Wednesday, August 15

Networking Breakfast

Registration

Welcome to Minnesota

• Charles A. Zelle, Chair, Metropolitan Council, St. Paul, MN
• Margaret Donahoe, Advocacy Director, Minnesota Public Transit Association, St. Paul, MN
• Brian J. Lamb, Metro Transit

Minnesota Host Forum: 21st Century Transportation

Minnesota is pioneering a mobility revolution. The state has entered the foray into connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies with the Governor’s Executive Order on CAV. Minnesotans now face the monumental task of understanding this technology’s implications for government, communities experiencing transportation barriers, transportation, the automotive industry, business, labor, technology, advocacy groups, and educational institutions. Learn how the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s new CAV-X office is engaging public and private partners and stakeholders to advance recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature, the safe innovation and testing and deployment of connected and automated vehicles in the state, and how SouthWest transit is tackling the first/last mile issue to ensure greater access and benefits for all.

• Victoria Nill, Director of Transit and Active Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, MN

• Kristin R. White, J.D., CAV Innovation Director, Office of Connected & Automated Vehicles (CAV-X), Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, MN

• Len Simich, SouthWest Transit, Eden Prairie, MN
• Matt Fyten, Interim CEO, SouthWest Transit, Eden Prairie, MN

General Session: Perspectives and Priorities from the Federal Transit Administration

Learn the latest on federal programs and their implementation. Find out which circulars are set for release in the coming months, learn more about FTA training on new programs, and hear state DOTs', associations', and transit providers' reactions to the new programs.

• Mokhtee Ahmad, Regional Administrator, Region 7, Federal Transit Administration, Kansas City, MO

• Matthew Welbes, Executive Director, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC

Luncheon Presentation: METRO Orange Line and I-35W Construction

The METRO Orange Line will be a 17-mile highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line with all-day, frequent, bidirectional service, connecting Minneapolis with its populous southern suburbs along I-35W. The Orange Line is a strategic guideway investment in the region’s highest ridership express bus corridor. This complex multi-agency project, currently under construction, integrates transit, highway, bike, and pedestrian improvements to reduce travel times, increase reliability, and improve facilities that will benefit two dozen corridor routes.

• Arthur L. Guzzetti, Vice President – Mobility Initiatives and Public Policy, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC

• Charles Carlson, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Services, Metropolitan Council, St. Paul, MN

General Session: Innovations in Human Service Coordination: Models, Methods, and Mobility Management

This session will provide an overview of federal work regarding the Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) and include a discussion of diverse coordination models at the state and regional levels. Presenters, representing NCMM, a State agency, and regional transit provider, will share information about the diverse components of coordination, address the integration of human service coordination and mobility management, and describe potential performance measures to assess the efficacy and outcomes of coordination activities.

• Dr. Judy L. Shanley, Ph.D., Easterseals Director, National Center for Mobility Management; Assistant Vice President, Education & Youth Transition, Easterseals, Chicago, IL

• Voni Vegar, Assistant Director, Arrowhead Transit, Virginia, MN
• Sue Siemers, Greater Minnesota Moblity Management Program Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, MN
• Noel Shughart, Principal Planner, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, MN
• Kristin Haar, Compliance & Training Officer, Iowa Dept. of Transportation-Public Transit Bureau, Ames, IA
• Jeremy Johnson-Miller, Iowa Dept. of Transportation-Public Transit Bureau, Ames, IA

General Session: State DOT Innovations/Partnerships

State DOTs work every day to find new innovative solutions that best assist their sub-recipients in serving transit customers in small urban and rural communities. But innovations alone are not the complete solution. Innovations and partnerships go hand-in-hand. From cutting edge, transit-related technologies to new revenue sources for transit systems, state DOTs will talk about how their innovative solutions to transit and the creation of partnerships have led to greater efficiencies and more effective delivery of transit services statewide. And the results are clearly victories for the state, the transit providers and, most importantly, the transit customers.

• Don Chartock, Deputy Director, Public Transportation, Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia, WA

• Jennifer DeBruhl, AICP, PMP, Director, Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Richmond, VA
• Ross MacDonald, Public Transit Coordinator/Go Vermont Program Manager, Vermont Agency of Transportation, Montpelier, VT
• Macie Moore, Public Transit Manager, Ohio Department of Transportation, Columbus, OH

Reception

Thursday, August 16

Networking Breakfast

Registration

General Session: National Partners Roundtable

The national associations are setting the framework and vision for public transportation and community mobility. Association leaders will comment on state roles in public transportation, authorization, and advocacy.

• Don Chartock, Deputy Director, Public Transportation, Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia, WA

• Bud Wright, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
• Scott Bogren, Executive Director, Community Transportation Association of America, Washington, DC
• Arthur L. Guzzetti, Vice President – Mobility Initiatives and Public Policy, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC

General Session: The Winning Message: Innovative Approaches to Produce Legislative Results

As the public transportation industry looks to promote its benefits and utility, effective messaging can mean the difference between gaining the public and political support needed for additional investments in those systems. Learn how to collaborate with coalitions to promote public transportation as well as how to effectively develop your transit message for legislators alike.

• Marnie O'Brien Primmer, Chair, National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates (NAPTA); Founder and CEO, Connected Consulting, Irvine, CA

• Justin D. Leighton, Executive Director, Washington State Transit Association, Olympia, WA
• Mike Spadafore, Public Transportation Manager, Kansas Department of Transportation, Topeka
• Michael Pimentel, Executive Director, California Transit Association, Sacramento, CA

General Session: Messaging to Attract Riders

Effective customer engagement strategies can have a positive impact on ridership. As traditional outreach methods still hold strong in certain markets and social media continues to prove itself as a pillar in effective public transit marketing and communication, this session will dive in to topics that address the issues of the current and future landscape in attracting and retaining riders. 

• Marnie O'Brien Primmer, Chair, National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates (NAPTA); Founder and CEO, Connected Consulting, Irvine, CA

• Margaret Donahoe, Advocacy Director, Minnesota Public Transit Association, St. Paul, MN
• Sam Castro, Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation, Decorah, IA

Luncheon Presentation: FTA Update on Safety

In July 2018, FTA issued two final rules: the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan and the Safety Certification Training Program. Moreover, FTA continues to review and certify State Safety Oversight programs as the April 15, 2019 certification deadline approaches. FTA will update attendees on the SSO program certification process, implementation of the two new final rules, and resources available to help the industry comply with these important safety rules. Following the discussion, there will be an opportunity for Q&A and dialogue with the presenter.

• David Harris, Director, Transit and Rail Division, New Mexico Department of Transportation, Santa Fe, NM

• Henrika Buchanan, Vice President - National Practice Consultant, Transit/Rail, HNTB Corporation, Arlington, VA

Concurrent Meeting: AASHTO Council on Public Transportation and MTAP

Concurrent Meeting: State Public Transit Association Leaders Roundtable

APTA State Affairs Committee Meeting

Friday, August 17

Networking Breakfast

Business Meeting: AASHTO’s Multi-State Transit Technical Assistance Program

General Session: Leveraging Data to Make Planning Decisions and Improve the Rider Experience

Advancements in the rider experience and engagementstart with a shift toward rider-centric outcomes with a focus on supporting theneeds, preferences and expectations of your riders, ultimately resulting ingreater returns for your agency. But shifting your team’s approach to servicefirst requires an understanding of your riders’ end goal. Network, schedule,and real-time datasets are instrumental to providing customer-facinginformation tools like Google Maps. This session will discuss a collaborativeeffort between ODOT and Oregon State University to develop and promote thefirst public transit ridership standard called GTFS-ride. In addition, we willhear how GTFS Flex is making demand response trip planning easier.

 

• Ryan J. Larsen, Ecolane USA, Inc., Elk Horn, IA

• Pepper Harward, Routematch Software, Inc., Atlanta, GA

• Aaron Antrim, Deputy Executive Director, MobilityData International Organization, Montreal, QC

• Philip Paulson, Oregon Department of Transportation, Salem, OR

• Phillip Carleton, Ph.D. Candidate, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

General Session: Zero Emission Vehicles - What You Need to Know Before implementing ZEVs into Your Fleet

Electrification is here and many states are recommending or mandating the use of Zero Emission Vehicles in transit services to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Speakers will discuss their experience in understanding and implementing the infrastructure as well as vehicle and training needs in order to add ZEV’s into transit fleets.

 

• Jacklyn Montgomery, Executive Director, California Association for Coordinated Transportation, Inc. (CalACT), Sacramento, CA

• Brodie Ayers, Transit Grants Unit Manager, Colorado Department of Transportation, Denver, CO
• Todd Daniel, Link Transit (Chelan-Douglas Public Transportation Benefit Area), Wenatchee, WA
• Rick Ramacier, President, Ramacier Consulting, Martinez, CA

General Session: Roundtable - Future with Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles as a public transportation technology solution present significant challenges for states, localities and transit agencies. With public transit ridership is down, and with AV touted as the successor technology to the Transportation Network Companies, can AVs complement public transit agencies and together solve our traffic congestion problems and improve mobility for all? This expert panel will explore the AV technology implications on public transit, how the public side is preparing for AVs, and what questions remain.

• Kristin R. White, J.D., CAV Innovation Director, Office of Connected & Automated Vehicles (CAV-X), Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, MN

• Jitender Ramchandani, AICP, PMP, Transportation Planning Program Manager, Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment, Commonwealth of Virginia, Richmond, VA
• Adeel Lari, Director, Innovative Financing, Univ. of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Minneapolis, MN
• John Doan, PE, MPP, Hennepin County, Medina, MN
• Ryan I. Daniel, WSO-CSS, Chief Executive Officer, St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission, St. Cloud, MN

Closing Session

• Don Chartock, Deputy Director, Public Transportation, Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia, WA