Registration
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.Public Transportation CEO Coordinating Council
10 - 11:45 a.m.Chair, Leanne P. Redden
Opening General Luncheon with Keynote Speaker
12 - 2 p.m.The Robots Are Coming! The Robots Are Coming! Is Technology Living Up To Its Hype?
We’ve been warned for years now that the age of automation, 5G and Artificial Intelligence is right around the corner and that it will fundamentally change our lives.
Really?
Just how real are the predictions and when will these changes really come? What should we be doing to prepare? Gregory Winfree, former USDOT Assistant Secretary for Research & Technology and current Director of the Texas Transportation Institute opines the pace, scope, and impact of technology change.
Networking Break
2 - 2:30 p.m.Fare-Free in Europe and the U.S.: What's the Verdict?
2:30 - 3:45 p.m.Not a day goes by without a news article asking “Is Free Fare Right for Our Transit System? Many agencies are contemplating the pros and cons of going fare free. Luxembourg became fare free in March. Columbia, SC and Olympia, WA have eliminated fares; Kansas City, MO plans to shortly. What is the rationale and, most importantly, what are the implications on ridership, costs, and the transit value proposition? Experts and transit leaders from Europe and the U.S. will provide their data.
Beat Mueller, Honorary Chair, UITP Transport Economics Committee, will detail the factors that have motivated some European transit systems to go fare free; Joel Volinski, former Director of the National Center for Transit Research at the University of South Florida, will provide the U.S. experience and perspective.
CEO Open Mic - What's On Your Mind?
4 - 5 p.m.Last year’s open mic “jam” was a hit, with attendees raising many timely and important issues. So more this year! What is on your mind? What is keeping you up at night and how can APTA and other CEOs help? Jeff Nelson, APTA Vice Chair, will lead the discussion.
Session sponsored by Optibus Inc.
Welcome Reception
6 - 7 p.m.Reception sponsored by HNTB Corporation
Registration
7 a.m. - 12 p.m.Breakfast
7:30 - 8:30 a.m.Defining the Transit Agency's Role in Preventing Human Trafficing
8:30 - 9:45 a.m.Public transit employees serve on the front lines of our communities, providing the opportunity to contribute to a better society in a multitude of ways. One important way is to help combat human trafficking, a crime whose victims number more than 25 million worldwide. Public transit is utilized by traffickers because it's inexpensive and easy to use, but it can also be used to help victims. How can our industry do more to identify human trafficking, prevent it, and assist victims?
Nuria Fernandez, APTA Chair, will lead a discussion of this important issue, providing her own experience at Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. Kristen Joyner, Executive Consultant at SWTA and a member of Secretary Elaine Chao’s Advisory Committee for Human Trafficking, and a New Mexico law enforcement official managing the issue for the Attorney General’s Office, will help to provide approaches and tools for use by transit agencies trying to combat this crime.
Networking Break
9:45 - 10:15 a.m.Nurturing the CEO-Board Chair Relationship
10:15 - 11:30 a.m.Perhaps the most critical relationship for a transit CEO is that with the Chair of the Board of Directors. A positive relationship can provide the freedom to focus on the agency’s mission; a challenging one may mean looking constantly over the shoulder. What makes for a strong CEO-Chair relationship? How can each help the other succeed? What can the CEO do if the relationship falters?
Dave Stackrow, APTA Immediate Past Chair and Treasurer and past chair of his board at the Capital District Transportation Authority in Albany, NY, will moderate a discussion with several CEO-Board Chair “couples” to learn how to nurture and leverage a strong CEO-Chair bond.
General Luncheon: Creating a Culture of Diversity & Inclusion
11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.We all hear about the importance of diversity and inclusion, and transit agencies have been in the lead in walking the talk. Some agencies have succeeded in making diversity and inclusion a defining element of their culture. WMATA is one such agency. Paul Wiedefeld, GM & CEO of WMATA, will share lessons in dealing directly with the agency’s diversity and inclusion challenges and successes.
CEO Compensation: Trends, Creative Alternatives, and Preparing for the Worst
1 - 1:55 p.m.In an era of ever-increasing medical premiums and the desire for larger retirement accounts, CEO compensation is no longer just about the salary. What are the latest trends in CEO compensation, both at transit agencies and elsewhere in public and private industry? What are some of the creative ways in which communities and boards are compensating their corporate leader? And what can a CEO do to prepare for the possibility of an unexpected departure?
Irv Becker, Vice Chairman, Executive Pay & Governance at Korn Ferry, and Wills Moore, Sector Leader Logistics & Transportation at Korn Ferry Executive Search, will detail what he is seeing for public and private company CEOs and how best to advocate for your own future.
Customer Friendly Enforcement: Approaches to Fare Evasion and Vagrancy at Stations and on Buses & Trains
2:05 - 3 p.m.One of the greatest challenges faced by transit agencies is the need to use police to address fare evasion and vagrancy at stations and on buses and trains. It is hard to look good when the police must get involved. Yet, transit systems can’t ignore these issues. What has been the impact of fare evasion decriminalization? What can an agency do to minimize use of its facilities as a shelter? Paul Jablonski, CEO at San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, will a discussion on what we can learn from programs that appear to strike the right balance within the community.
Innovation Success Stories from the Heartland
3:15 - 4 p.m.What makes transit such an exciting field today is that innovation and success are not just coastal big system stories but are happening across the U.S. on systems of all sizes. CEOs from three Midwest cities – Little Rock, Dayton, and Akron – will discuss recent successes in implementing innovated new fare systems and micro-transit options, and growing ridership.
Success in the North -- Transit Lessons from our Canadian Members
4:10 - 5:15 p.m.There is a lot happening in Canada! Electric buses, new LRT systems and expansions, and engagement of cities to improve bus performance. There is much to learn from the great work of APTA’s Canadian members. Marco D’Angelo, President & CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA), will lead a discussion with distinguished Canadian CEOs – Toronto’s Rick Leary; Ottawa’s John Manconi; and Calgary’s Doug Morgan – about recent successes in Canada, new innovation and technology, and the lessons they learned.
Networking Reception
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.Reception sponsored by WSP USA
Breakfast
7:30 - 8:15 a.m.Making the Most from the Agency's Transit Asset Management
8:15 - 9:15 a.m.The Transit Asset Management Plan (TAM) is more than just a regulatory requirement. It can be a mechanism that helps to shape and prioritize an agency’s entire capital program. It can also provide important lessons as to the life-cycle cost of future improvements and expansions. FTA’s Robert Tuccillo, Assistant Administrator for Budget & Policy, and Volpe’s Mshadoni Smith, TAM Program Manager, will share how transit agencies can leverage the TAM to provide a constructive and instructive planning tool.
Agencies & Contractors/Consultants: Finding Common Ground for Success
9:30 - 11:30 a.m.One common theme in discussions across APTA’s members goes like this:
I don’t think the [FILL IN THE BLANK: __ CEO; __ Contractor; __ Consultant] fully understands or appreciates the challenges that I, a [FILL IN THE BLANK: __ CEO; __ Contractor; __ Consultant] am truly up against.
Transit agencies depend on contractors and consultants for success. Each has an interest in successful project completion. Yet, as soon as a contract gets signed, interests diverge and the relationship often turns adversarial.So what do CEOs, contractors, and consultants get right and wrong about each other? Why do some relationships work, and others are more adversarial? How can each better understand the challenges faced by their partners and find ways to achieve success together?
Mike Allegra, former CEO for the Utah Transit Authority, will moderate a discussion with CEOs – Phil Washington and Carolyn Gonot; contractors -- Stacy and Witbeck, Kiewit, Herzog Transit Services, and Balfour Beatty; and consultants – HDR and WSP, followed by break out group discussions to identify ways in which mutual success can be achieved.
Closing General Luncheon
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.Tour & Dinner in Santa Fe via Bus & Rail Runner
1:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Small Operations Committee
8 a.m. - 3 p.m.Chair, Allan Pollock
