Program, and was instrumental in the development of the first publicly available BEB familiarization courseware, and the expansion of ZEB best practices and resources.

At Proterra, James played a pivotal role in propelling the transit industry into a new era of operating and maintaining BEBs. He accomplished this by building a coalition of industry experts to support continued advancements in transit technology and assembling a team of nine training and development experts to guide transit labor and management in their transition to battery-electric fleets. His team developed brand-new instructional curriculum and courseware to deliver extensive technical programs for their national and international customers.

James is a devoted advocate for workforce development and actively participates in several committees within APTA, including the Workforce Development Committee, the Zero Emission Fleet Committee, and the Bus Technical Maintenance Committee.

Prior to the MTA, Ibric served as the Chief Procurement Officer and Chief Diversity Officer at the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), an agency responsible for supporting over 50 City Agencies in areas such as human capital, procurement, real estate services and more. She led NYC’s supply chain strategy, logistics and procurement operations during the COVID Pandemic from March 2020 to January 2022.

Ibric previously worked at the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services as Deputy Director for Research and IT where she was responsible for maintaining and developing procurement data analytics and reporting, along with planning and developing mayoral procurement initiatives such as the Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises Program and Doing Business and Accountability Project.

Ibric received a B.A. in Political Science from CUNY Queens College and a Masters degree in Public Administration from CUNY Baruch College.

As Deputy Chief, Dawn oversees Next Generation Workforce Development initiatives, leadership programs, employee engagement, employee relations, the Metro Training & Innovation Center, and the SEED LA transportation infrastructure training program. She is committed to preparing LA Metro’s workforce to deliver world class transportation options to LA County by fostering a culture of continuous development and learning throughout the organization.

At LA Metro, Dawn has overseen innovative efforts including the creation and expansion of the Helping Employees Access Resources (HEAR) Office, Metro’s Voluntary Language Review Panel, and the expansion of access to childcare resources for employees. Dawn brings over a decade of experience in transportation with a broad background in government, civil rights, grants management, employment law, and law enforcement administration. She is an experienced and trusted advisor on Human Resources-related topics.

Prior to joining LA Metro, Dawn worked in various capacities for the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Law Office of Benjamin Taylor, the Law Firm Lipson, Neilson, Cole Seltzer & Garin, P.C, and several law enforcement agencies including Savannah Chatham-Police Department, Chatham County District Attorney’s Office, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Dawn holds certificates from Harvard Business School Executive Education in Negotiations and Executive Human Resources. She is a subject matter expert in workplace investigations, holding a certificate from the Association of Workplace Investigators. Dawn received her BA from The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and her Juris Doctorate from Arizona Summit Law School.

In her spare time, Dawn enjoys cooking for large family gatherings and spending time with her husband and son.

With a career spanning over 20 years as an Instructional Designer and Change Mgmt. Consultant Sheila has honed her expertise in using technology to enhance organizational performance. Her journey began in ERP consulting, where she led large-scale training and change initiatives, delivering practical solutions to complex engagements for Fortune 100 companies across the U.S.

Today, Sheila leads a team of learning technologists, engineers, and software developers who design integrated learning approaches to training for operational processes using emerging technologies like 3D animation, AR, and VR. Sheila and her team at Knowledge Architects understand the urgency of ensuring that our current and future workforce is prepared to maintain and operate the most complex systems in our industry.

Currently, as an Operations Manager of Workforce Development he manages VTA’s nationally acclaimed labor management partnership program with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, Joint Workforce Investment (JWI). Established in 2006, JWI leads the transportation industry with its first in the nation coach operator/peer mentoring and registered apprenticeship programs.

Steve Jovel’s long experience in labor also provides a unique background in working with unions and collaborating in labor-management partnerships.

JWI supports field level peer mentoring as a key aspect of promoting worker voice. The JWI program also provides career advancement (career ladders/lattices and apprenticeships) and inclusion for frontline VTA staff, including coach operators, light rail operators, and bus and light rail maintenance staff. The peer mentoring and career ladder models are actively promoted by California Transit Works! (CTW), a consortium of transit agencies and unions promoting High Roads Training Partnerships. In addition, the Amalgamated Transit Union International promotes the JWI labor/management training partnership model across the United States and Canada.

Steve Jovel also serves as the Vice-Chair of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Education and Career Awareness subcommittee.

Steve is married and enjoys traveling with his wife and spending time with their four daughters and five grandchildren.

Ms. Le Grand spent over fifteen years in the private sector representing transit agencies throughout the United States. She focused on advancing capital programs, workforce realignment, and process efficiency.

Adelee has helped elevate the value, scope, and profile of public mobility on a national stage, while serving as a mentor to young professionals. She has conducted hundreds of public meetings, managed thousands of people, served on boards and chaired several professional associations. She speaks in North America on public mobility issues for professional associations, public agencies, and universities.

Dr. Leary has held various managerial positions during her six-year career at FTA, including serving as the Deputy Associate Administrator for TRI since August 2017. Throughout her 35-year career in the public and private sectors, Dr. Leary has led many national programs and initiatives in strategic planning; program evaluation and assessment; transportation workforce development; accessible mobility; aging in place; outreach/marketing; technical assistance; and enterprise business solutions.

She holds a PhD from George Mason University in Public Policy with a concentration in Organizational Informatics. She also received a Master’s certificate in Gerontology from GMU, a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Science Degree from James Madison University.

Prior to L.A., Nadine led the development and implementation of the Flatiron Flyer Bus Rapid Transit for Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD), a project that produced a 40% increase in corridor ridership in its first few months of service.

Nadine is a professional engineer by training and believes firmly that public transit agencies play a critical role in ensuring a brighter and more resilient future for everyone. She is committed to using performance measurement and continuous improvement to elevate the quality of DART’s mobility services for the benefit of everyone in North Texas.

Sal has focused on delivering measurable service improvements that support AC Transit’s Strategic Plan. He remains active on the following American Public Transportation Association (APTA) committees: Bus Operations and Zero Emissions Fleet. At the State level, he is active with the California Transit Association (CTA) Operations committee and Zero Emission Vehicle Task Force. Sal is a graduate of the Eno Center for Transportation-Transit Senior Executive Program, APTA Leadership Program, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. Inspiring future leaders is one of Sal’s passions, he serves as a Board Member for the APTA Foundation, served as Vice President of the Board for Latinos In Transit from January 2020 to December 2021, and continues to participate on various local and national leadership programs as a mentor.

Her educational background and involvement in the community demonstrate her dedication and expertise in her field. Her bachelor’s degree in human resource management from the University of Phoenix provides her with a solid foundation in the principles and practices of HR. In addition, Yvonne’s certification as an Executive Coach showcases her commitment to professional development for individuals in leadership roles. Her completion of the WTS Executive Leadership Program and the Advanced Strategy certificate program from the Chicago Booth Executive Education program further highlight her desire to enhance her strategic thinking and leadership skills.

Yvonne’s achievements and recognition highlight her leadership and impact in the transportation industry. Being featured in the “Hispanic Executive” Magazine showcases Yvonne’s prominence as a Latina leader on the global stage. This recognition not only highlights her accomplishments but also serves as an inspiration for other aspiring Latino professionals in the transportation field. Being named one of the “Top 10 Women to Watch in Transportation” by the ENO Center for Transportation further acknowledges Yvonne’s innovative ideas and positive impact on the transportation industry. This recognition indicates her ability to contribute fresh perspectives, drive change, and make a difference in the field.

Rosa began her career as an intern in the human resources department at the City of Grand Prairie and has progressed through the same channels in various positions from Human Resources Generalist to Vice President of Human Resources at Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Rosa has professionally stamped numerous cities and transportation authorities such as the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority, VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, and Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

Mass Transit Magazine selected Rosa as one of their Top 40 Transit Professionals under 40 in 2013. She has participated in the ENO Mid-Level Manager Seminar, the National Transit Institute (NTI) Transit Academy, and the Texas Transit Institute Leadership Class. She is a graduate of the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Leadership class of 2023 and most recently has volunteered to Chair Latino’s In Transit’s (LIT) Workforce Development Task Force.

Rosa earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Texas at Arlington and her master’s degree in Public Administration from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi.

Rosa is married to her husband, Alfredo, and has three grown children and three beautiful grandchildren.

Mr. Mesa is the Chief Operations Training Officer for New York MTA Metro-North Railroad, the second largest and busiest commuter rail carrier in the nation. In his role, Mr. Mesa is responsible for all aspects training and developing, Metro-North staff.

He has served on the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials – New York Chapter Board as VP of Rail, from 2006 – 2007 and again from 2014 – 2016. He was also President of the New York Chapter and sat on the national board of directors as a Council of Presidents representative from 2016-2017.

Frank received a Bachelor of Arts from Stony Brook University in 1993, and a Certificate in Transportation Management from the City University of New York, in 2000. He also holds Master Trainer and Training Director certifications and is a graduate of the Eno Center for Transportation Management’s Transit Mid-Manager Program.

He is very passionate about the Transportation industry because of the economic vitality and employment opportunities it provides communities, and the overall strength it gives to our region and country.

He has led his agency to be known as one of the most innovative transportation systems in the United States with partnerships between public transit and transportation network companies, while increasing transit ridership and overseeing the first rapid transit line implementation in the Tampa Bay’s history with a BRT line, the SunRunner, which opened in October of 2022. The SunRunner has been an immediate success boasting over a half-a-million riders in its first six months of operation.

With a 30-year transit career, Brad is known as a leader in the industry, serving on the National and State Transportation boards, testifying before Congress, and chairing several National Academies of Sciences transit research committees. In 2023, Miller was named one of the Tampa Bay’s most influential leaders from the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Prior to PSTA, Brad served as the General Manager of the transit system in Des Moines, Iowa. He has also implemented light rail, commuter rail and other innovative transit services both in Charlotte, North Carolina and in the Washington D.C. area.

He has a Master’s in Public Administration from Syracuse University and an undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary. He and his wife Abby have two active kids, Charlie, 19 and Ellie, 17.

In addition to his great work and leadership at GCRTA, he’s also an active member of ATU Local 268. He served as the Assistant Business Agent of Operations from 2021-2024, until he was elected as the Vice President this year. Darnell also serves as the peer-coordinator of the successful Operator Mentorship Program, Positive Impact.

Darnell is dedicated to recruiting and retaining the public transit workforce at GCRTA.

I take pride in empowering organizations with premier upskilling, reskilling and apprenticeship programs that foster diversity and support success with features like, weekly 1-on-1 professional mentoring sessions and project based learning.

As an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Cherise partners with executives and teams around the nation to align them with their mission and accomplish KPI’s (Key Purpose Indicators) to drive performance. She also manages proposals and contracts while leading teams in designing interactive workshops, staff retreats, global summits, international conferences, and coaching experiences to accelerate learning and upskill teams. She has a broad range of experience and certifications in the areas of leadership development, team building, employee engagement, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and more! Cherise is also a keynote speaker that inspires executives, managers, supervisors, and essential workers to thrive in our industry’s “new norm.” The foundation for all of her work is based upon the creed, “HUMAN POTENTIAL IS UNLIMITED!”

Ms. Olivier started her CPA practice in 2002, and in 2009 she incorporated Olivier, Inc. The vision of building an organization specializing in comprehensive project controls and administrative support services with workforce development, customer experience, and quality assurance delivery as its core focus was now a reality. The firm expanded its service offerings to include program management and software implementation through the efforts of her talented team. As her transit industry knowledge, relationships, and experience expanded, she founded Link Transportation Corporation in 2020. Link is a micro-transit operations company currently serving Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART).

Ms. Olivier serves on the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Board, APTA’s Business Member Board of Governors (BMBG) as 2nd Vice Chair and was recently appointed to the APTA Foundation (APTF) as Vice Chair. She also serves in the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) North Texas Chapter as Vice President of Programs. In 2021, she was appointed to the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (TBVME) by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. She is also a member of Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC), Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA), Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA).

Under Parker’s leadership, GNG has achieved unprecedented success, significantly increasing its retail footprint and recording its best EBITDA in history. The organization has become the largest workforce development nonprofit in Georgia, assisting over 120,000 individuals in finding employment over the past five years. Notably, GNG is recognized as the #1 nonprofit in the country for helping African American men find employment and has successfully connected individuals with barriers to employment to major companies and smaller organizations.

Apart from his role at GNG, Parker is actively serving on various for-profit, nonprofit, and hybrid boards, demonstrating his commitment to philanthropy and community development. He has received numerous awards and accolades for his visionary leadership, including CEO of the Year awards and recognition as one of the most influential leaders in Georgia.

Parker’s impactful contributions extend beyond his professional endeavors. He has been honored with the Alumni Star award and appointed to the VCU Board of Visitors by two consecutive governors, showcasing his notable commitment to his alma mater, Virginia Commonwealth University. This strong sense of loyalty and dedication is a hallmark of Parker’s character. Additionally, Parker’s extensive involvement in the transportation industry is evident through his service at the ENO Center for Transportation Boards and the American Public Transportation Foundation.

With a strong focus on driving positive change and creating opportunities for individuals and communities, Keith T. Parker continues to make significant strides in his leadership roles, impacting the organizations and causes he supports.

Dan joined Transfr after serving over two years as a senior staff member at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Prior to that, he spent five years in the Office of the State Treasurer of Ohio, where he served as Director of Public Affairs.

Dan is a native of Northeast Ohio and a graduate of Denison University. He and his wife Mandi reside in Columbus with their son Rocco and dog Barley.

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.

Prior to joining WMATA, Darlene served as the Chief Diversity Officer for March of Dimes; United Way Worldwide; Linkage Institute for Leading Diversity and Inclusion; and led an integrated strategy to utilize and support the talents of the employees as Fannie Mae’s Chief Diversity Officer.

Darlene’s work as a leader and in Diversity continues to be recognized. She has received many awards and honors, including Diversity Woman Media Elite 100; SAVOY’s Top 100 Influential Women in Corporate America, Profiles in Diversity Journal’s Women Worth Watching, Black Enterprises’ Top Executives in Diversity, and Heart & Soul’s Women of Substance in Finance, in addition to grace the cover of Inclusion Magazine. Darlene served on Twitter’s ICD Council, American University President’s Diversity Council and Alumni Board, and Springboard Foundation for Disability. She is a fellow and board member at Simmons University Inclusive Leadership Institute and a board member of the Social Capital Academy at Fullerton University in California.

Darlene holds a M.S. in Human Resource Management and Organizational Development from American University and a B.S. in Elementary Education from Howard University.

In addition to her role at LTI, Renée is a sought-after speaker and thought leader on the topic of language proficiency in the global workplace. She regularly presents at industry conferences and webinars, sharing her insights on the impact of language skills on organizational success. Renée’s dedication to advancing language proficiency standards and her ability to connect with diverse audiences make her an invaluable asset to any event focused on language, communication, and global business.

Her agency has a $200 million-dollar budget and operates programs that placed 22,083 people in competitive employment last fiscal year in North Georgia. The vast majority (87%) of people placed into employment in competitive, unsubsidized jobs were at or above living wages, according to the MIT living wage calculator for Georgia.

She serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Metro Atlanta eXchange (MAX) for Workforce Solutions, leads the technical assistance for the SNAP Employment and Training National Partnerships Grant for USDA-FNS since 2020, and is a member of the National and Georgia Rehabilitation Associations, Chief, and Mensa. She holds a Master of Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Kentucky, a Certificate in Design Thinking from Harvard University Extension, a Bachelor of Business Administration with Non-Profit focus, and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Jenny’s favorite role is being a mom; she lives in Athens, Georgia.

Previously, she served nearly two years in the Office of the Deputy Secretary, where she served as Deputy Director for Policy and as Advisor to the Deputy Secretary. During her time with Deputy Secretary Trottenberg, Ms. Teebay focused on electric vehicles, commercial space, public transit, roadway safety, spectrum systems, and climate.

Prior to joining USDOT, Ms. Teebay worked as a Policy Analyst at the District of Columbia Department of Transportation focusing on climate, public transportation, bike and pedestrian safety, and Safe Routes to School. Previously, she also worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council as a Climate Advisor in the District, working on projects and policies to reduce emissions including congestion pricing, protected bike lanes, bus prioritization, and electric vehicle policy. She also has experience in the automotive industry having worked for both an automotive trade association and in the private sector.

Ms. Teebay graduated from Claremont McKenna College with honors and a B.A. in Government and History. She is a proud Angeleno and lives in Washington D.C.

Prior to his role at NTI, Terry served as Senior Legislative Representative at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) where he advocated for federal public transportation funding and legislation that enhances the operation of transit services across the country.
Before his work at APTA, Terry served as Associate Chief Administrative Officer and then as Senior Federal Relations Officer at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington, DC. He also served as Senior Advisor to the Director at the District of Columbia Department of Transportation and represented several transit agencies, municipalities, and regional development authorities as Manager of Government Relations at Van Scoyoc Associates. Terry began his career in Washington, DC as Manager of Special Projects in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as a Presidential Management Fellow.

He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Management from Penn State University, a Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Pittsburgh, and has studied Resource and Managerial Economics at the Graduate School of Cornell University.

Terry serves on the Transit Cooperative Research Program Oversight and Project Selection Committee, sits on the APTA Workforce Development and Legislative Committees, and serves on the Eno Center for Transportation Board of Regents.

PREVIOUS STOPS
Mrs. Terry earned her bachelor’s degree from Temple University and her master’s from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her impressive career began in 2006, when she arrived at her next destination: serving Chicago Transit Authority for almost ten years. She held key roles in planning, instruction, operations, and Senior Management of the central region for Bus Supervision and Instruction. From there, she took her seat as the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (rebranded as WeGo in 2018) Chief Operating Officer in 2015, where she was an instrumental supporter of the city’s 25-year growth plan. She served there until joining us at GCRTA, guided by 15 years of public transit experience.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Mrs. Terry has devoted herself to paramount issues like upgrading the rail system and securing sustainable funding for system improvements. To offer strategic leadership through well-rounded perspectives, Mrs. Terry maintains active participation in several community organizations. She is a Member of the American Public Transportation Association, and Transit Cooperative Research Program, serves on the Board for the United Way of Greater Cleveland, the Transportation Learning Center, Cleveland Leadership Center, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, Urban League of Greater Cleveland, and served as board advisor for the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO). She also brings along a valuable proficiency in Spanish.

A dedicated educator, Jennifer’s career spans roles from Guidance Counselor, Adjunct Professor and Associate Registrar to consultant and Director of Human Resources and Operations . She now enjoys the collaborative work of integrating higher education and workforce development. She holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Medaille College, a Master’s in Counseling and Human Services from Canisius College, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration and Policy from the University of Florida.

Beyond academia, Jennifer excels in leadership development consulting and motivational speaking. Her expertise benefits a wide range of organizations, from non-profits to corporate giants.

In her spare time, Jen focuses on personal and professional growth, giving back to the community and offering valuable insights for navigating today’s dynamic landscape. Her dedication to empowering others shines through her life’s work, making her a beacon of knowledge and inspiration in education, leadership, and workforce excellence.

He is passionate about promoting public transport, making public transport a vital part of our communities, and attracting talent to the industry. His areas of expertise include transportation planning, policy, procurement, and technology.

He volunteers in his hometown as the Chair of Anne Arundel County’s Transportation Commission, and is commissioner for the Baltimore Regional Transit Commission. He also is an APTF Board member and an active APTA business member.

Vogel has been in the transit industry for more than 21 years, with experience in the private and public sectors, at small and large agencies, primarily in California, delivering quality service to the public. He has held various positions from manager, general manager and director and has worked with literally every mode of transit, from bike share programs, paratransit, fixed route, bus rapid transit, commuter shuttles, commuter rail, light rail, heavy rail, streetcar and other innovative on-demand and autonomous projects. Vogel holds a master’s degree in Transportation Management from San Jose State University.

Throughout her career, she has held leadership positions at various public agencies throughout the nation. A number of these roles were with LA Metro where she was an Assistant Manager and advanced to Transportation Manager of several bus operations’ divisions during her tenure. She was Transportation Superintendent for the City of Gardena, CA. She was fortunate to advance her career further as both Assistant Vice President and Interim Vice President of Bus Operations for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) in Texas. Additionally, she had the opportunity to serve as Director for a national organization, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO). Currently, she is General Manager of Bus Operations for Trinity Metro in Fort Worth, TX.

In these positions, she has overseen operations of public agency bus systems focusing on team building, employee training & development, process and procedure streamlining, cost effectiveness, customer experience and other efficiencies. She also focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion within the public transportation sector.

Finally, her professional background in public transportation, combined with her leadership experience and commitment continues to contribute to this industry. She is passionate about new technologies, innovative ideas/concepts that provide solutions to transportation problems and to making a positive impact in the communities, she serves.

DART Committee Participation
Immediate Past Chair, DART Board of Directors (2021-2023)
Member, DART Committee-of-the-Whole
Chair, DART Mobility Service LGC, Board of Directors
Chair, Regional Rail Right-of-Way Company Board of Directors
Member, DART Board Governance Ad Hoc Committee

Former Committees
Member, Budget and Finance Committee *
Member, Economic Opportunity and Diversity Committee *
Member, Personnel Ad Hoc Search Committee *
*Committees were dissolved in December 2022

Employment
The Wong Krause Law Firm, Dallas, Texas, October 1991 to present
Former Associate Municipal Judge, City of Dallas, Texas, August 2006-August 2008
Former Associate Hearing Officer, Dallas Municipal Court No. 9, August 2005-August 2006
Community Service and Activities
Member, McKinney Avenue Transit Authority
Former Member, North Central Texas Council of Governments – Regional Transportation Council (DART Representative)

Professional Memberships
House of Delegates, American Bar Association, 2013-2016
Trustee, State Bar of Texas Insurance Trust, 2014
Board of Directors, State Bar of Texas, 2004-2007, 2011-2014
Board of Directors, Dallas Bar Association Community Service Fund, 2012-2014
Board of Directors, Dallas Bar Association, 2005-2008, 2010-2011
Chair, State Bar of Texas Asian Pacific Interest Section, 1998-1999, 2010-2011
Chair, State Bar of Texas Hispanic Interest Section, 2008-2009
Board of Advisors, Magnet Center for Public Service Government, Law and Law Enforcement, 2007-2009
Director, Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation, 2001-2007
Secretary-Treasurer, Dallas Bar Association, 2000 and 2004
President, Dallas Hispanic Bar Association, 2002
Course Director, Dallas Minority Attorney Program, 1999-present
President, Dallas Asian American Bar Association, 1994-1996
Board of Advisors, Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce, 1995
Board of Directors, Shakespeare Festival of Dallas, 1990-1994

Education
B.A., Political Science, University of Texas at Arlington
J.D., Southern Methodist University