Past Webinars

On the Right Track: The Transformative Potential of Rail

Discover the secrets behind over 50 years of global high-speed rail innovation in MTI’s newest webinar series! Explore station planning, station design development best practices, and groundbreaking projects from France, Germany, and Spain, featuring actionable insights from expert speakers. Join us as we explore how international high-speed rail success can guide U.S. professionals to shape the future of transit in our communities.

This webinar series was co-sponsored by APTA High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Committee, California High-Speed Rail Authority, High Speed Rail Alliance, and US High Speed Rail Association.

Webinar #1 - The French Case: Stations as City Boosters 

Join Fabrice Morenon, PhD, Managing Director of French Railways international branch, as he explores how French rail stations serve as catalysts for urban and regional growth. Drawing on notable examples from stations in larger cities like Lyon and Bordeaux, as well as smaller cities like Besançon, Dr. Morenon will reveal how iterative design processes and public-private partnerships transform stations into powerful economic and mobility hubs. In the first of this webinar series, discover how French development principles can inspire high-speed rail success in the U.S.

Featured Guest: Fabrice Morenon, PhD, Managing Director, SNCF Hubs & Connexions

Moderator: Eric Eidlin, Station Planning Manager, City of San José Department of Transportation

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View PDH Credit.

About Fabrice Morenon, PhD

Fabrice Morenon, PhD is the Managing Director of SNCF Hubs & Connexions, the arm of the French Railways that oversees the development of rail stations internationally. With a PhD in Economics and degrees from La Sorbonne and Sciences Po, his expertise spans station financing, development, and operations. Morenon is a Chevalier (Knight) of the French National Order of Merit, has been appointed French foreign trade advisor by the French Prime Minister, and was named Chairman of the sector “Station Managers Global group” at the International Union of Railways (UIC).

MTI Student Association hosted a free virtual event to learn tips for perfecting students' scholarship applications for a better chance at funding their education. Speakers joined from transportation associations such as the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), California Transportation Foundation (CTF), and Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS). Attendees learned about each association's scholarship programs.

*MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event.

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View Slide Deck.

MTI was joined by eager middle school students, dedicated parents, and passionate educators at the Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition Information Night. This event served as a gateway to an extraordinary national STEAM competition crafted to educate and engage students by solving our nation’s critical transportation issues. Participants learned how they can participate in the competition, and win prizes as we revealed this year’s Get Going, Go Green competition prompt. 

Learn more about the competition: https://transweb.sjsu.edu/workforce-development/garrett-morgan-program

View the Recording.

View the 2025 Competition Prompt.

Cybersecurity threats are everywhere, and no organization is immune. While the volume of cyberattacks has increased exponentially, the bigger concern for most transit agencies is that the  average cost to recover from successful attacks has skyrocketed. While many transit operators have taken steps to improve cyber resiliency, others continue to assume they will not be targeted. How are insurance companies and regulators responding? This Research Snaps webinar featured discussion about recent evolutions in the cyber risk landscape and the impacts on transit. Expert speakers provided recommendations on how the different segments of the market can work together to manage the risk of cyber attacks in “Uncharted Territory: 2024 Cybersecurity Insurance and Transit Landscape.” 

Presenters: 

• Scott Belcher, Research Associate, MTI; Co-Founder, Cybrbase, LLC
• Todd Chollet, Risk Advisor and Cyber Practice Leader, Sunstar Insurance Group

Moderator: Hilary Nixon, PhD, Deputy Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI)

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This Research Snaps webinar was co-sponsored by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.

New developments are popping up everywhere, and bringing more economic opportunities, more community engagement, more trips to new and exciting places—and more driving. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is working with partners to develop a program to reduce the amount of driving generated from new developments, and they called on a team from the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) and San José State University (SJSU) students for help. This collaboration provided assistance in creating an equity framework for VTA’s proposed Equitable Vehicle Miles Traveled Mitigation Program. During the event, attendees heard from the researchers about identified strategies for equitable VMT mitigation programs and effective community engagement processes and how they can be applied to other jurisdictions.

Presenter: Serena Alexander, PhD, MTI Research Associate; Associate Professor, Northeastern University

Moderator: Hilary Nixon, PhD, Deputy Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI)

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View Slide Deck

View PDH Credit

This Research Snaps webinar was co-sponsored by SJSU's Spatial Analytics and Visualization (SAVI) Center.

Bike networks are growing nationwide—including in San José, which is keen on becoming “one of the most bike-friendly cities in North America.” Expanding bike networks and allocating funds require careful planning to ensure a fair distribution of bike infrastructure, but most assessment methods neglect differences in bike path classes that provide different safety and comfort levels for cyclists. MTI experts discussed an equity assessment of San José’s bike infrastructure, driven by a weighting system for different safety and comfort levels of the urban bike network, and what it could mean for traffic congestion, sustainability, and Bay Area communities. 

Presenter: Ahoura Zandiatashbar, PhD, SJSU Assistant Professor, MTI Research Associate.

Moderator: Hilary Nixon, PhD, Deputy Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI)

*0.5 PDH credit available

View the Recording.

PDH Credit.

The Garrett Morgan competition teams and affiliated students joined MTI for insider insights into the excitement and challenges of cutting-edge transportation careers. Which subjects in high school pave the way for an exciting high-speed rail job? What are the toughest challenges faced by those working in autonomous vehicle technology companies? Two real-world transportation professionals discussed what it takes to tackle issues of sustainability, safety, equity, and more!

Guest Speakers:

• Yaqeline Castro, Outreach and Student Engagement Specialist, California High-Speed Rail Authority (CAHSRA)
• Dan Pritchell, Policy Operations - Showcases Lead, Waymo

View Recording.

Yaqeline Castro, Outreach and Student Engagement Specialist, California High-Speed Rail Authority (CAHSRA)

As the Student Outreach Specialist, Yaqeline Castro is responsible for stakeholder outreach and strengthening relationships with students and educational institutions statewide. In addition, she supports general stakeholder outreach and external event planning for the communications team and oversees the student I Will Ride program.

Yaqeline first joined the Authority in 2019 as an Executive Fellow with the Capital Fellows program. During her placement year, she was mentored by the Chief of Strategic Communications.

Prior to her time with the Authority, Yaqeline has worked as a policy intern at the US Department of Education strengthening Hispanic student pathways and opportunities in addition to serving three years with the Orientation Department at University of California Merced.

Yaqeline studied anthropology at University of California Merced and has a graduate certificate in public policy from California State University Sacramento. Yaqeline is currently a graduate student at San Jose State’s Master of Science in Transportation Management with a concentration in High-Speed and Intercity Rail Management.

Dan Pritchell, Policy Operations - Showcases Lead, Waymo

Dan Pritchell serves as the Policy Showcases Lead at Waymo - formerly the Google self-driving car project - which makes it safe and easy for people & things to get around with autonomous vehicles. Previously he was the City and Community Engagement Senior Manager at Nuro, working with local governments in Arizona and California regarding Nuro’s autonomous vehicle testing and future services. Prior to joining Nuro Dan co-founded Sheprd, an ‘Uber for Kids’ child transportation startup in Boston, MA, as well as worked for a variety of political campaigns in federal, state, and local elections. Dan earned an M.B.A from UCLA Anderson and a B.A. in Political Studies from Pitzer College.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Mineta Transportation Institute hosted a series of virtual fireside chats with a diverse panel of women transportation leaders at the apex of success in academia, public and private industries, and the nonprofit sector. During the webinar, participants explored compelling personal narratives and leadership journeys and gained valuable insights into how these leaders balance assertiveness with emotional intelligence, overcoming stereotypes and dispelling misconceptions about perceived weakness. Featured guests also shared invaluable insights as we dove into the profound impact of reshaping perspectives and championing women in the transportation industry and beyond.

Featured Guest: Jannet Walker-Ford, Senior Vice President & Principal Director - National Transit & Rail Business Line Leader, WSP

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

View the Recording.

PDH Credit.

*0.5 PDH credit available

About Jannet Walker-Ford

Jannet Walker-Ford is a nationally recognized transportation industry executive with WSP USA, a leading engineering and professional services consultancy. A tireless advocate for equity in transportation and the power of public transit to transform communities, Walker-Ford has more than two decades of diverse expertise including management consulting, technology, mobility, and transportation systems. With a focus on equity, sustainability and community building she has served in executive leadership and strategic advisor roles on ground-breaking programs and projects for large transit and transportation agencies across the U.S. She regularly draws on her two decades of experience for national consultancy firms and as the Deputy General Manager/Deputy CEO and CIO at the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. 

In her role with WSP, she serves as the senior vice president & national transit and rail business leader, responsible for leading and growing the firm’s business in national transit and rail markets including the national practices for freight delivery, passenger rail, systems, technical project delivery, bus rapid transit and zero emissions. At every opportunity, Jannet leads with gratitude – continually recognizing her team, clients and industry partners for their contributions and accomplishments. 

Recognized by Railway Age as a 2023 Woman-in-Rail, she serves on multiple national boards including the current Chair of WTS International and the APTA Executive Committee and has received numerous awards recognizing her success and advocacy including the 2022 American Public Transportation Association’s Business Member of the Year; 2021 WTS Northeast Florida Woman of the Year, 2019 Women of Color STEM Technology All-Star Award; and a 2019 Conference of Minority Transportation Officials’ Women Who Move the Nation honoree.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Mineta Transportation Institute hosted a series of virtual fireside chats with a diverse panel of women transportation leaders at the apex of success in academia, public and private industries, and the nonprofit sector. During the webinar, participants explored compelling personal narratives and leadership journeys and gained valuable insights into how these leaders balance assertiveness with emotional intelligence, overcoming stereotypes and dispelling misconceptions about perceived weakness. Featured guests also shared invaluable insights as we dove into the profound impact of reshaping perspectives and championing women in the transportation industry and beyond.

Featured Guest: Veronica Vanterpool, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

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

*0.5 PDH credit available

View the Recording.

PDH Credit.

About Veronica Vanterpool

Veronica Vanterpool is FTA’s Acting Administrator, assuming that role on February 24, 2024. Before that, she served as Deputy Administrator for 2 ½ years. She first joined FTA as Senior Advisor in August 2021. Ms. Vanterpool helps advance the goals of the Biden-Harris Administration related to equity, climate, innovation, safety and workforce development.

Ms. Vanterpool helps oversee policy priorities and objectives along with day-to-day operations of the 700-person agency. She created FTA’s first Data Office, a new business line in the agency dedicated to data analysis, governance and communication. She also represents FTA on the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and serves as a member of the White House Inter Policy Council on Puerto Rico.

Ms. Vanterpool came to FTA from Delaware Transit Corporation, where she served as the agency’s first Chief Innovation Officer. Her previous roles include being the Deputy Director of the national Vision Zero Network, executive director of the New York City based Tri-State Transportation Campaign and board member of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Having served on a number of boards, commissions, task forces and working groups, Ms. Vanterpool has 17 years of experience in advocacy, policy, media communications, public outreach, coalition building and issue campaigns. She is co-founder and former president of the Delaware Chapter of WTS; a member of Latinos in Transit, and a 2023 Awardee of COMTO’s Women Who Moves the Nation. She was also selected to join the first cohort of the Biden Administration’s Presidential Leadership Workshop.

She is a native New Yorker born and raised in The Bronx.