Top TDM Professionals Under 40

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1 2014 Top TDM Professionals Under 40

2 Congratulations to GVF's first ever top TDM professionals under 40 recipients. Travel Demand Management (TDM) has and continues to be an important science that is now being recognized for its ability to change the way commuters travel to and from work. It is also influencing how people live their lives. Our first group of top TDM professionals under 40 is a diverse group of individuals who represent the future of our industry. It is gratifying to see so many professionals with various backgrounds, working in all sectors, who are coming together to help improve our world s quality of life. Rob Henry, GVF Executive Director

3 SOCIAL MEDIA LinkedIn ranked #1 as the most popular form of social media among this group. Recipients have received numerous accolades. 40 Recipients ABOUT TOP TDM PROFESSIONALS UNDER 40 serve in over forty board and committee positions. INDUSTRIES REPRESENTED Corporation Engineering Non-Profit MPO Financial Institution 50% Close to 50% of recipients have received masters and doctorate degrees. Parking Consultants Federal Legislative Office Municipal Government State Government County Government

4 Alexis Moyer, Senior Community Director March of Dimes 4 AWARD RECIPIENTS Alexis coordinates the Transportation, Building & Construction Awards Luncheon, which is the largest special event in the state with over 1000 guests. She is responsible for raising half a million dollars yearly and has exceeded her goal for the 5th consecutive year. She excels in leading special event management, fundraising, and volunteer development. Alexis works with a volunteer leadership board made up of 40 C-level individuals. Alexis has been with the March of Dimes for 8 years working on a variety of events from March for Babies, testimonials and coordinating the internship program. She is a great leader in her field because she is very passionate about her work and it shows in her attention to detail and complete follow through in every project she works on. Brett Fusco, Senior Transportation Planning DVRPC Brett is an integral part of DVRPC s long-range planning efforts. His work in asset management has resulted in a quantitative identification of regional transportation needs, a first for the region. He also developed the Choices & Voices web application that was a key component of DVRPC s public outreach activities during the development of the Connections 2040 Long-Range Plan. In addition, he has conducted several scenario planning exercises that looked at alternative futures and their impact on the region. Brett actively advocates for strategies and activities that will result in a more sustainable region.

5 5 AWARD RECIPIENTS Brooke Hersh, Manager-Marketing & Communications King of Prussia District Brooke is responsible for marketing and promoting theconnector, a unique commuter shuttle service system serving the King of Prussia business park employment center. theconnector allows employees to connect with Regional Rail and the Norristown High Speed Line at the Norristown Transit Center and Wayne Stations. She is responsible for growing ridership of this shuttle system that provides approximately 1,000 rides per month to KOP employees. In addition to generating collateral materials and promoting theconnector, Brooke also developed and manages the King of Prussia District s transportation oriented website, connectkop which provides users with information on all things related to transportation in King of Prussia. Daniel C. Russell, Director of Parks & Recreation Upper Merion Township As Director of Parks and Recreation for Upper Merion Township, Dan is responsible for leading the effort to enhance and develop the trail system within the Township in order to create walkability, connections and provide an increase in recreational activity and opportunity for our residents. Through his team s work, Upper Merion has helped create portions of the Schuylkill River West Trail, partnered with Montgomery County and Chester County on the Chester Valley Trail extension and has created a long- term township-wide bike and pedestrian plan.

6 Din Abazi, Senior Civil Engineer Supervisor PennDOT District 6 6 AWARD RECIPIENTS Din s responsibilities as a senior civil engineer supervisor include managing NBIS bridge inspection programs in various counties. Bridges are a very dynamic part of our transportation infrastructure, through a collaborative effort with his colleagues they strive to ensure public safety, offer solutions and advance efficient transportation. Din takes a proactive approach in meeting the needs of the public and PennDOT s partners. Ehsan Minaie, Ph.D.,Research Engineer/Project Manager Intelligent Infrastructure Systems As a project manager, Ehsan has managed more than $2M innovative multi-disciplinary transportation projects and has shown excellent team management, resource management, and communication skills. He also monitors the financial performance of more than $10M projects that the company is currently working on. To be prepared for his role, Ehsan has been always striving to improve his professional and interpersonal skills by attending training courses. One of the major courses he attended was the Pennoni Associates Inc. Project Management Training, which was a one year intensive and comprehensive project management course in 2012, aiming at training the next generation of project managers.

7 Emily Gajan, Health, Safety & Environment Specialist Shire 7 AWARD RECIPIENTS Emily leads the local and global SAVE committees at Shire (SAVE = Shire s Actions and Values for the Environment). She takes initiative to come up with new EHS programs and works with various departments to implement and communicate them - such as recycling programs, farm share, carpooling, environmental Volunteer Days for employees and even walking and other wellness events. She is always looking for ways to improve current practices with fresh, new ideas. Erin Burke, Senior Marketing Associate & Operations Manager-RideECO Program DVRPC Erin began her career as a Project Manager with GVF in King of Prussia, PA. Erin has been with DVRPC s Office of Marketing and Commuter Services since Erin is the Senior Marketing Associate and Operations Manager for the Philadelphia region s RideECO program. Her duties include managing the program s sales data; assisting employers enrolled in the RideECO program; and coordinating RideECO s advertising campaigns with the Commission s media buyer and design agency.

8 James W. Pudleiner, Managing Principal Walker Parking Consultants Jeremy Chrzan, Project Engineer Pennoni Associates 8 AWARD RECIPIENTS As Managing Principal at Walker Parking Consultants, Jim oversees the production of all Philadelphia projects including new design, restoration and study services. Through his thorough understanding of all aspects related to the design and restoration of multi-level parking facilities, Jim plays an integral part in providing project planning, scheduling and quality assurance to Walker s clients. One such recent client was the US Government. Under Jim s leadership, Walker provided them with recommendations on parking management policies, a strategic parking analysis associated with current and future parking demands, and a vehicular and pedestrian traffic analysis significantly improving safety and minimizing queuing on the compound. Jeremy s responsibilities have included roadway and drainage design, environmental and historic permitting, utility coordination and clearances, stakeholder coordination, and PennDOT ECMS project development. Jeremy has also designed numerous intersection and roadway improvements throughout Bensalem Township, performed emergency driveway design and permitting for the Graterford State Correctional Institution, guiderail design for the I-95-ITB and 202-7IT Intelligent Transportation System projects, and Green Streets design and permitting for the Philadelphia Water Department.

9 Jeremy Colello, Transportation Division Manager Pennoni Associates 9 AWARD RECIPIENTS Jeremy s responsibilities include project management as well as providing conceptual, preliminary and final engineering design, coordinating design efforts with other disciplines, preparing civil drawings, and coordinating between sub-consultants. Jeremy also has extensive experience with hydraulic and hydrologic modeling software and has performed a scour analysis and/or design on numerous bridges. Jeremy also serves as the Transportation Division Manager in the Philadelphia Office. In 2012, he was presented with the Envision Sustainability Professional Credential from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). He was one of the first professionals in Pennsylvania to earn this credential, and one of the first 70 people to achieve this worldwide. Jonathan Korus, Transportation Planning Specialist PennDOT District 6 A key contributor to PennDOT s Planning and Programming Unit in District 6, Jonathan assists with implementing the region s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) by assuring that each project is funded through design and construction. He also maintains the Multi- Modal Project Management (MPMS) database to ensure all highway and bridge information in the Delaware Valley region is current and accurate; processes Federal Authorization requests to confirm that federally-funded projects are approved before advancing; and answers customer inquiries about transportation plans in the region.

10 Kazi M. Hassan, Staff Engineer Pennoni Associates 10 AWARD RECIPIENTS Kazi has been the lead roadway designer for many local, state and federally funded transportation improvement projects throughout the Philadelphia region. He has developed maintenance and protection of traffic concepts to safely direct traffic during construction and prepared infrastructure feasibility studies for the University of Pennsylvania. Kazi has designed dozens of rural roadway upgrades throughout Central PA. These improvements have created jobs in the natural gas and roadway construction industries and ensured that roadways are safe for local residents. Kazi works closely with Pennoni s younger staff to teach the principals of safe roadway design and collaborates with experienced designers to develop new design concepts for sustainable Green Street projects throughout the Philadelphia area. Kurt Imhof, Regional Representative Office of Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. As Senator Casey s Regional Representative for southeastern Pennsylvania, Kurt acts as a liaison between businesses, organizations and constituents and the federal government. Given the importance of transportation to the economic vitality of the region, and the Commonwealth as a whole, Kurt is uniquely situated in this role to ensure that the Senator better understands the importance of these issues when making public policy decisions in Washington, DC.

11 Laura Frein, Marketing Specialist Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 11 AWARD RECIPIENTS Laura works to utilize social media and other out of box marketing strategies to reach a greater audience outside the traditional GVF partners. The recent passage of Act 89, makes outreach to all citizens more important than ever, so they can better understand the efforts that are being put forth to improve the transportation in the region. Her desire to investigate new ways of outreach and communication will help meet the industry s challenge to bring greater awareness to transportation demand management. Laura s leadership in the civil engineer field comes from her efforts to help promote the transportation industry in a way the everyday citizen can understand. Matthew Edmond, Principal Transportation Planner Montgomery County Planning Commission Matt is recognized at the County, as well as by PennDOT, SEPTA and DVRPC, as an insightful planning professional. He represents the County in a thoroughly professional manner at municipal and regional meetings. He provides well-thought out arguments on policy and technical issues. He articulates County policy and skillfully represents county and planning commission positions in a manner that he is well respected for his persuasiveness and thoughtfulness. He is one of the county s and region s gems.

12 12 AWARD RECIPIENTS Michael Wagner, Vice President & Practice Leader, Ports & Waterways Division Urban Engineers Michael s impact on the region s transportation network is significant, ranging from extensive work on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Widening from Valley Forge to Norristown to rehabilitating historic waterfront facilities. In 2013, he completed the award-winning Schuylkill Canal Restoration and Multiuse Trail in Upper Providence Township. Through his leadership and proactive project management, he helped Montgomery County restore the 180-year-old canal towpath and close a significant gap in the Schuylkill River Trail. The new pedestrian bridge and trail connection under Route 29 provides 30,000 annual bicyclists and pedestrians with safer passage and presents an invaluable transportation and recreation alternative to surrounding communities. Michelle Espinal, District Director Office of Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz Michelle s work is an extension of Congresswoman Schwartz s vision for her congressional district and for Pennsylvania. Advancing transportation and infrastructure initiatives is a vital part of her role as Congresswoman Schwartz s District Director. Pennsylvania s strengths and our country s economic strength depends on the health of our infrastructure system. Michelle has the opportunity to travel across the Congresswoman s district sharing her views on issues and bringing back constituents views on issues such as transportation and infrastructure needs.

13 13 AWARD RECIPIENTS Mike Holva, Civil Engineer Manager - Transportation PennDOT District 6 Mike provides leadership by overseeing PennDOT and consultant staff for the design phase of multiple roadway and bridge projects throughout PennDOT s District 6-0 region, including the US 422 Schuylkill River Crossing Complex Projects. He coordinates all aspects of these projects with other agencies, public officials, interest groups and the general public to promote transportation mission activities and lead. Mike works hard to assure that the plans are developed in accordance with regional goals and established let dates are met. Mittal Patel, Sr. Civil Engineer Supervisor PennDOT District 6 Take a lead by accepting responsibilities; Inspire dedication and honesty; Open communication; Create a smart team; Keep an open mind for creative input; Get direction and support when needed; Praise and motivate good work; Be brave and have positive thinking; Trust your abilities; Learn and grow every day.

14 Natasha Manbeck, Project Manager McMahon Associates 14 AWARD RECIPIENTS Natasha oversees a variety of transportation planning projects. Natasha s broad background includes developing local and regional transportation plans, preparing successful grant applications, managing multi-modal improvement projects, and facilitating public meetings. Prior to joining McMahon, Natasha was the Director of Transportation Services for the Chester County Planning Commission. Tom Yankanich, Audit Manager Kreischer Miller Tom has been an active member of the audit and accounting team. Tom has a wide range of experience providing traditional audit and accounting services to a variety of businesses, including government contractors, engineers, architects, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and not-for-profit organizations. For government contractors, Tom specializes in assisting clients in being compliant with the Federal Acquisition Regulations and preparing overhead rate audits for DOTs and other state and federal agencies. Tom serves on Kreischer Miller s Training Committee and is an instructor for Kreischer Miller s in-house professional training seminars.

15 About GVF Founded in 1990, GVF is a not-for-profit organization created to advocate and promote a viable transportation network for the region s economic vitality. To maximize awareness and develop sustainable support, we partner with public and private entities. GVF s mission is to achieve a desirable quality of life and a healthy, competitive economic environment by developing multi-faceted transportation strategies West Eighth Avenue, Suite A King of Prussia, PA