In this episode Felicia Guerrero Green shares her story of entering into the field of engineering, becoming a mom, and how balancing the two came to be nearly overwhelming. Through a chance encounter at a conference, Felicia met a peer who shared the same struggles. They ended up forming an online forum for Engineering Working Moms. The forum now has thousands of followers and provides a space for women engineers to share, vent, and laugh about the challenges related to balancing these two demanding roles.

In Part II of our interview,  Felicia shares how she has taken her passion for problem solving and embarked on a journey through her PhD program to identify what keeps women in engineering. Sharing the startling statistic that women are 300% more likely to leave engineering after having a second child, this challenge isn't just something that impacted Felicia but impacts our STEM fields as a whole.

In this episode we hear from Co-Founder and Partner of Goodman-Schwartz Public Affairs, David Schwartz. David is the mastermind behind Friends of Transit and the Support Sky Harbor Coalition. He's passionate about rallying support for transit and aviation and has been serving our transportation community for over twenty years.  

In addition to leading these two critical organizations, David engages in public affairs on behalf of clients throughout the state of Arizona. His partner Stuart Goodwin, described by David as one of the hardest working people he's ever known, is more of a behind-the-scenes professional but has been keeping us all informed with COVID data from the onset of the pandemic. I hope you enjoy hearing about the amazing work of David and his colleagues.

In this episode the Executive Director of the Maricopa County Association of Governments (MAG), Eric Anderson, shares his expertise on the evolution of transportation investment in the Valley. From the first freeway bill, Proposition 300, to our current funding bill Proposition 400, and looking forward to what's next with Proposition 400E, our infrastructure has been evolving along with the needs of our community.

That community continues to grow, with no slowing in sight, and the investment necessary to ensure mobility also has to grow. This presents a number of challenges as the needs and wants of MAG member agencies far out pace available resources.

Eric and his team are leading the charge to craft the next Regional Transportation Plan, Momentum.  They're also continuing to raise the question of indexing the gas tax and exploring ways to ensure that all users of our transportation system, even electric vehicle owners, are doing their part.

In this episode Reece Green shares his perspective on the evolution and application of accelerated bridge construction, how serving in the military has benefitted his career as a builder, and how our industry can step up to help veterans. 

Arizona is known for innovation, our transportation industry particularly is not shy about pushing the boundaries of the accepted to explore the possible.  Partnering with the Arizona Department of Transportation and FHWA, Reece and the Pulice team were able to deliver a bridge basically over a weekend. Reece provides insight into the planning and execution of that project as well as several others.

Second only to his passion for being a builder is his commitment to helping veterans. Two organizations doing amazing work for our vets are The Ripple Effect and the Semper Fi Fund.  I hope you'll consider supporting these organizations and the incredible work they do.

In this episode Markus Coleman shares his perspective on what it means to be a public servant. At the City of Phoenix everyone is expected to have a mindset of serving their community. We get a peak inside the nation's fifth largest city and the measures they take to ensure job security for their employees as well as how a fortuitous shift for Markus, due to the 2009 economic crisis, set him on a path toward his role today.  

We also learn what's ahead for light rail in the Valley and what may be ahead for Markus. Being someone dedicated to his lifelong community of South Phoenix, Markus believes you don't move away once you've achieved success. You stay put, investing back in the community of your youth. There may also be some broader public service in Markus' future. I hope for all our sakes, there is, he's someone who gives you a sense of hope about leadership and the future!

In this episode Karla Petty, Arizona Division Administrator for the Federal Highway Administration, shares information about the Every Day Counts (EDC) initiative. EDC has led to the formation of the Arizona Council for Transportation Innovation (ACTI) and this month ACTI is hosting a series of innovation exchanges. The exchanges will take place throughout February and they'll be recorded and posted online on the ADOT website.  

Arizona takes a unique approach to its innovation council and ACTI was recently recognized, nationally, by FHWA with an excellence award for emphasizing collaboration and education.  I hope you enjoy learning more about the many ways Arizona is leading innovation in the transportation industry nationally.

In this week's episode Aida Berduo Berry shares her perspective on striving for equity, celebrating diversity, and ensuring inclusion. As a nationally recognized Title VI subject matter expert, she explains the importance and purpose of Title VI, how it differs from Environmental Justice, and her personal story of inspiration.

As one of the early supporters of Latinos In Transit, Aida also shares their story of building a coalition of professionals seeking to broaden the voice of Latinos in leadership roles within the industry.  Throughout her life and career Aida has always overcome challenges with humor, determination, and a healthy understanding of who she is and where she comes from. 

In this episode Anita Richardson-Frijia, President of WTS Metro Phoenix, shares her experiences and observations on mentorship. January is Mentorship Month and the heart of WTS is mentorship. From formal programs, to building networks, and providing access to inspirational leaders, WTS invests in the careers of women and men in the transportation industry. 

Anita has had the benefit of being mentored by some of the most accomplished women in Arizona's transportation industry; Jennifer Toth, Audra Koester Thomas, and Jenny Bixby to name just a few. She shares how formal programs, informal interactions, and observing the careers of these, and other, inspirational women have impacted her career.

In this special edition of Moving Arizona, I joined Commuter Rail Coalition Executive Director KellyAnne Gallagher in an interview with Coalition Vice Chair Mike Noland. Mike is the GM/CEO of NICTD and the South Shore Line Commuter Rail Road. He shares his personal experience working with President Elect Biden's nominee for Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg. 

Scrutiny of "Mayor Pete's" non-transportation-centric background has some wondering about what he will bring to the role of Secretary of Transportation. We learn in this interview that he brings a unique perspective. One of understanding how to balance the multi-faceted needs of a community with leveraging investments in transportation to foster growth, prosperity, and equity.  

In this week's episode Karim Dada shares a little bit about his journey from public to private sector, what it's like to see a project through from concept to reality, and how he and his team are growing AZTEC's reach across transportation. As Senior Vice President at AZTEC Engineering, Karim leads business development efforts regionally and nationally.

Watching the growth realized in the Valley during the course of his career has motivated him to seek out new opportunities and he's not shy about committing to the causes that will keep that growth moving. Now exploring renewable energy markets, rail transportation in many forms, and touching every aspect of transportation, Karim and his team are involved from planning and design to construction management. Their reach doesn't stop at rail though, they're working on project delivery in virtually every mode.