Earl Blumenauer, Congressman, 3rd District, OR
Judy Corbett, Executive Director, Local Government Commission, Sacramento, CA
Steve Dotterrer, Retired Principal Planner, City of Portland, OR
Diane Filippi, Director, Urban Center, SPUR, San Francisco, CA
John Inglish, Chief Executive Officer, Utah Transit Authority, Salt Lake City, UT
Effie S. Stallsmith, Transportation and Livability Consultant, Arlington, VA
Gary Thomas, President/Executive Director, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, TX
Congressman Earl Blumenauer, 3rd District, Oregon
Portland, Oregon • Boardmember
Congressman Earl Blumenauer was born, raised, and educated in Portland, Oregon and has been an Oregon Elected official for his entire career. Mr. Blumenauer began his political career while still in college, spearheading a successful campaign to lower Oregon's voting age to 18. He was 23 when he was elected to the Oregon State Legislature, winning every precinct in his district. In addition to chairing the Revenue and School Finance Committee, he played key roles in enacting Oregon's landmark land use and transportation planning legislation, both still national models today. In 1978, Mr. Blumenauer was elected to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners and in 1986 was elected Portland's Commissioner of Public Works. As a member of the City Council and County Commission for almost 20 years, he championed programs and policies that led to Portland's acclaim as one of the nation's most livable cities. Perhaps best-known for his efforts to provide Portlanders with a wider range of transportation choices- from light rail to bicycles to trolleys- Mr. Blumenauer also launched curbside recycling, worked to protect the Willamette River from combined serer overflow, fought to confiscate cars of repeat drunk drivers, and led successful efforts to increase local funding of Portland's public schools. First elected to the U.S. House in a special election in 1996, Mr. Blumenauer has carved out a unique role for himself as the Congress's proponent of Livable Communities. From his seat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, he has focused on creating policies and partnerships that will make communities and the families that live in them safer, healthier, and more economically secure.
Among his efforts are:
introducing legislation to require the Post Office to abide by local land use and zoning regulations, something it is not currently required to do;working to overhaul the nation's Flood Insurance Program, which subsidizes people to live in places that are neither environmentally sound or safe;leading the fight in Congress to protect the E-rate, which ensures low-cost connections to the Internet for schools and libraries.
Recognizing that the federal government, as the nation's largest employer, landowner and tenant, influences policy not only through regulation but through its own actions, Mr. Blumenauer has built strong partnerships throughout the executive branch, urging agencies from the Department of Defense to the General Services Administration to lead by example.
Mr. Blumenauer has been described as the "Johnny Appleseed" of livability. Since his election to Congress, he has traveled to nearly 50 communities, working with local citizens and organizations on ways they can build more effective civic Partnerships to improve land use, environment and transportation. He is equally committed to partnerships wit his colleagues: he works with them through the Bike Caucus, which he founded, the Task Force on Livable Communities, which he co-chairs, and other member organizations such as the House Sustainable Development Caucus. In addition to being named a German Marshall Fellow in 1995, Mr. Blumenauer has won numerous awards from environmental, education and community groups. In 2000, he received two of the highest awards offered by the planning community: the National Building Museum's Apgar Award and the American Planning Association's Legislator of the Year Award. His academic training includes undergraduate and law degrees from Lewis & Clark College in Portland and graduate studies at Portland State University, the University of Colorado at Denver, and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Judy Corbett, Executive Director, Local Government Commission
Sacramento, California • Board Secretary
Judy Corbett is the founder and for the past 20 years has served as Executive Director of the Local Government Commission. Corbett and her husband planned and developed the widely acclaimed Village Homes, a 60-acre, resource-efficient community in Davis, California. Corbett served for 8 years as a part-time consultant to the California State Assembly. She is co-author of three books on land use planning, Village Homes: Solar House Designs, A Better Place to Live, and Sustainable Development: Learning from Village Homes. She has co-authored or edited over 30 guidebooks for local elected officials on resource-efficient land use strategies.
A 1974 graduate of the Ecology Graduate Group at the University of California at Davis, Corbett has lectured at universities, conferences and workshops throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Mexico. She serves on the Boards of Directors of the congress for the New Urbanism, the California Futures Network, the California Center for Civic Renewal, and Rail~Volution. In 1999 she was selected by Time Magazine as a "Hero of the Planet" for her work on sustainable development.
Steve Dotterrer, Retired Principal Planner, City of Portland, OR
Portland, Oregon • Boardmember
Steve Dotterrer recently retired from the City of Portland, Oregon after working more than 30 years in transportation and planning. As a Principal Planner, he managed the city's strategic and comprehensive planning as well as the Housing and Economic Development programs. From 1980 to 2001, he was the Chief Transportation Planner, responsible for the city's transportation policy development and the Capital Improvement Program. Steve was educated at the Universities of Oregon and California, where he received Bachelor and Master's degrees in Architecture. He is currently the chair of the Rail~Volution National Steering Committee.
Diane Filippi, Director, Urban Center, San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association
San Francisco, California • Board President
Diane is the Director of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association's (SPUR) new Urban Center. Prior to joining SPUR, Ms. Filippi was a founder and managing principal of SMWM, an architectural and urban design firm in San Francisco. The firm was responsible for such projects as the San Francisco Main Library and the newly renovated Ferry Building. She is the newly elected District Chair of the Urban Land Institute, a board member of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, a member of Lambda Alpha, and co-chairs the New York based Americans for Libraries Council and twice recognized as one of San Francisco's "75 Most Influential Women" by the San Francisco Business Times.
John Inglish, Chief Executive Officer, Utah Transit Authority
Salt Lake City, Utah • Boardmember
John Inglish was appointed chief executive officer of the Utah Transit Authority on April 8, 2010, by the UTA board of trustees. He has worked in the transportation industry for more than 35 years. Previously he served as general manager of UTA for the past 13 years.
Inglish began his career in 1970 as a systems planning engineer for the Utah State Highway Department. In the early 70s he began working for the Wasatch Front Regional council on the initial initiatives that formed today's UTA. In 1977 he became the director of transit development for UTA and In August 1997 was appointed general manager by the UTA board of trustees. Under his leadership, UTA has garnered national and international recognition.
In his role as CEO, Inglish has been charged by the UTA board of trustees to focus on the national and international transit industry, to promote transit in the national transportation policy, and to seek new federal and other funding opportunities for UTA. In his 33 years at UTA, Inglish has cultivated valuable relationships with agencies and policymakers at the national and international level. These relationships have brought significant federal funding to Utah, more $3 billion dollars in the last ten years. He has influenced transit funding programs and operations policies and made UTA one of the most innovative and successful transit agencies in the U.S.
Inglish sits on the board of governors for the Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance and the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce. He has served on and chaired many committees for the American Public Transportation Association, recently completing a three year term on the executive board of directors. He is a member of the board of directors of the University of Denver Intermodal Transportation Institute and the executive board of The Intelligent Transportation Society of America. He recently became the U.S. representative on the policy board of the UITP, the international public transit association and is a member of the International Sustainability Commission of that association.
Michael Melaniphy, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Public Transportation Association
Washington, District of Columbia • Boardmember
Michael P. Melaniphy is president and chief executive officer of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), effective November 1, 2011. A nationally recognized leader, Melaniphy’s entire career has been in public transportation, with more than 23 years of both public and private sector experience.
Previously, Melaniphy served as vice president public sector for the bus manufacturer, Motor Coach Industries, Inc., where he worked for 10 years and was responsible for a $250 million division with facilities in the United States and Canada.
Prior to that, he led public transit systems for 11 years in Charlotte, NC; Wichita, KS; Hamilton, OH; and Laredo, TX.
Melaniphy’s career began while a student at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN, as a bus driver for the university basketball team coached by Bobby Knight. He graduated from Indiana University with a BA in business administration, transportation management, having studied under the legendary transportation professor George Smerk.
He also holds an MBA and a postgraduate MBA Plus in transportation management from Wichita State University in Wichita, KS.
Dr. Beverly Scott, General Manager / Chief Executive Officer, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)
Atlanta, Georgia • Boardmember
Beverly A. Scott became General Manager/Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) in October 2007, bringing strong vision and leadership to the Authority's ongoing implementation of system improvements and its work with the region to develop a comprehensive regional transportation plan. Dr. Scott is highly regarded throughout the transit industry and currently serves as the First Vice-Chair of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). With over 30 years of experience in the transportation industry, Dr. Scott has held leadership positions with some of the nation's largest transit agencies.
Prior to joining MARTA, Dr. Scott served as General Manager/Chief Executive Officer of the Sacramento Regional Transit District. Prior to that, she served as the General Manager of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, one of only four statewide public transit systems in the United States. Dr. Scott also held executive management positions with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), New Jersey Transit Corporation, and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, including being the first woman appointed as Vice President of Surface Transit with responsibility for the daily operation of all bus service in the five boroughs of New York City as well as Staten Island rail service.
Dr. Scott began her public transportation career in 1977 in the State of Texas through Texas Southern University, as one of four national recipients of a Carnegie Foundation Fellowship. In 1979, with the creation of the Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority, she was the regional transit authority's first Director of Affirmative Action. In addition to her professional transportation positions, she has served as Executive Director of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA), Assistant Professor of Government and Public Affairs at Tennessee State University and also taught graduate courses at Howard University (Washington, DC).
Dr. Scott has received numerous national and local awards, including citations from the U.S. Department of Transportation, American Public Transportation Association, American Society of Public Administrators, National Business League, Women's Transportation Seminar, Rhode Island Professional Engineers Society, Sierra Club, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, the Urban League, and City Year. She holds a doctorate in Political Science with a specialization in public administration from Howard University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Fisk University (magna cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa).
Effie S. Stallsmith, Transportation and Livability Consultant
Arlington, Virginia • Boardmember
Effie is a retired Community Planner with experience in transportation planning with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Office of Planning, Washington, DC for over 18 years. She has had extensive experience in project planning and management, with a special emphasis on transportation and land use, as well as directing and representing many FTA and DOT special initiatives, such as Smart Growth, Bike and Pedestrian issues, Transit-Oriented Joint Development and Context Sensitive Solutions.
Previous work included managing the FTA Innovative Finance and the Livable Communities Initiative that included working with HUD Empowerment Zones and FTA's Job Access and Reverse Commute Program. As a charter member of the Rail~Volution's Steering Committee, she was instrumental in securing FTA's continuing support for and involvement in the conference. She was also instrumental in the start up of the Transportation and Planning Capacity Building Program, as well as the planning of the transit-oriented and joint development website and training program. Effi remains on TRB committees such as Transportation and Land Development, Transportation and Statewide Planning, and Women's Issues.
Other interests include the Transportation and Livable Communities Consortium and the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS). She has received many awards for local and government work including the Secretary's Award for Meritorious Achievement (Silver Medal), the Gore Hammer Award, and Special Achievement awards for work on the Department's One DOT Livable Communities Program, Capacity Building, and transit-oriented and joint development work. Effie was named Washington DC's WTS Woman of the Year in 2008. Her academic training included East Tennessee University where she was a Presidential Scholar.
Gary Thomas, President/Executive Director, Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Dallas, Texas • Boardmember
Gary C. Thomas is President/Executive Director of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). As President/Executive Director, Thomas is responsible for a 13-city transit system over a 700- square mile area with, bus, light rail, commuter rail, paratransit, and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane services. He administers the goals and policies of the DART Board of Directors, including the largest public transit expansion in North America. He also directs the agency's top managers and 2,750 employees, emphasizing a strong customer focus to ensure that transit riders and taxpayers receive the best transit service available. He works closely with member city governments and the public in developing short- and long-term transportation and mobility goals.
Prior to his selection as President/Executive Director, Thomas was Senior Vice President of Project Management for DART, overseeing the design and construction of all of DART's major capital projects, including DART's light rail system. His responsibilities in tat position included real estate right-of-way acquisition; oversight of the design and construction management performed by DART's General Engineering Consultant; design and installation of systems for communication and signals for the light rail; construction of the light rail system and bus facilities; and manufacture of the light rail cars.
Thomas joined DART in November 1998. Previously, he had led DART's General Engineering Consultant's design of the original light rail system as LAN Program Manager from 1996 until 1998. He was a consulting engineer for 19 years prior to joining DART. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Bachelor of Architecture from Texas Tech University, and has managed projects of all sizes and types, including water and waste treatment plants, manufacturing facilities and transportation and transit-related projects.