Saturday, July 15

Registration

Welcome to APTA: TBMs and TBAs at the Table

Whether you are a seasoned APTA member or completely new to the association, join this session to get (re-) acquainted with APTA’s role as an association, what services and resources are available to you and how you can become engaged. Meet with the leadership of APTA and the APTA Transit Board Members and Administrators Committees and bring your questions and ideas.

Welcome Reception

Mix it up, renew friendships, and network with new colleagues at this high-energy gathering that is sure to set the tone for the seminar.

Sunday, July 16

Registration

Continental Breakfast

Opening General Session for Transit Board Members and Administrators

Join your industry peers as we kick-off the 2023 Transit Board Members & Board Administrators Seminar in Birmingham.  Hear from APTA leadership and our host, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA), as they share all the exciting and relevant information you will learn and see over the next few days.

• Dorval R. Carter, Jr., Immediate Past Chair, APTA; and President, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago, IL
• Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
• Doug Tisdale, Chair, APTA Transit Board Members Committee, Board Director and Past Chair, Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO
• Kathryn Jane Smith, Immediate Past Chair, APTA Transit Board Administrators Subcommittee; Board Liaison, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL
• Charlotte Shaw, Executive Director/CEO, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (MAX), Birmingham, AL
• Randall Woodfin, Mayor, City of Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
• Theodore Smith, Board Chair, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (MAX), Birmingham, AL
• Paige Coker, Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (MAX), Birmingham, AL
• Sam Parker, Board Member, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, Birmingham, AL

Break

APTA Advocacy Update: A View from Washington

This session will provide an insider’s view on the current political climate and outlook for federal transit funding, including how to ensure the promise of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is honored. Learn more about how APTA engages on the Hill as the primary advocate for the transit industry, how to best communicate key transit priorities at this time, and how transit board members play an instrumental role as the voice of the industry.

• Beth Holbrook, Board Trustee UTA ; Chair, APTA Transit Board Members Legislative Subcommittee, Utah Transit Authority, Salt Lake City, UT

• Miss Melissa Mejias, Senior Legislative Representative, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC

• Hon. Doug Jones, Former Senator (D-AL) and Counsel, ArentFox Schiff LLP, Washington, DC

Break

Being a Powerful Advocate: Telling the Transit Success Story

Transit board members, as local leaders, are exceptionally well-positioned to amplify the advocacy for transit at the community level.  This session will review successful strategies for building local support for transit and showcase specific advocacy approaches agencies have taken across the country to date. Learn about the APTA resources available to support your local advocacy efforts and have a chance to share what outreach methods and messaging are working well and not so well in your community.

• Theodore Smith, Board Chair, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (MAX), Birmingham, AL

• Thomas James Doyle, Vice President, Communications & Marketing, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
• Marlon Moore, PH.D., Chair, COTA Board of Trustees, Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), Columbus, OH
• Cindy Chavez, Chair, VTA, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, CA

Lunch

The Public and Workforce Safety Challenge

Public safety is top of mind for transit agencies. Increased numbers of unhoused patrons and a perceived increase in crime can make employees and passengers feel unsafe. Hear about the multi-faceted efforts that transit agencies are taking on policing, community involvement, and a focus on customer service. What strategies are being deployed effectively to address both real and perceived public safety issues in transit?

• Julie Hile, Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Connect Transit, Normal, IL

• Jeffrey Travillion, Chair, Board of Directors, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin, TX
• Gardner C. Tabon, CSE, EVP, Systemwide Accessibility & Chief Safety Officer, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin, TX
• Paul C. Smedberg, Chair, Board of Directors, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Washington, DC

Break

Equity in Action: Aligning Service to the Needs of Your Community with an Equity Lens

Join this session to hear how agencies are reviewing all that they do through an equity lens, ensuring equitable community engagement, transit planning and service.

• Rita A. Scott, Member, Board of Directors, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Atlanta, GA

• Charles A. Zelle, Chair, Metropolitan Council, St. Paul, MN
• Sam O'Connell, AICP, Director, Community Relations, Metropolitan Council, St. Paul, MN
• Mary Morrison, Board President, Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA), Toledo, OH
• Kendra N. Smith, AICP, MPH, MSUS, Board Vice President, Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA), Toledo, OH

Break

Special Presentation: “Justice delayed, not justice denied: The prosecutions of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing cases”

Join this very special presentation by Sen Doug Jones about Birmingham’s civil rights history in the context of the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church and the successful prosecutions he led as U.S. Attorney almost 4 decades later.

• Dorval R. Carter, Jr., Immediate Past Chair, APTA; and President, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago, IL

• Hon. Doug Jones, Former Senator (D-AL) and Counsel, ArentFox Schiff LLP, Washington, DC

Social Event hosted by BJCTA

Monday, July 17

Continental Breakfast

It’s A New Season: Building Towards a Championship Team!

In line with the theme of this Seminar “TBMs and TBAs at the table”, join us for a dynamic and interactive session with keynote speaker, Bernard Robinson Jr., on building a championship team. Bernard, a strategic life and business consultant, founder of Exigency Sports & Entertainment and a former NBA player, will discuss the individual commitment, strategic alignment and focus on efficiency and equity that underpins team excellence. 

• Valarie J. McCall, Ex-Officio Member, APTA Board of Directors; Past Chair, APTA; Business Member,Past Chair, Transit Board Members Committee; Founder and Chief Executive, Valarie McCall Consulting Agency, Cleveland, OH

• Bernard Robinson, Jr., Founder, Exigency Sports & Entertainment, Washington, DC

Break

Board-CEO Strategic Alignment

(A TBM-Only Session)

Join this session exclusively for transit board members for an interactive discussion on how boards are successfully working together and with their agency CEOs to ensure strategic alignment and a mission-driven organization. What does it take to build and maintain a close, positive, productive, and enduring partnership within the board and with your CEO?

• David M. Stackrow, Sr., CPA, Member, Board of Directors, Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), Albany, NY

• Carlton Christensen, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Utah Transit Authority, Salt Lake City, UT
• Robert DeJournett, Board of Trustee, METRO Regional Transit Authority, Akron, OH
• Arezou C. Jolly, Immediate Past-Chair of the Board, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL
• Theodore Smith, Board Chair, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (MAX), Birmingham, AL

Lunch

The Transition to Zero-Emissions

As agencies move forward with the transition of their bus fleets to zero emissions, most are facing the complexities of that transition and common challenges from the relationship with utilities or questions about securing a hydrogen supply, delays in the supply chain, internal workforce coordination and training, and the technology itself. What key factors does your agency need to weigh when navigating these challenges and decision-making points, and what are some lessons learned from the pilots and policies that have been put in place to date across the country?

• Joel Young, Secretary, APTA TBM Committee; and President of the Board of Directors, AC Transit (Alameda Contra-Costa Transit District), Oakland, CA

• Brad Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, St. Petersburg, FL
• Carrie Butler, FTA Region 7 Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Louisville, KY

Break

Host Agency Transit Tour - BRT Express

Social Event hosted by BJCTA

Tuesday, July 18

Continental Breakfast

Building the Transit Workforce

A majority of transit agencies are experiencing workforce challenges, often times impacting their ability to provide service. Building a new generation of the transit workforce requires new models, new partnerships, new toolkits, and new approaches. Join this session to obtain new insights, lessons learned, and best practices gleaned from transit and industry professionals across the country, and to discuss how you as a transit board member can support workforce development for your agency.

• Michele Wong Krause, Chair, APTA; Past Chair, DART Board of Directors 2021-2023, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, TX

• Wytangy D. Peak-Finney, Senior Director of Capital Planning and Project Delivery, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (MAX), Birmingham , AL
• Rosa Medina-Cristobal, SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, TX
• Carita Ducre, Vice President Workforce Development & Educational Services, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC

Break

Bridging The Gap: Building Resilient Operational Budgets

As federal funds that sustained transit service during and emerging from the pandemic are expended, transit agencies are building plans to sustain services and projects for the long-term.  Panelists will speak to state and local funding opportunities emerging to complement historic levels of federal support, and what it takes to build resilient operational budgets.

• Gary S. Giovanetti, Vice-Chair, Board of Directors, San Joaquin Regional Transit District, Stockton, CA

• Jeremy Fine, Chief Financial Officer, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago, IL
• Elizabeth Reich, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, TX

Closing Remarks