Faculty & Staff

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. 

Serena Alexander joined the SJSU faculty in 2016 as an Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning. Her primary research interests are in the areas of environmental planning, climate action, land-use and transportation planning, community economic development, and sustainable urbanism.

Dr. Blampied’s research focuses on the management of projects in transportation agencies. He spent most of his career in the California Department of Transportation, where he was employed in various positions in Los Angeles, Marysville, Sacramento, and Oakland.

Dr. James Brent joined the faculty in 1994. James is a native of Southern California who received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising from Southern Methodist University in 1988. Dr. Brent received his PhD in Political Science from Ohio State University in 1995.

Dr. Andrea Broaddus is a transportation policy expert focused on managing the demand for travel through behavioral incentives and land use practices. She has published articles on road pricing and transit-oriented development and has served as a lecturer at UC Berkeley and San Jose State since 2010.

Brandi Childress is the Media and Public Affairs Manager for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), where she has worked for 17 years. She holds a Master of Science in Transportation Management from San José State University and is a proud alumna since 2008.

Dr. Nick Compin graduated in 1988 from CSU Chico with a B.A. degree in English. He worked for the California Journal, a public affairs magazine, and at State Net, the nation´s largest legislative tracking firm (1990-93), both in Sacramento.

Frances L. Edwards, MUP, PhD, CEM, is professor and director of the Master of Public Administration program at San José State University. She is also Deputy Director of the National Transportation Security Center at the Mineta Transportation Institute of the College of Business.

In May of 2017, Eric Eidlin joined the City of San Jose as the Station Planning Manager. In this role, he is playing a leading role in the City’s efforts to transform Diridon Station into a world-class multimodal hub.

Dr. Kevin Fang is an Assistant Professor of Geography, Environment, and Planning at Sonoma State University and an MTI instructor and research associate. His research interests center on the characteristics of non-driving passenger travel modes and their users, and the connection between transportation and land use.

Daniel C. Goodrich, MPA, CEM, MEP is a Senior Transportation Security Scientist with the Mineta Transportation Institute at SJSU, and the instructor for “Security Issues for Transportation Professionals” in the Master of Science in Transportation Management program.

Dr. Leonard (Len) Lira joined SJSU in 2017 as Assistant Professor of Public Administration and a Faculty Fellow for the SJSU Veterans Resource Center. Dr. Lira’s scholarly and teaching focus is on organizational theory and public management.

Mr. Litzinger has more than 31 years of experience in the successful planning and design of public and private civil engineering projects that range from conceptual phases through construction. 

Gurmeet Naroola is a seasoned entrepreneur, executive, and author, having held key positions at SunPower, Apple, Sanmina, and Panasonic in business development, quality, global operations, and customer management. He currently heads Strategy and Business Development for GenZe, a manufacturer of zero-emission personal transportation devices.

Hilary Nixon has served as Deputy Executive Director for MTI since 2018. Previously, she served as MTI’s Director of Research and Technology Transfer. Dr. Nixon is an active researcher and educator specializing in transportation and environmental planning and policy.

Norma Ortega worked for 37 years in the California Department of Transportation, assuming increasingly responsible fiscal management positions. She spent nine years as the Chief Financial Officer, directly responsible for the development and management of the department’s $12 billion budget.

Dr. Patrick is a seasoned transportation professional with more than 30 years of experience in public transportation, working on accident investigation, transportation regulatory compliance, private livery service, airport operations, and flight operations. 

Michelle Waldron has over fifteen years of experience in higher education. Most recently, she worked on a PhD in Social Science at the University of Stirling in Scotland. She also holds a Master of Education in Student Affairs from Oregon State University, where she was the Director of Admissions, Recruitment, and Advising for the College of Veterinary Medicine.