Rosa Navejar
President, The Rios Group
Vice Chair, Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T)
Vice Chair, APTA Transit Board Members Committee

How many people does your agency employ?
Approximately 575

How long have you worked in the public transportation industry?
I have spent six years directly in public transportation through my work as a transit board member of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T). But as president of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, I have also worked on transportation issues. We consider transportation a key issue as we work to promote business and economic development in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. So, considering both of these capacities, my total time in transportation is 11 years.
 
How long have you been an APTA member? 6 years
 
What drew you to a career in public transportation?
We need to make sure transportation infrastructure and multimodal options are a priority, not an afterthought. What drew me into becoming more involved in multimodal solutions was the “parking lot” we have here, better known as Interstate 35.

According to the 2010 Census, Fort Worth grew at four times the national average, with the growth in parts of North Fort Worth exceeding six to seven times faster. Our former mayor used to say that nowhere else on earth could you have a flat tire, change it, and still not lose your place in line on I-35. So in many ways, the congestion is what drew me into becoming an advocate for public transportation.
 
What have you found to be the most valuable APTA benefit or resource—that helps you do your job?
Best practices from other transit board members and agencies, thinking out of the box, and looking at new, alternative sources of funds and methods of project delivery for transportation are among my favorites. Through networking, I’ve learned from other community examples of how local advocates support public transit, and ways to reach out to the community as a whole.
 
Please explain why or how this has helped.
What has been enormously helpful is being able to reach out to other transit board members and agencies across the nation to talk about things happening locally. For example, right now we have a big project—TexRail. I’m able to work with APTA colleagues and discover what advocacy groups have done to help local businesses and the public understand the value that comes from supporting transit initiatives.

Wearing my hat as the president of a chamber of commerce, I have made transportation one of our most important issues because I know it’s a top priority when people relocate. They look at transportation and education as key economic and quality of life indicators. For our community, I want to ensure that “transportation” includes all modes—especially public transit.
 
What do you like most about your job?
Back to my Chamber hat … The one thing I love the most are the connections and opportunities we’ve been able to provide to businesses. While our mission centers around Hispanic business owners, we also recognize that any business we create helps our community as a whole.

As vice chair of The T, what I love is helping people—especially making sure that people have access to public transit to get them to jobs and educational opportunities. I also love promoting the career opportunities available within public transit. I’m mindful that much of our workforce will be retiring soon, so I have the opportunity to make connections with the next generation of transportation professionals to build a good, diverse workforce.
 
What is unique about your agency?
What’s unique is the range of services The T provides. Through partnerships (with the Convention & Visitors Bureau, Downtown Fort Worth Inc., Sundance Square, and the Omni and Sheraton hotels), we offer Molly the Trolley—a downtown service that moves people to various venues and places. We provide standard bus service, we co-own and operate the Trinity Railway Express, and we have park-and-ride services and vanpools and MITS (our Mobility Impaired Transit System). The T was also instrumental in moving people to and from the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. Our partners for that effort included all the organizations listed above, plus the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and the mayor/city of Fort Worth.

I think that sometimes when people say “transportation,” they don’t think about the many modes involved. It’s just as former APTA Chair M.P. Carter always said: “Tell our story.” We need to tell all the stories of transit, all the time.

Make sure you see Rosa Navejar's video, now that you've read this!