Session Moderator & Panelists

Laura Mester
Michigan Department of Transportation

Laura J. Mester is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), overseeing the Bureaus of Finance and Administration, and Transportation Planning, and the Offices of Aeronautics, Passenger Transportation, and Rail, as well as the operations of the International Bridge. Prior to her appointment in February 2011, Mester directed the Accounting and Financial Reporting Division of the Office of Financial Management in the State Budget Office.
Mester is involved in several national initiatives critical to MDOT’s mission and strategic plan. She represents MDOT as a member of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Transportation Asset Management Expert Task Group, serves as the vice chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation Finance Policy, and is involved in fostering the many principles associated with asset management that are now embedded in federal law and regulatory requirements: The Transportation Asset Management System (TAMS), and the development of the Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP).

A registered C.P.A., Mester's distinguished career in governmental accounting and financial management spans over 25 years. She earned a master's degree in business administration from Central Michigan University in 1994, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from Michigan State University in 1987. 

Adam Rod
Chicago Department of Aviation

Adam Rod is the Assistant Commissioner of Planning at the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), which owns and operates O’Hare and Midway Airports. In addition, he is currently chair of the Air Cargo Committee at Airports Council International-North America. He has been with CDA since 2000, and his many responsibilities range from managing new projects to advising various stakeholders to overseeing cargo affairs. Through his work, he has gained an international reputation, and he enjoys exploring issues and sharing experiences with the aviation and transportation industries whenever he can, including his affiliations with organizations such as ACI, AAAE, CMAP, OECD, USDOC, and USGBC. Although Mr. Rod has had a special love for big airports since his youth, his professional background covers broader urban studies and economics, including a geography degree from the University of Chicago. Prior to his post at CDA, he was an aide to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and before that a corporate real estate manager. He and his wife Renee, also a planner (and an architect), reside in downtown Chicago. 

Daniel Horvath
American Trucking Associations

Dan Horvath is the Vice President of Safety Policy at the American Trucking Associations. Dan came to ATA in March of 2018 as Director of Safety Policy after more than five years as Director of Compliance and Safety at TransForce Inc. Prior to that role, Dan was a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration auditor, examining new commercial carriers for regulatory compliance. Before his time at FMCSA, Dan spent several years in the operations and safety department at Mlaker Transportation Inc., a Pennsylvania-based motor coach and student transportation company. In September 2018, Dan was promoted to ATA’s Vice President of Safety Policy. In this role, he represents ATA and its safety agenda before federal and state government regulators and various non-governmental organization. Dan, a proud CDL holder, is a 2017 graduate of the LEAD ATA program, a long-time volunteer at the National Truck Driving Championships, and serves on multiple committees with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. 

Katherine Chambers
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters

Katherine Chambers is a research scientist with expertise in analytical approaches to resilience and the marine transportation system. For the past 7 years, she has focused on studying the concepts of resilience as they pertain to the marine transportation and emergency response business lines of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She is an active member of several international working groups on the marine and inland transportation system and a young member of the Transportation Research Board Ports and Harbors Committee, Extreme Weather and Climate Change Committee, and co-leads an interagency team entitled the Resilience Integrated Action Team as a part of the U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System. Presently, she is doing a developmental assignment with USACE Headquarters Asset Management Program. Katherine has an MS from Purdue University’s Ecological Science and Engineering Interdisciplinary Program and a BS from Wittenberg University. 

Joseph Bryan
WSP

Josh Murphy
NOAA Office for Coastal Management

Joshua Murphy is a Senior Geospatial Analyst with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management in Silver Spring, MD. As a subject matter expert in geographic information systems (GIS) tools and methods, Josh brings almost 20 years of experience in the areas of data and tool development, spatial analysis, and technical assistance to coastal communities. After leading the development of NOAA’s Digital Coast platform in 2008-2011, Josh served a two-year rotational assignment to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) where he led the agency’s climate adaptation planning efforts and supported the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force. Since returning to NOAA in 2013, Josh has supported federal efforts directed at enhancing the resilience of our nation’s coastal populations, landscapes, and infrastructure. As an educator, Josh has extensive experience in the areas of curriculum development and instruction. He is one of the founding adjunct faculty members within the Urban and Regional Planning Program at Georgetown University where he teaches classes focused on the integration of geospatial information with urban planning concepts.