2025 New Shared Mobility Summit Change Teams

Atlanta Region Change Team

Jason Lathbury - Sierra Club Transportation Committee Chair

Jason Lathbury acts as the Transportation Committee Chair for the Georgia Sierra Club. In that role, he advocates for minimizing pollution from transportation and the build- environment in a way that addresses historic injustices and improves mobility for all. He is an Aerospace Engineer by education and trade, but has been a clean transportation advocate for ten years, gaining knowledge and experience in the world of clean, efficient, and just mobility.

Odetta MacLeish - White - HouseATL; former ARC

Odetta MacLeish-White is a twenty three year career professional in affordable housing, community development, and systemic change. She has worked on systemic vacancy as Director of Engagement for the Center for Community Progress; led the TransFormation Alliance, a partnership of nonprofits, government agencies, and businesses working with residents to improve housing, transit and jobs access; supported comprehensive community stabilization efforts and nonprofit capacity around the country as a Senior Program Director with Enterprise Community Partners; and created affordable housing recommendations as staff director for Florida’s Affordable Housing Study Commission. She started her career as a developer building tax credit units and managing small commercial properties. Odetta earned her Juris Doctorate and LLM in International Law from Duke University School of Law, and her bachelor’s degree in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard-Radcliffe University. She lives in Marietta, GA with Todd, her husband of 27 years, and their two children, Isaiah and Adria.

Nedra Deadwyler - Consulting & Civil Bikes

Nedra guides equitable processes to bring community voices into defining and shaping places and the story of place. She is a social worker, cultural preservationist, and creative. She centers our humanity, lived experiences, community care, and our beautiful world. Through her organizations, Civil Bikes she leads tours, provides bike education, advocacy for mobility justice, and youth bike camps. And Save Your Spaces a skill share to get the everyday person involved in preservation. She continues to write, think, and challenge the systems governing our quality of life and invites our collective transformation towards just interdependence.

Katrina Julien - Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta; former ARC

Katrina Julien serves as Senior Program Officer, focused on the Foundation’s place-based portfolio. Katrina’s commitment to the Atlanta region aims to uplift and amplify resident voice in decision-making to advance social and economic mobility in their communities. Katrina provides vision and leadership that support the preservation and development of affordable housing, uplifts community centered economic development, and promotes safe and inclusive neighborhoods as a right for all metro Atlanta communities. Her role within community supports the Foundation’s mission of increasing equity and shared prosperity throughout the region.

Before joining the Foundation, Katrina worked as Principal Program Specialist in the Community Partnerships Division at the Atlanta Regional Commission. There, she was responsible for the planning and implementation of the Community Partnerships division’s leadership development programs and the coordination of the agency’s Poverty, Equity Opportunity (PEO) Committee where the ARC facilitated conversations around poverty and economic inclusion for all residents in the Atlanta region.

Katrina earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Georgia State University and her Master’s in Public Administration from Walden University.

Shelley Francis - EV Noire

Dr. Shelley Francis is a public health executive, tech entrepreneur, transportation disruptor, and former medical school professor.  She is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of EVNoire, a consultancy working to advance multimodal e-mobility (or electrification) solutions within electric, connected, shared, and autonomous vehicle technologies. She and fellow Co-founder, Terry Travis, lead a team of engineers, data scientists, urban planners, charging infrastructure specialists, policy experts, and multimodal electrification analysts. EVNoire utilizes their expertise, a human-centric approach, and data-driven frameworks to integrate and amplify electrification best practices and electrification for all communities in the transportation sector. The firm partners with utilities, automakers, the 25 largest cities, along with rural communities, transit agencies, governments, charging infrastructure companies, rideshare and delivery network companies, autonomous vehicle companies, aviation partners, nonprofits, and more to accelerate electrification and decarbonization strategies. 

 

Dr. Francis also co-founded EVHybridNoire (EVHN), an international 501 (c) (3) membership-based organization. EVHN has members across the United States, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia who engage and work with communities and key stakeholders, advancing clean transportation.

 

A recognized national voice, Dr. Francis has advised the White House, U.S. Departments of Energy, and Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and spoken at forums such as VERGE, ACT Expo, ETS, the National E-Mobility Conference, Roadmap and the Essence Festival. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Energy News, the Columbus Times Dispatch, and The Baltimore Sun. She has been named one of the Top Global Women in EVs and serves on several industry boards including the Transportation Electrification Partners,  and GreenBiz’s Transport Advisory Board.

Boston Region Change Team

Benjamin Muller - Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)

Benjamin Muller serves as Program Manager for Regional Priority Projects for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)’s Highway Division. Through this role he supports MPOs and municipalities across the Commonwealth in initiating, programming, and designing federal aid transportation projects. Previously, he has worked with various local and regional agencies across Greater Boston, Connecticut’s Naugatuck Valley, and New Orleans. He makes his home between the airport, the ferry terminal, and the subway in East Boston: a transportation nerd’s dream.

Karen Winger - Longwood Collective

Karen Winger, AICP PMP TDM-CP CCTM, brings 25 years of public transportation experience. Starting as a student bus operator at UMass while earning her BA in Communication and MBA, she worked as a Transportation Planner for Old Colony MPO, contributing to the South Coast Rail Corridor Plan and creating an award-winning Human Services Coordination Plan. After three years with a private transit operator, she served as Transit Director in Gwinnett County, GA, improving on-time performance and ridership while pioneering Georgia’s first app-based MicroTransit pilot. Currently Director of Transportation Planning for the Longwood Collective, she leads transportation projects and oversees Transportation planning and one of the nation’s oldest Transportation Management Association programs.

Sandy Johnston - Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)

Sandy Johnston is the Deputy Director of Regional Transit Planning at the MBTA, where he works on regional coordination and long-range planning, helping the T meet the challenges and opportunities of today and the future. Before the T, Sandy worked for 6 years at the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in a variety of roles. Sandy lives in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston with his partner Gabriella and two huge cats. He’s a regular Orange Line rider and just bought an e-trike. He has lived in numerous places around the country, including Chicago.

Kate Dineen - A Better City

Kate Dineen is the President & CEO of A Better City. Kate previously worked for the New York State Governor’s Office, serving as the Chief of Staff for State Operations, Assistant Secretary for the Environment, and Deputy Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery after Superstorm Sandy. She was U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Policy Director and has worked in the non-profit and media sectors. Kate holds a BA in English from Williams College and a Masters in City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was a Non-Resident Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. She lives in Boston with her family.

Brendan Kearney - WalkMassachusetts

Brendan has led WalkMassachusetts since 2023 and been part of the organization since 2013 – first in development/communications, then as deputy director and co-executive director. In these roles, he coordinated the organization’s public engagement efforts on safer streets for people walking, shared briefings with elected officials and reporters, and represented WalkMassachusetts on state and municipal working groups. A founding member of Boston’s Vision Zero Task Force, he has also served on MassDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board (MABPAB). Brendan is the lead author of our annual crash report, which documents pedestrian fatalities across Massachusetts and highlights patterns to inform advocacy.

Reggie Ramos - Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA)

Nedra guides equitable processes to bring community voices into defining and shaping places and the story of place. She is a social worker, cultural preservationist, and creative. She centers our humanity, lived experiences, community care, and our beautiful world. Through her organizations, Civil Bikes she leads tours, provides bike education, advocacy for mobility justice, and youth bike camps. And Save Your Spaces a skill share to get the everyday person involved in preservation. She continues to write, think, and challenge the systems governing our quality of life and invites our collective transformation towards just interdependence.

Tegin Teich - Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization

Tegin Teich is the Executive Director of the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) in Boston, MA. CTPS is a 58-person organization that supports the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and provides transportation planning expertise to stakeholders in the region. The MPO develops a transportation vision for the 97 cities and towns in the Boston region and allocates federal dollars to transportation projects, while advancing strategies to achieve greater transparency and equity in the transportation planning processes.  Before taking on this role, Tegin worked for the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, managing the city’s public transit program, serving as the city’s liaison for regional initiatives, and leading the conceptual design and public processes for major infrastructure projects. Prior to Cambridge, she was a consultant at IBI Group’s Boston office, working on and managing transit, Complete Streets, and technology projects. Tegin received dual Master’s Degrees in Urban Planning and Transportation from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Local Champion

Rob King - Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR)

Robert King is the Deputy Commissioner for Operations at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), overseeing more than 450,000 acres of state parks and public lands. With over two decades of experience in engineering/transportation, capital project delivery, and infrastructure management, he has led major initiatives in Brookline, Somerville, Framingham, and at the Massachusetts Port Authority, including Logan International Airport. His career has focused on advancing safety, accessibility, sustainability, and resiliency through data-driven decision making and collaborative leadership, strengthening public infrastructure to better serve Massachusetts communities.

Chicago I Change Team

Local Champion

Jack Cruikshank - Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

Jack Cruikshank is the Electric Vehicle Policy Advisor at the Illinois EPA. He supports transportation electrification across Illinois, from public EV charger buildout to freight/fleet electrification. He advises on electric vehicle policy in coordination with other state agencies as part of a whole-of-government approach to meet the State’s goal of deploying one million EVs on Illinois roads by 2030.

Local Champion

Dave Simmons - Ride Illinois

After 25 years working in educational publishing, Dave made the leap to the nonprofit world in 2019 to become Executive Director of Ride Illinois – the state’s nonprofit bicycle advocacy organization. Dave strongly believes in the many benefits of the humble bicycle and enjoys encouraging others to rely on non-motorized transportation for everyday trips. In his current role, Dave oversees the daily tasks of a non-profit organization, including: staff and board management, advocacy, finances, marketing and communications, and collaboration with partners at the local, state, and national level.

Elizabeth Scott - Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)

Elizabeth Scott is a Principal Policy Analyst at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), where she works on regional planning and policy in the northeastern Illinois. Recently her work has focused on efforts to bring the region together on shared challenges, such as the need ensure the solvency of the Chicago region’s transit system. She holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from St. John’s College and a Master of Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a former president of Chicago Women in Planning and Development.

Remel Terry - Equiticity

Remel Terry is a distinguished community leader and advocate based in Chicago’s Westside, with an impressive professional background spanning over 15 years in technical leadership, case management, advocacy, people leadership, program development, and community organizing. Her unwavering commitment to advancing the Black community and empowering its youth is a testament to the dedication and values instilled during her upbringing within a tightly-knit community.

She is renowned as a voice for the voiceless and a collaborative force within the community, working closely with residents, nonprofit organizations, and elected officials. Currently, she serves as the 1st Vice President and Political Action Committee Chair for the Chicago Westside Branch NAACP, showcasing her enduring dedication to civil rights and community development.

Remel earned her Bachelor of Science in Aviation Administration with a Minor in Business from Lewis University. With over a decade of membership in the Chicago Westside Branch NAACP, she remains deeply involved in her community.

Ian Savage - Department of Economics and the Transportation Center at Northwestern University

Ian Savage has been a member of the faculty of both the Department of Economics and the Transportation Center at Northwestern University since 1986. His research has been concentrated in two areas: urban public transportation, and transportation safety.  He has published widely on the economics of transit finances and operations.  He has conducted research into the safety performance, and the effectiveness of safety regulations, in most modes of transportation.

Michael Lynch - Office of the Illinois Governor

Michael Lynch currently serves as Climate Policy Advisor in the Office of the Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, where he works legislation and policy implementation relating to energy, water, and public transportation. In addition to other roles in the Office of the Governor and Department of Natural Resources, he previously worked as a Research Manager at the University of Chicago Energy & Environment Lab, collaborating with municipal governments across the country to study transportation and utility issues. Michael lives in Chicago and gets around primarily by bike, bus, and train.

Chicago Change Team II

Local Champion

Sarah FioRito - City of Evanston

Sarah D. FioRito is an Evanston and Skokie-raised transportation planner, community organizer, and artist with a deep love for the Chicago area, cities, flowers, design, and imagining, and working for, a better world. Throughout over a decade of working on transportation equity, Sarah has led bicycle mechanics-based youth and workforce development programs, coordinated a province-wide (state level) campaign for universal childhood cycling education, initiated new intergovernmental collaborations, and brought diverse groups together for better transit and street designs. Sarah coordinates transportation policy, programs, and partnerships for the City of Evanston.

Francisco (Paco) Rubio - Working Bikes

Francisco started his journey at Big Marsh bike park which led him to the WorkingBikes’ Community Mechanic program. After working at both these nonprofits and recognizing the benefits of cycling and how the bicycle can be used as a tool for people to empower themselves, Francisco made the shift to help with supporting and educating communities through introduction to bike maintenance and safe commuting. He is an instructor at WorkingBikes’ Bike POC & Queer Night on Thursday evenings. Francisco also spends his time mentoring  youth in local communities through track racing and cycle cross racing (TrackCatsChi).

Local Champion

Victoria Barrett - Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)

Victoria Barrett (she/her) is the Program Lead for Safe Systems at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. She has worked in multimodal transportation design and planning for more than two
decades. Her current work is devoted to improving travel safety while expanding mobility for vulnerable road users and historically excluded populations in the Chicago region. Her work centers on using a comprehensive, equitable, safe system approach that includes design, policy, education, and collaboration. Prior to her work at CMAP, she was a planning consultant with Charlier Associates, based in Boulder, Colorado, serving clients across the country in developing multimodal transportation plans, and policy platforms to improve mobility and livability.

Hugo Coronado - Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC)

Hugo is a transportation and urban planning expert from Colombia. With a background in public policy and GIS, his work spans transit advocacy and equity-focused infrastructure planning. He has led Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) engagement with community-based organizations in Chicago and developed project prioritization methodologies for MPC’s Reconnecting Communities Report.

Denver Region Change Team

Local Champion

Ian Harwick - Regional Transportation District

Ian Harwick is a Colorado resident with over twenty years of experience in business, community development, and municipal government. He holds a degree in Business Management from Johnson & Wales University and has dedicated his career to public service. Ian works for the City of Denver in the Office of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency on mobility policy. He also has experience in the private sector and has been actively involved in organizations such as the New Leaders Council, Transit Alliance, and YIMBY Denver. Ian has been a vocal advocate for transit, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure for the last 15 years. He currently serves as a Director on the Regional Transportation District (RTD) Board of Directors, a position he secured through a successful write-in campaign in 2022. He resides in a suburb of Denver with his wife and their daughter. In his free time, he enjoys home improvement projects, playing volleyball, and reading science fiction.

Aylene McCallum - Open Mobility Foundation

Aylene McCallum is the Director of Partnerships & Development at the Open Mobility Foundation. She has over 20 years of cross-sector leadership experience in mobility, urban planning, and economic development. She is passionate about stakeholder engagement in the context of cities, mobility, and economic opportunity, as well as building great organizations, strategic planning and co-creation. Her professional background centers on finding solutions to complex civic challenges by aligning diverse stakeholders, designing strategic solutions, and building the organizational infrastructure to deliver results.  Whether improving equity outcomes, building sustainable funding models, or guiding organizations through change, she leads with clarity, curiosity, and follow-through. 

Ken Schroeppel - College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado Denver

Ken Schroeppel is the Master of Urban Design Program Director and faculty member in the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado Denver. Prior to teaching, Ken worked for many years as a planning consultant in land use and transportation, urban design, and urban development. He is well known as the founder of DenverInfill and DenverUrbanism, popular websites that offer news and commentary on urbanism in the Mile High City. Ken frequently gives presentations and walking tours on Denver’s urban design, and is a relentless advocate for prioritizing people over cars on Denver’s streets.

Dani McLean - Regional Transportation District (RTD)

Dani McLean serves as Transit Equity Specialist at Regional Transportation District (RTD) in Denver, where she supports implementation of the agency’s Title VI Program, advancing equitable service delivery and civil rights compliance. She contributes to data-driven equity analyses and community engagement, leads RTD’s Language Access Program, and serves on the project team for RTD’s Bus Stop Infrastructure Accessibility Assessment. Dani previously worked at the Colorado Department of Transportation researching gender and transit. She holds a Master of the Environment from the University of Colorado at Boulder (Urban Resilience and Sustainability) and a double B.A. in Socio-Legal Studies and French from the University of Denver.

Erin Maruzzella - Age-Friendly Design Thinking

Erin Maruzzella is a large systems architect and age-equity advocate. Founder of Healthspan Business Partners, she collaborates with government policymakers, academic researchers, nonprofit organizations, and industry leaders for better design of longevity products, systems, and spaces. As incoming Director of Business Development at NOCTI Business Solutions, Erin will bring her cross-sector design expertise to advance workforce solutions through innovative industry-aligned credentialing. 

Erin serves on the Colorado Commission on Aging, co-chairs the Innovation and Social Impact Advisory Council for the American Society on Aging, and advises the Institute for the Built Environment, the Federal Reserve Bank, and the International Hospital Federation.

Detroit / Greater Michigan Change Team

Drew Coleman - MichAuto at the Detroit Regional Chamber

Drew Coleman is the senior director of MichAuto at the Detroit Regional Chamber, overseeing the overall implementation of MichAuto’s key pillars of talent, advocacy and next-gen mobility, as well as the research, convening, events, and marketing efforts of the program. Coleman joined the Chamber team in July 2022.

Coleman spent 10 years with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation leading the State of Michigan’s foreign direct investment program and business attraction strategy. Coleman graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Alma College and earned his MBA from Davenport University.  Additionally, Coleman is a certified Economic Development Finance Professional through the National Development Council and in 2024 participated in the Young American Leaders Program at the Harvard Business School. Coleman currently serves on the board of the Michigan Workforce Training and Education Collaborative and is a Senior Advisor to the Council on Future Mobility and Electrification.

Kaylee Page - Seamless Ventures

In 2016, Kaylee Page joined Seamless Ventures, an innovation program for enterprises where she led a 2 year autonomous vehicle deployment project downtown Grand Rapids, MI pulling together both the private and public sectors, managed an air quality initiative for the city, and oversees the program management of FLITE at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, one of the first airport-based initiatives in the nation to provide grants and live environment testing to companies focused on bringing emerging air travel technology solutions to market. She has 15 years supporting and managing the creation of new world systems, experiences, and businesses.

Konner Petz - City of Detroit Office of Mobility Innovation

Konner Petz is a Senior Innovation Strategist with the Mayor’s Office of Mobility Innovation at the City of Detroit. He has many forms of experience working with and leading innovative projects ranging from automated vehicles and robotics to policy development. Konner has a formal education with a Masters of Urban Planning from Wayne State University, Bachelors of Environmental Science from Oakland University, and over 6 years of experience working in the public sector for organizations such as the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART Bus), and the City of Detroit. 

Jean Ruestman - Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)

Jean Ruestman is the Administrator of the Office of Passenger Transportation (OPT) for the Michigan Department of Transportation where she has worked for 34+ years. OPT oversees the state’s public transportation programs including the distribution of state and federal public transit funds. She is vice chair of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO’s) Council on Public Transportation, serves on the policy committee for the Automated Bus Consortium, is previous co-chair of the Transportation Research Board’s Standing Committee on Innovative Public Transportation Services and Technologies, and serves on several transit technology working groups aimed at advancing the state of the industry.

Lauren Mattar - NextEnergy

Lauren Mattar is the Director of Mobility Initiatives at NextEnergy, where she leads programs that support the testing and deployment of emerging mobility technologies across Michigan and beyond. Her work includes managing multimillion-dollar grant initiatives, operating the Detroit Smart Parking Lab, and supporting projects focused on electric, hydrogen, and shared mobility solutions. With a focus on real-world implementation and cross-sector collaboration, Mattar works closely with startups, municipalities, and industry partners to advance practical transportation innovations that respond to community needs.

Local Champion

Justine Johnson - Office of Future Mobility and Electrification

As Chief Mobility Officer for the state of Michigan, Justine leads the state’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification in working across state government, academia and private industry to enhance Michigan’s mobility ecosystem, including developing dynamic mobility and electrification policies and supporting the startup and scale up of emerging mobility technologies and businesses. Justine plays a critical role in driving a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Department of Labor and Opportunity, Department of Transportation, Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, and the Governor’s Office. Justine Johnson is an accomplished economic development and mobility executive with more than 10 years of experience in external affairs, strategy and government and community relations.

 Justine holds two Master of Arts degrees from the University of Southern California in Urban Planning and Public Administration. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hampton University in Political Science and Government.

 

Natalie Bond - Bedrock

Natalie Bond is a Land Development Project Manager at Bedrock, where she manages district-scale infrastructure and design initiatives, master planning efforts, and strategic partnerships focused on mobility and innovation. 

Prior to joining Bedrock, Natalie was a planning consultant with McKenna, an urban planning firm, where she supported communities across Michigan with master plans, mapping, and design services. She also served as a Land Acquisition Manager for M/I Homes, a residential builder and developer, where she advanced site selection and entitlement strategies for new communities. Natalie studied her MS in Community and Regional Planning and Geography from Western Michigan University.

Fresno/Central Valley Change Team

Los Angeles Change Team

Local Champion

Local Champion

Salvador Gutierrez - LADOT Commercial Rideshare & Mobility

Salvador Gutierrez is a Supervising Transportation Planner I with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s (LADOT) Office of Planning and Innovation, Commercial and Rideshare Mobility Division. As the lead for LADOT’s Mobility Hubs work program, he focuses on enhancing transportation infrastructure and mobility solutions for Angelenos. With extensive experience in implementing transportation technology projects, transit planning, and fostering cross-sector partnerships, Salvador is dedicated to advancing safe, sustainable, and efficient mobility solutions. His work emphasizes the intersection of multi-modal transportation and equity, ensuring inclusive and accessible mobility for all communities. Salvador holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Luskin School of Public Affairs.

Carlos Hernandez - City of Santa Monica

Carlos Hernandez is a Senior Transportation Planner with the City of Santa Monica, managing projects that improve conditions for people walking, bicycling, and taking transit. His career spans over 10 years and has worked in the non-profit sector, consulting, and with four cities throughout Southern California, focusing on delivering active transportation projects. He has volunteered as a board member for Cycles of Change in Oakland, L.A. Walks in Los Angeles, and with the Vision Zero Network.

James Giblin

James Giblin is a public sector professional with experience in Los Angeles area mobility planning. His work has focused on advancing shared mobility and active transportation initiatives. He is attending this event in a personal capacity while on leave, and his views are his own and do not represent Los Angeles Metro.

Courtney Aguirre - Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)

Courtney Aguirre is the Mobility Planning and Goods Movement Manager for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). In this role, she oversees teams focused on building a more robust and integrated mobility ecosystem, advancing key initiatives such as the regionwide mobility hubs network, studies to enhance transit and rail ridership, and planning efforts to support efficient and resilient goods movement across the six-county region. In preparation for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, she serves as the lead for the Games Mobility Executives Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Subcommittee, supporting more coordinated strategies across agencies. Courtney’s collaborative approach extends to statewide and national efforts, including her contributions to CalSTA’s Transit Transformation Task Force Technical Working Group and the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations’ Safety Leadership Team.

Lena Williams - People for Mobility Justice

Lena Williams, Program Director at People for Mobility Justice and General Manager at Ride On! Bike Coop, is a bike and community organizer as well as a pet care expert. She develops classes and cycling education programs, and curates bike rides and tours centered on communities of color. Having cycled over 1,000 miles across the South and now throughout California, Lena continues to champion mobility and joy. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and making lasting memories with her family and partner.

Wesley Reutimann - ActiveSGV

Wesley Reutimann has almost two decades of experience in diverse nonprofit settings including community-based organizations, government, and educational institutions. His public service has focused on realizing healthier, more sustainable communities via evidence-based public policy, infrastructure, and community programs. As Deputy Director for Active San Gabriel Valley, Mr. Reutimann has managed multi-jurisdictional projects that touch the lives of over 2 million Californians in east Los Angeles County. Examples include the region’s ambitious greenway development campaign (2014-), the SGV’s first e-bike incentive program (2016), long-term cargo/family e-bike share (2021-), and some of the largest open streets events in the nation (2017-).

Eli Akira Kaufman - BikeLA

Eli Akira Kaufman is a lifelong bike commuter dedicated to creating a more livable Los Angeles through sustainable transportation. He brings over a decade of leadership experience from roles at Film Independent, GOOD, River LA, and Swell Creative Group, where he helped pass LA County’s Measure W. Eli holds an MFA in Directing from UCLA and a BA from Oberlin College, where he played Varsity Lacrosse. A founding parent of the IKAR ECC Garden and youth soccer coach, Eli enjoys weekends outdoors—gardening, kayaking, and biking with loved ones. He proudly advances biking as joyful, equitable, and climate-friendly mobility.

Local Champion

Seattle Region Change Team

Matthew Weidner - King County Metro’s demand responsive transportation (DRT)

Matthew Weidner leads strategic planning and systems analysis for King County Metro’s demand responsive transportation (DRT) practice. Matthew leads the agency’s DRT research and spearheads translational technology initiatives to turn theoretical research into operational reality for DRT. He also advises the agency’s DRT strategic technology direction and guides its investment in innovative and emerging mobility programs. With nearly 20 years in the industry, Matthew has been honored to speak at numerous conferences both nationally and internationally, and serves on numerous transportation technology committees across the United States.

Phirun Lach - Director of Transportation at Sound Generations

Phirun Lach is the Director of Transportation at Sound Generations, where he leads accessible mobility programs serving older adults and people with disabilities across King County, WA. With over a decade of experience in transportation operations and community-based service, Phirun brings a collaborative and equity-driven approach to mobility planning and service delivery. He has a strong background in coalition building, cross-sector partnerships, and managing complex grant-funded programs. A U.S. Army veteran with experience in human resources and leadership, Phirun grounds his work in discipline, service, and a deep commitment to building inclusive, people-centered transportation systems.

Local Champion

Staci Sahoo - Hope Link

Staci Sahoo is the Director of Mobility Management at Hopelink, a community action agency based in the Greater Seattle area. Staci oversees collaborative initiatives and projects to improve transportation opportunities for historically underserved communities. Before joining Hopelink in 2016, Staci received her Master of Urban Planning from New York University and coordinated mobility management programs around the world, including New York City and India.

Kirk Hovenkotter - Transportation Choices Coalition

Kirk leads Transportation Choices Coalition, Washington State’s non-profit advocate for fast, frequent, and reliable transit. Prior to Transportation Choices Coalition, Kirk served as Executive Director of Commute Seattle, the non-profit that makes walking, biking, and transit the first choice for everyone in the Emerald City.

Kirk previously served as the Executive Director of Move Redmond. During his six years at TransitCenter, he developed the organization into a nationally recognized leader in transit policy. He has spoken about ridership trends and what makes transit useful in national outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Wired, and Governing.

Tom Hewitt - Seattle Department of Transportation

Tom Hewitt joined the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) in 2021 where he leads all aspects of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance as the ADA Coordinator and Program Manager. With nearly 20 years of professional experience, Tom has grounded his work in accessible transportation projects aimed at connecting people of all ages and abilities to the places they want to go, whether it is via transit, bike, and/or walking and rolling. Tom promotes the importance of network connectivity, community input, and interagency coordination in providing safe, accessible capital improvements and transportation operations.

Tom previously served as Director of Service Development for the Maryland Transit Administration, where he oversaw service planning, scheduling, and bus stop capital improvements. He holds a Master of City and Regional Planning, as well as a double major in Criminology and Sociology, with a minor in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), from the Ohio State University, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

Twin Cities/Greater Minnesota Team

Aaron Westling- Great Plains Institute

Aaron joined the Great Plains Institute in 2024 as Shared Mobility Program Manager, where he is working to develop a VMT reduction initiative with a focus on shared and active mobility.  He began his work in the shared mobility space at Bublr Bikes in Milwaukee and, most recently, worked at the High Road Strategy Center, where he developed the Mayors Institute on Pedestrian Safety, a program to help mayors create safer streets for everyone. He holds a master’s in public policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and BAs in economics and political science from the University of Wisconsin.

Tammi Hagen - Headwaters Regional Transportation Coordination Council

Tammi Hagen is a lifelong resident of Bemidji, Minnesota, where she and her husband have raised two children and enjoys 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. With a Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology, Tammi combines academic knowledge with a vibrant personality that naturally draws people in. Helping others is second nature to her. Over the years, Tammi has had the privilege of working with people of all ages across various professions, leading to a broad and compassionate perspective on the world. In a close-knit community like Bemidji, she recognizes the power of meaningful connections in building a brighter future.

Meredith Klekotka - Metro Transit

In her role at Metro Transit as Shared Mobility Program Manager, Meredith provides strategy and leadership on integrating innovative transportation options and collaborating with new services such as bike share, car share, and ride sourcing services. She works closely with staff across Metro Transit and the Metropolitan Council as well as with external partners at the local and national levels. In this position, she launched the agency’s first microtransit pilot, Metro Transit micro, oversees secure bike parking facilities and investments, and designs and constructs mobility hubs. Meredith comes to Metro Transit from the City of Indianapolis where she has served as the Principal Planner for Transportation Integration. She wrote the city’s USDOT Smart Cities Challenge application, crafted the city’s shared mobility policy, and led development of the Indy Moves transportation integration plan. Prior to her role in Indianapolis, Meredith worked in transportation and advocacy in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Chicago; and St. Louis. Meredith brings a wealth of knowledge regarding integrating multiple modes of transportation into existing infrastructure, plans, policies, and developments. She has an undergraduate degree from Carleton College and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Kyle Shelton - University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies

Kyle Shelton is the director of the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies. In this role, he oversees all Center operations, research, education, and partnerships. Shelton has led research and policy work in transportation, urban development, and housing. Shelton has a PhD in American urban history from the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of Power Moves: Transportation, Politics, and Development in Houston (2017). His own research interests orbit around the intersections of the human, built, and natural environments.

Michelle Kiley - Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)

Michelle Kiley is a Shared Mobility Planner at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). In addition to her work with regional transit and transportation organizations, she also supported community and economic development programs across Greater Minnesota. Michelle has a wealth of experience in grantmaking, project management and creative placemaking. She recently completed a public art project in partnership with the City of St. Cloud and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The project goal was to gather input from the neighborhood about the land surrounding City Hall. This work culminated in a temporary, three-dimensional art installation, placed in the entrance of the building that represented the role of cities in engaging residents in the planning process. Michelle continues to illustrate the power of government partnerships in shaping thriving communities as an MnDOT employee.

Kaela Bloemendaal - Hourcar

Kaela has been with HOURCAR’s Community Engagement team since 2022, when they joined as MN GreenCorps Member. In collaboration with other wonderful HOURCAR staff and outside partners, they have built the Community Engagement team into a competent and versatile team that talks to thousands of people in the Twin Cities about carshare and multi-modal transportation every year. Kaela also has spent time working on HOURCAR’s Fleet team and brings that experience of the daily operations of carshare into their work on expanding HOURCAR’s service area and member base. A lifelong Twin Cities resident, Kaela holds BAs in English and Environmental Studies from Macalester College, where they applied an interdisciplinary lens to the question of behavior and systems change for climate adaptation. 

MJ Carpio - Move Minnesota and Move Minnesota Action

MJ Carpio is the Executive Director at Move Minnesota and Move Minnesota Action. In her previous role as Campaign Manager, MJ focused on successfully securing dedicated funding for public transit and championing our nation-leading climate law. Her work today is informed by a breadth of past experiences—serving as a policy aide at the Minneapolis City Council, organizing candidate and issue campaigns, conducting research at a neuroscience lab, and working in customer service. MJ is a lifelong public transit rider and sees the expansion of multimodal public transit systems as integral to improving everyday lives, connecting communities, and adapting to climate change.