Past Webinars

The 2024 “Research to Practice” Transit Symposium took placeOctober 22-24, 2024. The symposium was hosted online and streamed on YouTube. As the transit industry is poised to take advantage of the largest transit and rail investment in our lifetimes, the symposium provided a platform where transit experts share insights on how evidence-based research is being or can be, used to make the most of these opportunities in a changing environment. This year’s symposium focused on the following topics:

• Transit leaders’ perspectives on the future of transit
• Practical applications of transit data
• Transit fare policy
• Transit equity
• Women in transit
• Transit infrastructure costs
• Transit research implementation

The Symposium was convened by a partnership between APTA, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), University of Florida Transportation Institute, the T-SCORE University Transportation Center, and the Mineta Transportation Institute. 

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This Research Snaps webinar was co-sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

Public transit agencies function best when the diversity of their workforce represents the communities they serve—yet research finds mismatched representation, with fewer women and people of color in leadership positions and an overconcentration of men and people of color in operational roles. This Research Snaps was based on the MTI report Understanding Workforce Diversity in the Transit Industry: Establishing a Baseline of Diversity Demographics. The report authors shared the latest data on racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in the U.S. transit workforce. They also dove into promising practices to help transit agencies attract and retain staff who reflect and embrace the vibrant diversity of their communities. 

Presenters: 

• Asha Weinstein Agrawal, PhD, Research Associate & Education Director, MTI
• Evelyn Blumenberg, PhD, Professor; Director, Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies in the Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA
• Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, PhD, Distinguished Professor; Interim Dean, Luskin School of Public Affairs and Professor of Urban Planning, UCLA

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View the Slides.

PDH Credit.

If a wildfire, earthquake, or cyber emergency impacts a transit system—what happens next? How do transportation agencies respond in an emergency? The use of an Incident Command System (ICS) allows for a uniform response method for emergencies and is required by FEMA and the FHWA. ICS, however, is rarely used by transportation personnel. Transportation and emergency response experts discussed the pros and cons of implementing ICS training for field-level transportation supervisors and staff. 

Presenters: 

• Frances L. Edwards, PhD, Deputy Director, National Transportation Security Center

• Dan Goodrich, Senior Transportation Security Scientist, National Transportation Security Center

Moderator: Karen Philbrick, PhD, Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI)

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About the Panelist

Frances L. Edwards, PhD

Deputy Director, National Transportation Security Center

Frances L. Edwards, MUP, PhD, CEM, is professor emeritus of political science at San José State University, following 17 years as the Director of the Master of Public Administration program. She is the Deputy Director of the National Transportation Security Center at the Mineta Transportation Institute. A Certified Emergency Manager with over 20 years’ professional experience in California, she has served as acting assistant fire chief for the San José Fire Department, as Budget Analyst for the Irvine, California Police Department, and as Assistant to the City Manager in Florham Park, New Jersey. 

Dan Goodrich

Senior Transportation Security Scientist, National Transportation Security Center

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. He is a Certified Emergency Manager, a Master Exercise Practitioner, a Professional Continuity Practitioner and a Certified Security Specialist. He provides emergency management planning and training support to Caltrans and Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority. 

15th Annual Mineta National Transportation Policy Summit

While the climate benefits from booming electric vehicle sales, the nation’s transportation system faces an unfortunate predicament: less gasoline and diesel purchased means dwindling fuel tax revenue. Fuel tax revenue provides a core funding source for operating, maintaining, and improving transportation systems, so policymakers must find a replacement as soon as possible. This event explored such options as mileage fees, higher annual vehicle fees, or abandoning the user-pay principle and relying on general fund revenue.

See here for more information and recordings from past events in the series.

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View Recording

View & Download PDH Credit

CM Credit

MC	MTI Tax Survey Presenter	Federal Funding, Past and Future	Panel Moderator
Karen Philbrick, PhD Executive Director Mineta Transportation Institute	Asha Weinstein Agrawal, PhD Director MTI National Transportation Finance Center	Jeff Davis Senior Fellow Eno Center for Transportation	David “Davey” S. Kim MTI Trustee Senior Vice President & Principal, National Transportation Policy and Multimodal Strategy WSP

Panelist	Panelist	Panelist
Carlos Braceras Executive Director Utah Department of Transportation	Tim Gatz Executive Director Oklahoma Department of Transportation	Ed Sniffen Director Hawaii Department of Transportation