Directors
Karen E. Philbrick, PhD
Executive Director
San Jose State University
408-924-7562
karen.philbrick@sjsu.edu
Mineta Transportation Institute
Karen Philbrick has served as executive director of the Mineta Consortium for Transportation Mobility and the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) since 2014, after five years of service as MTI research director. As research director, she oversaw the work of more than 230 principal investigators, the competitive selection of 138 research projects, and the publication of more than 175 peer-reviewed research reports and journal articles. Dr. Philbrick is responsible for day-to-day administration and management and long-term financial and strategic initiatives.
Prior to joining MTI, she was assistant director of the National Center for Intermodal Transportation at the University of Denver, where her contributions included research expertise on transportation fatigue management and operator response to work-related trauma.
In 2014, Dr. Philbrick was appointed by US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx to her second two-year term on the USDOT Transit Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS), where she chaired the working group charged with identifying key elements of a fatigue management program for the transit industry.
Dr. Philbrick was elected to the prestigious Executive Committee of the national Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) in 2013. Two years later, she was elected CUTC treasurer and in 2016 she was elected Secretary.
Dr. Philbrick received the 2015 CUTC-ARTBA Award for Administrative Leadership and that same year was honored to receive a commendation on behalf of the City of San Jose from Mayor Sam Liccardo for excellence in transportation policy leadership. In 2016 the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) named Dr. Philbrick a “Woman Who Moves the Nation” and the SJSU Urban and Regional Planning Department presented her an award for significant contributions to faculty and students. Most recently, the Silicon Valley Business Journal named Dr. Philbrick 1 of the 100 Women of Influence in Silicon Valley for 2017.
On an international level, Dr. Philbrick has contributed to the development of educational and training materials for intermodal specialists. Her work has formed a key portion of an international training effort and seminar, Innovations and Challenges in Intermodal Transportation, in the Philippines and Indonesia. She has been a member of the US delegation to the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Transportation Working Group since 2000.
Dr. Philbrick serves her profession on the Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS) Foundation Board and as a member of the advisory board for the Los Angeles Metro Office of Extraordinary Innovation (OEI). She serves her community as an active member of the Rotary Club of San Jose where she co-chairs the Fun and Friendship committee and serves on the Rotoplast and Rotocare committees that offer volunteer-based free medical services.
Dr. Philbrick holds a PhD from the University of Denver and an MA and EdM from Columbia University. She earned her undergraduate degree from California State University, Fresno.
Asha Weinstein Agrawal, PhD
San Jose State University
Director, National Transportation Finance Center; Education Director
Mineta Transportation Institute
Asha Weinstein Agrawal is Director of Education and Director the MTI National Transportation Finance Center. She is also Professor in the Urban and Regional Planning Department at San José State. Her research agenda is guided by a commitment to the principles of sustainability and equity: what planning and policy tools can communities adopt to encourage environmentally-friendly travel and improve accessibility for people struggling with poverty or other disadvantages? She has explored this question most deeply through two substantive areas, transportation finance policy and the travel behavior of pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. Dr. Agrawal earned a B.A. from Harvard University, an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Hilary Nixon, PhD
San Jose State University
408-924-7564
hilary.nixon@sjsu.edu
Director, Research and Technology Transfer
Mineta Transportation Institute
Hilary Nixon was appointed Director of Research and Technology Transfer in 2016, after serving for nearly 10 years as a Research Associate for MTI where she was principal investigator, co-principal investigator, or research team member on 17 MTI research publications. In addition, Dr. Nixon is a Professor in the Department of Urban & Regional Planning at San José State. She specializes in transportation and environmental planning and policy, and her research focuses primarily on the factors that influence pro-environmental behavior and the relationship between transportation and the environment. Her research has been published in a wide range of peer-reviewed journals. She earned a B.A. from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. in Planning, Policy and Design from the University of California, Irvine.
Stephen Arhin, Ph.D.
Director, Howard University Transportation Research Center
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Howard University
202-806-4798
saarhin@howard.edu
Dr. Arhin is an Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Howard University. He has 19 years of experience in all facets of traffic and transportation engineering. He is a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in the District of Columbia, MD, and VA, and a registered Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE).
Edd Hauser, Ph.D.
Director, UNCC Center for Transportation Policy Studies
UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
704-687-5953
ehauser@uncc.edu
Dr. Hauser has served as Director of the Center for Transportation Policy Studies at UNC Charlotte since September 2000. He was the first full-time Director of the UNC system-wide Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) and developed a new Center for Transportation Systems Research at Arizona State University. He has also served as Assistant State Highway Administrator at NCDOT.
Srinivas Pulugurtha, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, UNCC Center for Transportation Policy Studies
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNCC
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
704-687-1233
sspulugu@uncc.edu
Dr. Pulugurtha is a tenured full professor and director of the graduate program in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNCC, the Director of Infrastructure, Design, Environment & Sustainability (IDEAS) Center and the Assistant Director for the Center for Transportation Policy Studies. He has served as principal investigator or co-PI on more than $7.2M in funded research and authored or coauthored more than 180 peer-reviewed journal articles and reports.
Peter Romine, Ph.D.
Coordinator, Electrical Engineering
Navajo Technical University
505-422-1708
promine@navajotech.edu
Dr. Romine has a long, distinguished record of leadership, teaching, curriculum development, and research. Most recently Dr. Romine was awarded a multimillion-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to increase the number of Native Americans completing high school, selecting STEM college majors and careers.
Staff
Jill Carter
Executive Assistant, Office Manager
jill.carter@sjsu.edu
Jill Carter applies her business operations skills to MTI administrative management and support. She and her husband own a successful automobile repair facility, where she managed office operations, accounting, staffing and sales. As a librarian for the Campbell School District, she purchased books and equipment, instructed in library skills, and organized the book fair. At Bank of America, she was a bookkeeper and teller. She is involved with the activities of her five children, including sports, fundraisers, PTA and classroom support. She attended San Jose State University, where she majored in liberal arts.
Viviann Ferea
Assistant, Education Program
viviann.ferea@sjsu.edu
Viviann Ferea was appointed to the position of Education Program Assistant (EPA) in August 2000. As EPA, Ms. Ferea is the primary contact for marketing and administration of the Graduate Transportation Management Program. She has many responsibilities, including ongoing recruitment for the Certificate and Masters program, revision and maintenance of the Education Program's website, and course planning and scheduling. Ms. Ferea received her BS in business marketing from the University of California, Davis. Her studies in public relations and experience in media sales enhance her ability to promote MSTM's continued growth and success.
