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Meet Mark Teschauer!
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Mark Teschauer
Program Manager, Environment and Infrastructure
Policy Department
What are the job elements you focus on the most—your primary responsibilities?
 My primary focus is working on APTA’s sustainability programs and the Sustainability Committee, led by Chair Susannah Kerr Adler. This work includes helping the department conduct and manage the Sustainability Commitment, the Sustainability & Public Transportation Workshop and the Sustainability and Urban Design Standards.
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Additionally, I have to stay current with member public transit agencies and businesses regarding environmental reviews, the FTA capital investment grant program and state of good repair/transit asset management. I also help schedule educational sessions at APTA conferences.
Recently my colleagues and I supported the APTA and FTA peer exchange on performance based planning and programming. It provided a forum where agencies and businesses can discuss issues and new ideas on the benefits of performance based planning and ways to communicate performance.
Please talk about recent times you’ve helped out a member.
I’m in contact with APTA members on a daily basis, working on a variety of programs. For example, I recently gave a webinar to a member who had questions about the recognition process in the Sustainability Commitment, which recognizes members for their sustainability achievements, with levels of recognition starting at Entry and going through Bronze, Silver, Gold and finally Platinum. I explained to an entry-level member that participants could apply to receive recognition at any level they wish and not laboriously progress through each level, step by step. The member was very happy to hear this. It’s very rewarding to help members receive the recognition they merit.
I also help conduct outreach to members who aren’t currently involved in the commitment and help them think about the benefits of sustainability in ways they didn’t previously consider, such as the potential for reduced operating expenses.
I enjoy contributing to efforts that bring members together so they can learn from each other—a member-driven way of sharing best practices.
What initiatives, projects, or programs have you worked on at APTA that you have taken particular pride in completing?
I’ve worked for APTA for six months, having joined two months before the 2015 Sustainability & Public Transportation Workshop. It was baptism by fire but I loved it; it gave me an opportunity to see how APTA works, meet industry leaders and get first-hand exposure to the issues we face as an industry.
At the Annual Meeting, I helped organize a session devoted to the benefits of sustainability beyond the purely environmental components of the program. People in the public transit industry have a strong interest in sustainability, and the session presented information on other benefits that derive from sustainability actions.
I also enjoy collecting feedback from members on topics such as a federal Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on transit asset management. It enables me to keep my fingers on the pulse of our membership.
How did you land at APTA? Have you held other jobs in the industry?
I’m new to public transit as a profession, but even before coming to APTA I had an interest in transit and collected farecards wherever I went. I met Rich Weaver, APTA’s director of planning, policy and sustainability, at a conference. We started talking about our mutual interests, including transit’s role in creating sustainable communities. When a position opened up here, he encouraged me to apply. I jumped at the opportunity, and here I am today working for him.
Before APTA, I attended graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin and received two master of science degrees, one in community and regional planning and the other in sustainable design, and helped Austin with its successful application for 4-STAR recognition under STAR Communities.
My first job was here in DC at NeighborWorks America, a national affordable housing and community development nonprofit organization, where I worked on green strategies. They have member organizations like APTA, and it was an honor to help these members advance sustainability in ways that improve the lives of residents in low- to moderate-income communities. Sometimes this took the form of transit-oriented development and complete streets!
What are your professional affiliations?
I’m a member of the American Planning Association and helped establish the APA’s Sustainable Communities Division, of which I was secretary-treasurer. I’m still a member and also a member of the Transportation Division. For the last two years I’ve volunteered with DC government by conducting community outreach for the district’s sustainability plan, Sustainable DC.
Could you tell us something about yourself that might surprise us?
I earned a bachelor of music degree in music history from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. I’ve been playing the piano since I was 5 or 6 and especially like contemporary classical music. I also enjoy food and cooking a lot, and I brew my own beer.
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