Upcoming Webinars
MTI organizes or participates in several transportation-related webinars each year. You can find leading transportation experts at all of these webinars, making them an excellent resource for professional and research insights. You can also view our past webinars.
| Dates | Events |
|---|---|
| May 19, 2026 |
Trailblazer Tuesday with April Rai - Online 12:00-12:30p.m. (PT) | Link to register. The Mineta Transportation Institute is hosting a series of virtual fireside chats featuring influential women leaders in transportation. These successful women—representing academia, public and private industries, and the nonprofit sector—will share their compelling personal narratives and leadership journeys. Gain valuable insights into their strategies for balancing assertiveness with emotional intelligence, overcoming stereotypes, and leading with intention. Join us to explore the profound impact of reshaping perspectives and championing women's roles within the transportation industry and beyond. Featured Guest: April Rai, MTI Trustee; President & CEO, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Moderator: Dr. Hilary Nixon, Deputy Executive Director, MTI This webinar is co-sponsored by COMTO. *0.5 PDH credit available
About the Featured GuestAs President & CEO, April works to build upon COMTO’s 50-year history of ensuring transportation meets the needs of all users across 40 chapters in North America. With over 15 years of experience managing private, public sector and non-profit organizations, April’s career focus has centered on strategic partnership development, coalition building, people and project management. Under the direction of the COMTO Board of Directors Chair, Tanya Adams, April provides strategic leadership, guidance and ensures COMTO operates effectively to further the mission. Previously, April served as Deputy Executive Director for the Women’s Transportation Seminar International (WTS), partnering with the Executive Director to achieve the WTS mission and vision. In that role, April focused on the management of operations including serving as Chief of Staff, lead on project planning and execution ensuring deliverability on time and within budget. April managed several board-level committees, strategic initiatives and worked to implement growth and retention strategies for membership, chapters, public and private partners as well as build relationships with advocacy organizations, local, state and federal stakeholders. Prior to joining WTS, April served as the CEO for the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), a coalition of over 100 organizations and agencies dedicated to youth health and safety education. In this role, April engaged with transportation stakeholders on road safety programs, injury prevention education and workforce development initiatives. April previously served as Manager & Affairs Analyst in the Office of the Dean at the University of Maryland, School of Nursing, directing government affairs and communications. In this role, April was responsible for managing the State of Maryland, Action Coalition, an initiative of AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. April resides in the Washington, DC metro area with her husband, and is based out of COMTO headquarters in Arlington, VA. |
| May 20, 2026 |
2026 MSTM Capstone Showcase - Online 5:30-8:30p.m. (PT) | Link to Register. Join students from the Master of Science in Transportation Management program at San José State University as they present their final capstone research projects. This interactive event will provide opportunities to meet with the students and learn about their research on critical transportation management challenges. |
| July 21, 2026 |
Trailblazer Tuesday with Nadine S. Lee - Online 12:00-12:30 p.m. (PT) | Link to register. The Mineta Transportation Institute is hosting a series of virtual fireside chats featuring influential women leaders in transportation. These successful women—representing academia, public and private industries, and the nonprofit sector—will share their compelling personal narratives and leadership journeys. Gain valuable insights into their strategies for balancing assertiveness with emotional intelligence, overcoming stereotypes, and leading with intention. Join us to explore the profound impact of reshaping perspectives and championing women's roles within the transportation industry and beyond. Featured Guest: Nadine S. Lee, President & CEO, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Moderator: Dr. Karen Philbrick, Executive Director, MTI This webinar is co-sponsored by COMTO. *0.5 PDH credit available About the Featured GuestNadine Lee is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), a 13-city transit system covering a 700-square mile service area with bus, light rail, commuter rail, and paratransit services, where she leverages the talents and expertise of 3,700 employees to deliver the People's Transit System. Previously, Nadine was the Chief of Staff for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). In this role, Nadine drove coordination and delivery of projects, programs, and services across the organization to provide a world-class transportation system for the citizens of Los Angeles County. Three foundational culture-transformation functions were established under her leadership: Equity and Race, Customer Experience, and the Better Bus Program. She also served as Deputy Chief Innovation Officer in Metro's Office of Extraordinary Innovation where she led the development of Vision 2028, Metro's 10-year strategic plan to increase prosperity for L.A. County through improved mobility. Prior to arriving in Los Angeles, Nadine led the development and implementation of the Flatiron Flyer Bus Rapid Transit for Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD), a project that produced a 40% increase in corridor ridership in its first few months of service. Nadine also led the Northwest Rail and Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility projects in the FasTracks Program. Nadine was appointed to the Leadership APTA Committee in 2019 and is a past Director on the WTS International Board. She was awarded 2019 WTS International Woman of the Year. Nadine participated in the 2019 APTA International Study Mission to explore Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) in three European cities. She also studied the role of performance management in improving service delivery in four Southeast Asia cities as part of the TCRP International Transit Studies Program. A registered Professional Engineer in Colorado and Kansas, Nadine received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Despite her engineering training, Nadine flexes her creative muscles in Adult Beginning Ballet several times a week and has participated in several performances. |
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Contact Us
San José State University One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192 Phone: 408-924-7560 Email: mineta-institute@sjsu.edu
