Recorded live at ThinkTransit in Nashville, this CEO Roundtable brings together four of North America's brightest transit leaders for an in-depth discussion about their lives, careers, and the future of transit in North America. Join Paul in conversation with:

• Doran Barnes, CEO of Foothill Transit
• Monica Backmon, CEO of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority
• Erinn Pinkerton, CEO of BC Transit
• Billy Terry, Executive Director of the National Transit Institute

In the episode, you'll hear Doran and Erinn talk about their pragmatic approaches to zero emissions and reducing carbon emissions with real solutions any agency can explore. Including diesel options you might not have considered before. There are a lot of diesel buses out there, and that isn't going to change anytime soon, so maybe fueling them with renewable diesel that produces less CO2 is the "yes, and..." in the transition to zero emissions.

Monica dives into how she works with a disparate set of stakeholders, balancing the needs of one group versus those of the larger region. Monica also reflects on how important it was to have a mentor when she started as CEO at NVTA; now, she's giving back as a WTS mentor, helping others climb the career ladder.

Finally, Billy talks about leadership development and training. NTI provides essential training to transit professionals across North America. While the pandemic forced all of the classes online, this now has become an opportunity for NTI to continue to offer those classes online so they can reach people who aren't able to travel or have an NTI session come to their agency.

We'll be hearing more from Doran about hydrogen fuel cell buses on an upcoming episode of Transit Unplugged, as well as leadership segments and, as always, insights from transit leaders on solving today's transit challenges.

Next week we have Ric Ilgenfritz, CEO of Community Transit, talking with Paul about serving a diverse community north of Seattle, WA. Ric talks about helping commuters get to Seattle and helping people in his community get around a region with urban, suburban, and rural routes.

If you have a question, comment, or want to be a guest on Transit Unplugged, email us at [email protected]. 

Enriched by Vizzy

(00:00) Transit Unplugged CEO Roundtable Live at ThinkTransit 2023 (00:10) Welcome and introductions (03:14) Doran Barnes career history and Foothill Transit https://vzyfm.co/43L0M90 (07:32) Monica Backmon on her career and NVTA https://vzyfm.co/3GVk1TP (13:35) Erinn Pinkerton her career and BC Transit https://vzyfm.co/43KQxBC (20:08) Billy Terry and NTI https://vzyfm.co/41kRTkY (25:58) Monica Backmon on working with boards (29:37) Doran Barnes on his customers and zero emissions (35:23) Erinn Pinkerton on low carbon versus zero emissions (39:43) Billy Terry on training leaders (44:07) Round table what's the favorite thing from the past week (51:58) Roundtable future of transit and the industry (55:16) Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged Ric Ilgenfritz, CEO of Community Transit, will be Paul's guest next week. https://vzyfm.co/3mK9FPD (56:09) Subscribe to Transit Unplugged TV on YouTube https://vzyfm.co/3SB9Bx3

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