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Schedule at a Glance
As of April 24, 2025 (subject to change)

Monday, June 2, 2025
Problems and Solutions at the Local Level

12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Registration Opens

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Town Hall Plenary: The Future of the Transportation Workforce

Introduction to the TRB National Summit on the Future of the Transportation Workforce
Goals for the Conference;  How the Conference will Work; Values that Informed it

Moderators: Glenn McRae, National Network for the Transportation Workforce and Tyler Reeb, Center for International Trade and Transportation, and Conference Planning Committee Co-Chairs

Keynote: Welcome

  • Phillip Washington, Chief Executive Officer, Denver International Airport

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Plenary: Strategic Workforce Planning at State DOTs
How are DOT and Local Agency Workforce Strategic Planning Addressing Disruptive Trends and Conditions?

Moderator: Meghan Haggerty, Massachusetts Department of Transportation

  • Creating a Workforce Office and Increasing Engagement within an Organization, Randy Sarver, Wisconsin DOT
  • Vermont Agency of Transportation Strategic Workforce Plan Development and Execution, Christine Hetzel, Vermont Agency of Transportation
  • Developing a Strategic Transportation Workforce Management Plan for the Future of the Transportation with Industry Partnerships, Cindy Gross, Minnesota DOT

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Afternoon Break

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Plenary: Table-Top Working Sessions
Facilitated working sessions at tables on key questions to form elements for local state success

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Plenary: Keynote: Disruption
What is the long game; How do we set up a workforce action agenda that will last over decades?

  • Carlos Braceras, Utah DOT
5:30 PM – 5:45 PM

Plenary: Preparing for Day Two

Moderators: Glenn McRae, National Network for the Transportation Workforce and Tyler Reeb, Center for International Trade and Transportation, and Conference Planning Committee Co-Chairs

5:45 PM

Dinner on your Own

Tuesday, June 3, 2025
The Big Picture

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Registration

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM

Continental Breakfast

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Opening Plenary: Introduction to the Day's Work: Framing the Questions

Moderators: Glenn McRae, National Network for the Transportation Workforce and Tyler Reeb, Center for International Trade and Transportation, and Conference Planning Committee Co-Chairs

National Conversation on the Challenges and Opportunities in Building the Workforce
How We Can Organize Effectively at the National Level: Responding to the Local/State Need and Opportunity Statement

Moderator: Victoria Sheehan, Executive Director, Transportation Research Board

  • Invited, AASHTO
  • Cherise Myers, APTA
  • Invited, WTS
  • Invited, COMTO
  • Invited, ENO

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM

Morning Break

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Creating the Pipeline for a 21st Century Workforce 

 

Breakout A: Increasing Applicant Pools for Transportation Jobs

Moderators: Hilary Nixon, Mineta Transportation Institute and Susan Gallaher, Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University

  • Promoting a Career as a County or City Engineer, Samuel Ricord, SRF Consulting
  • Realizing the Promise of Infrastructure Federal Funding -  A Michigan Case Study, Suzie Heap, KPMG Consulting
  • Retaining a Diverse and Skilled Workforce: Lessons Learned from the Southern Plains Transportation Center, Syed Ashik Ali, Southern Plains Transportation Center
  • TBD, John Saturley, City and County of Denver
  • TBD, Kristal Metro, University of New Mexico
  • Insights from Case Studies and Other Research on Creative Recruitment and Retention Strategies, Shayna Gleason, Transit Workforce Center 
  • Austin's Future Infrastructure Workforce - A Multi-stakeholder, Multi-asset Class, Regional Perspective, Suzie Heap, KPMG Consulting

Breakout B: K-12: Priming the Career Track

Moderator: Karen Philbrick, Mineta Transportation Institute

  • Improving the Mobility of People and Goods: A Holistic Approach to Addressing the Workforce Shortage, Karen Philbrick, Mineta Transportation Institute
  • A Tale of Two Cities: Examples of Transportation-focused High Schools in Two Urban, Freight-Centric Communities, Stephanie Ivey, Southeast Transportation Workforce Center
  • Increasing Workforce Diversity Through K-12 Summer Programs, Melissa Amrhein, PacTrans Workforce Development Institute

Breakout C: Experiential Education and Apprenticeships

Moderator: Christina Currier, Federal Highway Administration

  • Expanding Access to Transportation Planning through a Degree Apprenticeship, James DeSota, University of Minnesota
  • Preparing the Next Generation through an Engineering Apprenticeship Program, Stephanie Ivey, Southeast Transportation Workforce Center
  • The Growing Trend of Apprenticeship and Mentorship in Public Transportation, Karitsa Holdzkom, Transit Workforce Center

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Networking Lunch

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Tools for Upskilling and Retention

 

Breakout A: Capacity of States to Deliver on Infrastructure

Moderator: Virginia Stubella, New Mexico Department of Transportation

  • Bryan Pounds, McKinsey & Company

Breakout B: Preparing the Transportation Workforce for Emerging Technologies

Moderator: Gary Vansuch, Colorado Department of Transportation

  • Rhonda Young, Gonzaga University

Breakout C: Fostering a Resilient and Adaptable Transportation Workforce: Using the Agency Capabilities Framework to Drive Organizational Change

Moderator: Amanda Holland, Holland Enterprise Resource Solutions, LLC

  • Lori Richter, Spy Pond Partners, LLC

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Afternoon Break

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Plenary Session: Summary from the Tribal Summit
Ronald Hall, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute

Highlights of What is Working

Moderator: Eric Rensel, Rensel Consulting, LLC
How do we attract and engage a workforce for the future?  What business models and tools sustainably support workforce needs? 

  • Hillary Nixon, Mineta Transportation Institute
  • Suzie Heap, KPMG
  • Jason Bittner, Applied Research Associates
  • Chris Young, Texas Department of Transportation

Introduction to Poster Session

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Reception and Posters

Moderators: Lori Economy, Utah Department of Transportation, Brian Turmail, Associated General Contractors of America, and Patrick Son, Gannett Fleming Inc.

  • Creating an Effective Stay Interview Program, Sebastian Ruiz, Wisconsin DOT
  • The Respectful Workplace Initiative: Strategies for Worker Retention in Highway Construction, Erin Flynn, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at Oregon Health and Sciences University
  • Building a Competency Model for Diverse Work Environments, Garrett Wheat, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
  • Expanding the Transportation Workforce: Resources for Local Agencies, Katherine Stanley, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota
  • Entry-Level Drivers Training (ELDT) Language Access, Lance Dorris, City and County of Denver
  • Local Agency Workforce Challenges and Opportunities, Jennifer Lynn Sharkey, Purdue University - Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP)
  • Oregon’s Apprenticeship Related Child Care as a Model, Larry Williams, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
  • Approaches to Supporting Diverse Apprentices through Hardship Assistance, Larry Williams, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
  • Strategies to Improve the Mental Health and Wellness of our Frontline Workers, Sandy Brennan, Foursquare ITP
  • Integrating Public Health Approaches to Transportation Safety: Developing New Skills and Building Multidisciplinary Teams, Kristin Blank, UNC Highway Safety Research Center
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) Impact on the Transportation Workforce, Pierre Bouquet, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Moving the Next Generation: Strategies from the Maryland Transit Administration Red Line High School Internship Program, Tranell Guthrie, Kittelson & Associates
  • Addressing Tomorrow's Challenges: Cultivating the Transportation Engineering & Public Works Workforce of the Future, Patrick Brady, American Council of Engineering Companies
  • Recruitment and Retention of Highway Maintenance Workers, Karalyn Clouser, Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University
  • Thriving Organizations in the 21st Century: Resilient Workforce Development, Jacquelyn Quan, JQ Consulting LLC
  • A Model to Engage Multidisciplinary Student Talent in Transportation Problem-Solving, Susan Gallagher, Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University
  • Incentivizing Attainment of Critical Cross-Occupational Transportation Competencies, Susan Gallagher, Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University
  • Transforming Transit Operator Scheduling to Address Workforce Shortages and Improve Retention, Reinaldo Germano, Foursquare ITP
  • Developing the TAMP Knowledge Book to Support Workforce Success, Virginia Stubella, New Mexico Department of Transportation
  • Preparing the Future Workforce for the Era of Automated Vehicles (WEAVE), Elizabeth Mack, Michigan State University
  • Building Future Capacity in Highly Automated Transportation Systems, Ashley Nylen, USDOT Highly Automated Systems Safety Center of Excellence
  • Empathy in the Workplace, Meghan Haggerty, Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Wednesday, June 4, 2025
What Business Models and Tools Sustainably Support Workforce Needs?

7:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Registration

7:30 AM – 8:00 AM

Continental Breakfast


8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Plenary: Moon Shot Thinking and Beyond

Moderator: John Kaliski, Cambridge Systematics

  • Brandye Hendrickson, Texas Department of Transportation
  • Terri Slaughter, Michigan Department of Transportation
  • Kelly Hutchinson, New Jersey Department of Transportation
9:00 AM – 10:30AM Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Changing & Enhancing Organizational Culture

 

Breakout A: Changing & Enhancing Organizational Culture

Moderator: Brian Turmail, Associated General Contractors of America

  • Building the Asset Management Capability in Transit, Lou Cripps, RTD-Denver
  • MDOTs Journey to Build and Strengthen the Asset Management Workforce, David Sklar, WSP USA, Inc.

Breakout B: Embracing Innovation and Continuous Learning

Moderator: Shayna Gleason, Transit Workforce Center

  • Committing to the Future: Investing in People to Build a Culture of Continuous Improvement, Gary Vansuch, Colorado DOT
  • Purpose-driven and Tech-enabled: Crafting a Human-Centric Future For Transportation,  Breanna James, ARUP

Breakout C: New Business Models

Moderator: Bryan Pounds, McKinsey & Company

  • Vacancy Rate - What it Means and How NCDOT is Tackling it, Suzie Heap, KPMG
  • Public Involvement Workforce for the 21st Century, Doise Miers, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
  • Structural Influence on Workforce Recruitment and Retention, Jason Bittner, Applied Research Associates

10:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Morning Break

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Plenary: Moving to Transformative Thinking: Pizza Teams Set-up

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Networking Lunch

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Sustaining the Future Workforce

 

Breakout A: Partnerships

Moderator: Garrett Wheat, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

  • Workforce Diversity Through Community Engagement, LaShaundra Shaw, Texas DOT
  • Lessons Learned from the NSF Regional Innovation Engines Program, Kevin Heaslip, University of Tennessee Knoxville
  • Building Professional Development Pathways Through Partnerships, Susan Baillargeon, Front Range Community College

Breakout B: Metrics and Measurements

Moderator: Tyler Reeb, Center for International Trade and Transportation

  • The Future Workforce: Exploring Transportation Employment with National Datasets, Douglas Nevins, Transit Workforce Center
  • Engaging Tribal Colleges & Universities in Transportation Workforce Development Programs, Hilary Nixon, Mineta Transportation Institute
  • Transit Workforce Metrics: Measuring Outcomes and Progress, Michaela Boneva, Transit Workforce Center 
  • Forecasting Staffing and Training Needs – Considerations and Practices, Russell Pildes, Foursquare ITP

Breakout C: Staying Ahead of the Curve: AI, ITS, C/AV and Infrastructure

Moderator: Patrick Son, Gannett Fleming Inc.

  • The Impact of Connected/ Autonomous Vehicle Technology on the Roadway and Traffic Systems Maintenance Workforces, Dave Bergner, Monte Vista Associates, LLC
  • Connecting the DOTs - AI, KM, and the Workforce of the Future, Amanda Holland, Holland Enterprise Resource Solutions, LLC
  • Academic and Industry Partnerships for Advancing Workforce Development in Connected and Automated Vehicles and Related Technologies, Katherine Turnbull, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Afternoon Break

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Plenary: Rapporteur Report: Key Listening and Themes

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Closing Plenary: Where to From Here and Call to Action

Moderators: Glenn McRae, National Network for the Transportation Workforce and Tyler Reeb, Center for International Trade and Transportation, and Conference Planning Committee Co-Chairs