A variety of keynote speakers offered insights and information to board members and support staff who participated in APTA’s Transit Board Members Seminar and Board Support Employee Development Workshop, July 18-21 in Cincinnati.

Mitchel D. Livingston, Ph.D., vice president for student affairs and chief diversity officer at the University of Cincinnati, presented a view of transportation through the prism of Alvin Toffler’s The Third Wave. The first wave, 1700s-1950, began with dirt roadways and trails and was followed by paved roads and train routes to America’s towns and cities. The second wave, 1950-2008, created the Interstate Highway System and air travel. The third wave, 2008-2050, will emphasize an improved quality of life through an ecological system of transportation options.

Stephen D. Van Beek, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of the Eno Transportation Foundation, presented “Regional, National, and International Trends in Transportation: The View Beyond the Transit District.” He noted “the new Administration’s attention to our nation’s infrastructure deficit, Congressional consideration of the long-term surface and aviation authorizations, and the development of a historic climate change bill.”

Eno’s new Transit Board Summit training series—a cooperative effort with APTA and the National Transit Institute—will be offered for the first time during the APTA Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL, Oct. 4-7.

Dr. De Hicks, president of Stuart Consulting Group Inc., discussed key motivators for different age groups in his presentation, “From the Greatest Generation to Millennials: Working Effectively with Five Generations.” With board support staff members, he led a day-long workshop covering such topics as recognizing transformational opportunities and taking advantage of them.

Discussing current trends in labor agreements and the negotiation process was Thomas P. Hock, Esq., CEO of Professional Transit Management Ltd.

Doug Eadie, president and CEO of Doug Eadie & Company, spoke on “Meeting the Governing Challenge: Applying the High-Impact Governing Model,” discussing contemporary definitions of the board’s governing role and functions and comparing them with older models.

“Innovate to Be Great” was the subject of luncheon keynote speaker Marilyn Shazor, CEO of host Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority/Metro—winner of an APTA 2008 Innovation Award. She spoke about theories of creativity in relation to public transportation’s services and service quality.

Metro offered a combined tour to two facilities: the Eligibility Assessment Center where registrants learned more about the process for determining paratransit eligibility, and the Center for Training Excellence where participants used Metro’s bus simulator. The tours followed an educational session for board members on eligibility led by Donna P. McNamee, board member at Laketran in Lake County, OH. The groups also attended a reception and toured the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center courtesy of sponsors First Transit and URS Corporation.

Other sessions topics included hiring process for transit CEOs and APTA’s five-year strategic plan (2010-2014). Michael S. Townes, APTA immediate past chair and president/CEO, Hampton Roads Transit, and Sharon Greene, APTA’s vice chair-business members, chair of the Business Member Board of Governors, and principal, Sharon Greene and Associates, presented the results of APTA’s governance and committee structure task force.

APTA Chair Beverly A. Scott prepares to address the APTA Transit Board Members Seminar and Board Support Employee Development Workshop.

 

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