A Conversation with the Authors: New Tricks for Old Bureaucracies

12:00-1:00p.m. (PT) | Link to register.

It’s easy to point out what isn’t working in government—but what does it actually take to fix it?

Join us for a candid conversation with the authors of New Tricks for Old Bureaucracies, a book supported by the Mineta Transportation Institute! Joshua Schank, Emma Huang, and Marla Westervelt Berg will share lessons from their work inside the Office of Extraordinary Innovation at Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Explore behind-the-scenes insights from this MTI-supported project into the strategies, setbacks, and successes that shaped the authors’ work at the $9.5 billion-budget agency—and how others can use this knowledge to make a difference.

Guest Speakers:

• Joshua Schank, MTI Research Associate & Partner, InfraStrategies
• Emma Huang, Principal, InfraStrategies
• Marla Westervelt Berg, Principal, Cityfi

Moderator: Dr. Hilary Nixon, Deputy Executive Director, MTI

*1 PDH credit available

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About the Guest Speakers

Joshua Schank is a partner with InfraStrategies, a consulting firm that works with transportation organizations across the world on strategy, innovation, and policy. He is also the Executive Director of ACES, a Senior Fellow with the UCLA Institute for Transportation Studies, and a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University.  

Joshua joined the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) in 2015 as the first-ever Chief Innovation Officer, where he was responsible for fostering innovations that improve mobility, equity, and environmental outcomes across LA County.

Before that, he served as the former President and CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation, a national transportation think-tank based in Washington, DC. He is the co-author of All Roads Lead to Congress: The $300 Billion Fight Over Highway Funding.

Emma Huang is a Principal Consultant with InfraStrategies, where she helps transit agencies navigate critical challenges, from foundational strategy to implementing innovative service models and policies. She has led the development of major strategic plans including Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s (DART) 10-year strategic plan, Point B, San Mateo County Transit District’s plan, Moving San Mateo County, and CapMetro’s Strategic Plan. 

Prior to joining InfraStrategies, as a Manager with Los Angeles Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation, Emma spent over six years focused on advancing strategic initiatives for the agency, including the development and implementation of an innovative FTA Mobility-on-Demand partnership with Via, Metro's 10-year strategic plan, Vision 2028, and Metro’s Traffic Reduction Study exploring congestion pricing in Los Angeles County.

Emma has a Master of Public Policy degree from UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies from Pitzer College in Claremont, California.

Marla Westervelt Berg is a Principal at Cityfi, where she helps governments and private-sector companies - from early-stage startups to global firms - navigate the rules, politics, and partnerships that shape innovation in civic space. 

Marla was a founding member and Head of Research at LA Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation, led global policy at the Coalition for Reimagined Mobility, and built regulatory strategy and data systems from the inside at Bird. Her work bridges public systems and private ambition to turn civic friction into real-world results. She began her career at the Eno Center for Transportation.