TCRP Ambassadors

TCRP Ambassadors participate in industry events and visit transportation providers in order to educate the public transit industry on the wide variety of solution-based research available from TCRP. The essential role of an Ambassador is to be a liaison between TCRP, its member organizations, the research community, and transportation properties.

Through peer-to-peer collaboration, Ambassadors place TCRP research information into the hands of transportation professionals, managers, and other personnel who utilize the program’s research products in the field. They also educate transportation properties about TCRP’s research process and how their transportation professionals can become involved.

The Ambassador Program

The TCRP Ambassador Program was developed in 1998 as a joint effort between the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP).

The Ambassador Program is credited with assisting the TCRP Program in reaching an expanded segment of the transportation community that would otherwise have limited access to these resources. The Ambassadors are a diverse group, representative of various professions and transportation communities in the United States.

Ambassadors serve a two year term and are asked to identify opportunities to educate the industry. The Ambassadors’ travel expenses are reimbursed by the program.

Ambassador Selection Process

Ambassadors are generally selected every other year from a competitive pool of applicants by a panel composed of representatives from FTA, COMTO, APTA, Transportation Research Board (TRB), Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), the National Transit Institute (NTI) and other organizations. COMTO provides management services to TCRP Ambassadors.

Ambassador nominees must have practical transit field experience. Nominees must currently work for U.S. transit agencies; government transit agencies at the state, regional and local levels; transit educational institutions; transit industry organizations; or other agencies playing a major role in planning or financing public transit. TCRP Ambassadors are selected for their field experience and ability to motivate and instruct others on how to use TCRP results or products. Please see the nomination application for more information on selection criteria.

All nominations should be submitted on the application form below. Self nominations are encouraged. Evaluation will be based on documentation submitted by the nominee as well as by letters and comments from references. FTA staff are not eligible to serve as TCRP Ambassadors and instead work with TCRP as FTA liaisons to projects. The nomination application must be completed and submitted to COMTO National. COMTO will notify nominees of their selection in writing.

Ambassador Nomination Application

More Information

For additional information on the program, or to request a visit from a TCRP Ambassador, contact COMTO National at Comtonational.org/tcrp.

Current Ambassadors

Ron Kilcoyne Senior Manager TMD Inc	Arthur Antoine Director of Project Delivery Axiom Consulting and Project Management
Yannis Banks Public Involvement Manager Austin Transit Partnership	Mikesha Harvill Manager of Civil Rights Compliance Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority
Nene Israel Director of Finance St Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission	Sarah Coulter Assistant Transit Director Fort Bend County
Apple-Garnetta Bell EASY Card Services Division Coordinator Department of Transportation and Public Works	Ed Watt Principal WattADR
Annie Butkiewicz Multimodal Transportation and Transit Planner Michael Baker International	Patricia Macchi VP/Director STV Inc
Cyndi Nguyen Community Outreach Strategic Advisor Regional Transit Authority (RTA)	Natalie Kindred Coordinator, Curriculum Development Chicago Transit Authority
Ron Forrest Deputy Chief Operating Officer – Transportation Metropolitan Council – Metro Transit (MN)	Deanna Donahoo Project Manager Michigan Department of Transportation