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2023 Transit Board Administrators Seminar - Program

This page is an overview of the conference schedule and subject to change.
 

Saturday, July 15

Registration

2 - 5 p.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

TBA Business Meeting

2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Westin Ballroom
Chair, Kathryn Jane Smith

Welcome to APTA: TBMs and TBAs at the Table

5:15 - 6:15 p.m.
Westin Ballroom

(Joint TBM/TBA Session)

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

6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

(Joint TBM/TBA Event)

Mix it up, renew friendships, and network with new colleagues at this high-energy gathering that is sure to set the tone for learning more about public transportation and continuing to develop your leadership style.

Dutch-Treat Dinner

7:30 - 9 p.m.
Offsite
 

Sunday, July 16

Registration

7 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

Continental Breakfast

7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

Opening General Session for Transit Board Members and Administrators

8:30 - 9:15 a.m.
Westin Ballroom

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.

Welcomes
  • 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, Chair, APTA Transit Board Administrators Committee; 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

9:15 - 9:30 a.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

APTA Advocacy Update: A View from Washington

9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Westin Ballroom

(Joint TBM/TBA Session)

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.

Moderator
  • Beth Holbrook, Chair, APTA Transit Board Members Legislative Subcommittee; and Trustee, Utah Transit Authority, Salt Lake City, UT
Presenter
  • Miss Melissa Mejias, Senior Legislative Representative, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Featured Speaker
  • Hon. Doug Jones, Former Senator (D-AL) and Counsel, ArentFox Schiff LLP, Washington, DC

Break

10:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

Time Management (Communication/Distractions and Self-Care Tips)

10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Camellia Room

(TBA Only Session)

Two skits meant to help you reflect on your everyday challenges with cross-departmental communication and disruptions. These quick skits will be relatable and transport you back to the office during high stress moments. Each is meant to activate discussions on managing and improving our working environment when we need it most.  During this session we will discuss the importance of taking care of YOU and provide some self-care tips that promote a better work-life balance.

Presenters
  • Collette Y Langston, Board Clerk, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles, CA
  • Luis R. Ramos, Executive Administrator to the President and CEO, Hampton Roads Transit, Hampton, VA
  • Araceli M. Barajas, Exec. Asst.to the CEO/Clerk of the Board, OMNITRANS, San Bernardino, CA

Break

12 - 12:10 p.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

Working Lunch - Ted Talk

12:10 - 1:10 p.m.
Camellia Room

(TBA Only Session)
You are Already a Leader – Get them on Board.

The small actions you take every day affect those around you in ways you cannot imagine. You can have the greatest vision in the world, but if you can’t bring people with you, that vision will remain an idea.
 
We’ve made leadership about changing the world, there is no world. There is only six billion different understandings of it. How you see your place in this world may not be how others see it. Leadership is not something we have to stand up and claim – it may be something we inhabit everyday and don’t even realize it.
 
Facilitator
  • Kathryn Jane Smith, Chair, APTA Transit Board Administrators Committee; Board Liaison, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL

Break

1:10 - 1:25 p.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

Discussion/ Challenges & Opportunities

1:25 - 2:15 p.m.
Camellia Room

(TBA Only Session)

A roundtable discussion on the issues you face and the tools you have or lack. Meet with your peers to hear best practices, learn new skills, refine current practices, and strengthen board support and administrators’ competencies that create success in the board office (or board room), including board meeting planning, governance, communication, and finding resources.

Presenter
  • Jennifer Ellison, Board Corporate Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Washington, DC

Break

2:15 - 2:45 p.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

Board Portals / Agenda Management Systems

2:45 - 4:30 p.m.
Camellia Room

In this session, experience a live mock-up of various board portal software (e.g., agenda management, board book creation, meeting integration), including demonstrations of favorite features and integrations used and what a board meeting preparation process could look like through various board portal options. There will be opportunities to ask questions and to discuss the pros and cons of each, without the sales pitch.

Moderator
  • Sabrina A. Muhne, Foothill Transit, West Covina, CA
Panelists
  • Samantha D Overman, Assistant Board Secretary, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Kansas City, MO
  • Charlie Carlino, Chief Administrative Officer, Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo), Indianapolis, IN
  • Ed Easton, Manager Board Relations, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin, TX

Social Event hosted by BJCTA

6 - 9 p.m.
Offsite

(Joint TBM/TBA Event)
Join the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority for their Blues & Barbecue at City Walk. Experience peer-to-peer exchange, professional development, and some good ole' southern hospitality.

Attendees can walk to this event from the Westin hotel. City Walk is directly behind the hotel. Attendees can exit the front of the hotel and go either left or right to walk around the block. Attire is summer casual. Dress cool as Alabama summers are known to be HOT!
 
 
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Monday, July 17

Continental Breakfast

7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

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

8:30 - 10 a.m.
Westin Ballroom

(Joint TBM/TBA Session)
Keynote session with Bernard Robinson Jr., a Strategic Life & Business Advisor/Coach/Consultant, Founder of Exigency Sports & Entertainment and a former NBA player.

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.

Introduction
  • Valarie J. McCall, Ex-Officio Member, APTA Board of Directors; Past Chair, APTA; Past Chair, Transit Board Members Committee; Founder and Chief Executive, Valarie McCall Consulting Agency, Cleveland, OH
Keynote Speaker
  • Bernard Robinson, Jr., Founder, Exigency Sports & Entertainment, Washington, DC

Break

10 - 10:15 a.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

It’s A New Season: Being Empowered as a Leader

10:15 - 11:45 a.m.
Camellia Room

(TBA Only Session)

In this follow-up session with keynote speaker Bernard Robinson Jr., will zoom in on the people who make up the TBA’s and the roles that they play individually, along with the confidence that they bring. How do you create and sustain executive presence, how do you empower yourself as a leader and bring your authentic self to the table?

Moderator
  • Kathryn Jane Smith, Chair, APTA Transit Board Administrators Committee; Board Liaison, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL
Featured Speaker
  • Bernard Robinson, Jr., Founder, Exigency Sports & Entertainment, Washington, DC

Break

11:45 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

Meet in Hotel Lobby for BJCTA Tour

12 - 12:15 p.m.

Please note: BJCTA Shuttle will pick up in the front of the hotel at 12:00 pm and depart at 12:15 pm.

Travel to BJCTA

12:15 - 12:30 p.m.
Offsite

BJCTA Board Room Tour, Mock Meeting/Roberts Rules/Public Comment Session & Lunch

12:30 - 3:15 p.m.
Offsite

This session is designed to help you navigate real time meeting situations and will include a presentation on Roberts Rules of Order and Public Comments provided by BJCTA’s Legal Counsel, Sam Ford.  A discussion on how to handle some common challenges and meeting roadblocks will follow that will surely bring these points home with examples of proper and improper ways of handling meeting scenarios. This session will be held in BJCTA’s Board Room.
 
12:30 pm – 1 pm – Tour BJCTA Boardroom and have lunch
1 pm – 2 pm – Presentation by Sam Ford on Roberts Rules and Public Comment
2 pm – 3 pm – Mock Meeting, TBAs volunteer to demonstrate what they've just heard/learned in the presentation
3 pm – 3:15 pm – Q&A
 
Moderator
  • Josefina Chavira, Interim Board Administrator, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, TX
Featured Speaker
  • Sam Ford, Attorney, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (MAX), Birmingham, AL

Host Agency Transit Tour - BRT Express

3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Offsite

(Joint TBM/TBA Tour)
Birmingham Xpress (BX) is a state-of-the-art Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system offering rail-like convenience and efficiency with the flexibility of a bus. BX is the first BRT system in Alabama connecting neighborhoods from the Woodlawn Transit Center (near Woodlawn High School) to the Crossplex Transit Center (across Avenue W & the CrossPlex). Get ready to experience fast, affordable, & reliable service.
 
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Social Event hosted by BJCTA

6 - 9 p.m.
Civil Rights Institute

(Joint TBM/TBA Event)
Join the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority for their reception at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Experience peer-to-peer exchange, connect and collaborate. Expect to enjoy a tour and light refreshments prior to the reception.
 
Please note: BJCTA Shuttle will pick up in the front of the hotel at 5:30 pm. 
 
 
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute: 520 16th St N, Birmingham, AL 35203  
 
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Tuesday, July 18

Continental Breakfast

7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

Project Management & Oversight

8:30 - 9:45 a.m.
Camellia Room

Oversight is a component of good governance and refers to the actions taken to review and monitor transit agencies and their policies, plans, programs, and projects. Boards conduct such oversight actions to ensure that transit agencies are following laws and regulations, ethical standards, provide a good return on investment and achieve expected results. Oversight is a critical governance function performed by transit Boards.  This session will discuss how oversight is conducted and specific actions for Board Members to take in planning, challenging, advising, approving, and taking corrective actions for transit agencies.

Moderator
  • Rosa Diaz, Director, Board Support, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston Metro), Houston, TX
Panelists
  • Charlotte Shaw, Executive Director/CEO, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (MAX), Birmingham, AL
  • Kirkwood Russell, President and CEO, The Russell Group, LLC, Atlanta, GA

Break

9:45 - 10 a.m.
Westin Ballroom Foyer

Take Aways/Open Discussion

10 - 11 a.m.
Camellia Room

(TBA Only Session)Facilitator
  • Araceli M. Barajas, Exec. Asst.to the CEO/Clerk of the Board, OMNITRANS, San Bernardino, CA

2024 Program Topic Discussion

11 - 11:30 a.m.
Camellia Room
Presenters
  • Kathryn Jane Smith, Chair, APTA Transit Board Administrators Committee; Board Liaison, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL
  • Rosa Diaz, Director, Board Support, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston Metro), Houston, TX
  • Jennifer Ellison, Board Corporate Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Washington, DC

Closing

11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Camellia Room