September 7, 2018
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Meet Elizabeth Lovinggood!


Elizabeth Lovinggood
Program Manager-Sustainability & Planning
Policy Department

What are your primary responsibilities at APTA?

I manage the APTA Sustainability Commitment and serve as a resource to signatories to the commitment. I am a staff advisor to the APTA Sustainability Committee; the Planning, Policy and Program Development Committee and its subcommittees; and their respective working groups. I also facilitate updates to and develop new sustainability and transit asset management recommended practices under the APTA Sustainability and Urban Design Standards program.

In addition, I help coordinate sessions at APTA conferences, workshops and policy forums, especially the APTA Sustainability & Multimodal Planning Workshop. I also help develop industry comments on, track, and report policy and regulatory changes under the National Environmental Policy Act, Capital Investment Grant program, MAP-21 and FAST Act performance-based planning and programming, National Trust for Historic Preservation and other associated regulations and policies affecting public transit system programs and capital projects.

To what extent do you have direct contact with APTA members?

I correspond daily with APTA members via email or over the phone. Whether it’s planning an educational session at an upcoming conference, organizing standards working group meetings or managing peer reviews for the Sustainability Commitment, I am thankful for online scheduling tools, such as Doodle Poll, to “herd the cats” as they say! My favorite part of attending APTA conferences this past year has been putting faces to names and voices.

How did you come to APTA?

I started a week before the 2017 APTA Annual Meeting and EXPO and was lucky enough to be able to attend in Atlanta. Even though I hit the ground running, it was the best way to get to know the industry!

I graduated from Miami University in Oxford, OH, in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Urban & Regional Planning and Sustainability. I’ve always had a passion for sustainable development and discovered that public transportation can be one of the fastest ways to shape the urban landscape.

My position at APTA, and in particular my involvement with the Sustainability Commitment program, affords me the privilege of hearing firsthand what public transit agencies are doing, not only to lessen their impact on the natural environment but also to improve equity and access and increase efficiencies through sustainable design, construction and operations.

Do you have any professional affiliations?

I recently became certified as a LEED Green Associate through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This credential designates individuals who have a documented, up-to-date understanding of the most current green building principles and practices. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings.

It’s useful for me to be knowledgeable in green building principles because many public transit agencies possess, and even more are beginning to earn, LEED certifications, among others, for buildings and facilities and their operations and maintenance.

I am also a new member of the WTS (Women’s Transportation ­Seminar)–DC Chapter and plan to get more involved in the coming year. Attending WTS events never fails to inspire me and helps me reflect on what I’m doing every day to help advance women in the ­public transportation industry.

What is your favorite thing about working at APTA?

Being able to understand what challenges public transportation organizations are facing every day and facilitate ways APTA can help. I love building relationships.

Two Truths and A Lie About Working at APTA?

I collect pins and added seven public transit agency pins to my collection from the APTA Bus and Rail Conference “Swap Meets” this past year.

I won overall winner for both the Work Space Holiday Decorating Contest and the Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest at APTA in 2017.

When I first moved to DC for the job, I asked a colleague if the National Mall had a Nordstrom.

Could you tell us something about yourself that might surprise us?

I have a major sweet tooth! My favorite home (St. Louis, MO) ­recipe is O’Henry Bars. Instructions: Cream 2/3 cup of butter and one cup brown sugar. Add 1/2 cup white Karo syrup, four cups quick oats, three teaspoons vanilla, dash salt, and stir. Press into 9 × 13 greased pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes until bubbly. Let cool. Melt one cup chocolate chips and add 2/3 cup crunchy peanut butter. Spread over top and cool in refrigerator. Cut into bars. Enjoy!

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