In this week's episode Jennifer Toth, Director of the Maricopa County Department of Transportation and County Engineer, shares her professional journey and why she chose to tackle shifting the culture of MCDOT.  MCDOT is responsible for design, construction, operations, and maintenance of 9,000 square miles of unincorporated Maricopa County transportation infrastructure.  With stakeholders ranging from tribal communities, farmers, and rural neighborhoods to densely populated urban communities, MCDOT is committed to its core purpose of providing connections that improve people’s lives with a team of service-minded, team builders who get it done with a smile.

Jennifer talks about the challenges stepping into her role as Director and County Engineer, how MCDOT's been able to navigate COVID19, and succession planning. Her collaborative, forward-thinking, approach has not only resulted in her success but is also contributing to the success of her entire team.

In this week's episode Dallas Hammit shares how the Arizona Department of Transportation responded to COVID 19, is prepared for safely moving forward, and is still delivering for Arizona’s residents. ADOT has been able to maintain operations and project development and delivery through the pandemic while maintaining its vision of moving Arizona to become the most reliable transportation system in the nation and mission of, "Connecting Arizona. Everyone. Everywhere. Every Day."

It was exciting to learn how ADOT is employing alternative delivery, technology, and practical solutions to make the most of our transportation investment. We also talked about some of the challenges on the horizon as we balance the need to increase capacity with maintaining what we already have.

In this episode, John Bullen, MAG’s Transportation Economic & Financial Program Manager shares information about how the Maricopa Association of Governments has approached navigating COVID 19, initiating its first major freeway reconstruction project, and innovations being piloted to ensure Maricopa County taxpayers are getting the best value for their transportation investment. It was such a pleasure to speak with John and to learn more about what’s on the horizon for formulating the plan for Proposition 400 E and how MAG and its member cities are working together to deliver the Proposition 400 program. 

John has been a voice and presence of calm in a very challenging year and it was fascinating to speak with him to learn about his perspective on the financial health of transportation in the Valley.  Our industry has grown to trust and depend on him and he’s sure to be influencing transportation decision-making in the Valley for years to come.

In this episode, Wulf Grote, Valley Metro's Director of Capital Service & Development, share his insights from thirty-five year's of service to the transportation industry. As Wulf looks toward retirement at the end of this year, he leaves behind a legacy of a multimodalism in the Valley that would not be where it is today without him. He's shaped thousands of careers by introducing light rail transit, and now modern street car, to the Valley and has impacted millions of residents in the metro Phoenix area. 

During Wulf’s tenure first with the City of Phoenix then with Valley Metro, the Valley’s rail system has grown to 28 miles, two corridors are entering construction, and the City of Tempe will have a modern street car system before the end of 2021. He’s also preparing the next corridor for design, extending our light rail system through our State’s Capitol and into the West Valley.

In this episode, I interviewed Rebekah Morris, the founder of the Arizona Builder's Exchange. Rebekah proves that great ideas are of born of necessity. She moved to Arizona ten years ago and was looking for a resource that would identify trends and activity in the construction industry. Finding none, she decided to develop a digital magazine that has since grown to a distribution of over 4,000 people. AZBEX is now also providing additional resources in the form of their database, conferences, and weekly discussions with industry to help people stay connected and informed. Rebekah shares how her success has hinged on the Power of the Pivot in being nimble and responsive to changing needs and environments in the industry.

In this episode I interviewed Audra Koester Thomas. Audra is the Transportation Planning Program Manager for the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG). She and her team are currently developing the next Regional Transportation Plan that will serve as the basis for the extension of Proposition 400. Proposition 400, Maricopa County's current dedicated transportation sales tax, sunsets in 2025 and Our Momentum Plan will shape the future transportation investment for the next twenty years and beyond. The community engagement process is on-going with the intent of having a draft plan mid-year 2021. To learn more about the progress to date and how to contribute visit www.ourmomentumplan.com. 

While leading this effort is challenging, Audra always finds the time to give back and has regularly engaged the WTS Metro Phoenix Jane Morris Mentorship Program.  For this year’s program participants, Audra has some sage advice. First approach everything as if it is an opportunity and second, take up space.  Take up space with your presence, your voice, and your ideas. Insightful advice from a tremendous leader. I hope you enjoy learning more about what’s happening to shape the future of transportation for the Valley of the Sun.

In this episode, Serena Unrein talks about the intersection of access to quality transportation options and healthy communities. As the Director of the Arizona Partnership for Healthy Communities, Serena serves as a voice and advocate for communities throughout Arizona that are encountering a wide array of health-related challenges. In her role, she’s responsible for identifying and engaging subject matter experts to address issues ranging from affordable housing, availability of nutritious food, access to transportation, and countless others. We also talk about her path as a professional and how she joined Arizona Healthy Communities and has been dedicated to growing their impact for the past six years.

In this episode I interviewed Mountain Line's new CEO and General Manager, Heather Dalmolin. She shares with me her professional journey from working part time "counting money" to serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Flagstaff's transit system. Hear her story of growing a career through dedication to community and under the leadership and mentorship of the former CEO. Just as Heather was appointed as the interim CEO and GM, everyone's world was turned upside down by a global pandemic. She and her team, working together, have seen how truly resilient they are and have become even stronger as a result. 

In this episode I interviewed Becky Miller, the Executive Director of the Arizona Transit Association (AzTA). Becky’s been with AzTA for over sixteen years, the first ten in the administrative arm, and the last six as its Executive Director. Becky speaks with passion about how AzTA serves the most vulnerable in our communities throughout Arizona by supporting transit service providers and mobility managers. This important work has only become more critical in the midst of COVID and AzTA has had to get creative about how to provide vital resources. Join us to learn about what AzTA does, is doing, and plans to do to broaden their reach even further. 

In this episode I got to interview Erik Yingling, Vice President and Area Manager for the Metro Phoenix area (and more) for my new company, Stacy and Witbeck, Inc. Erik came to the Valley fifteen years ago to chase light rail work. Since then, Erik has delivered projects, grown his career, and managed to keep a sense of adventure and humor throughout. He believes in mentorship and not just in a professional development capacity. He regularly engages younger team members at Stacy and Witbeck to help them navigate making the most of their benefits, considering major financial decisions, and definitely how to avoid mistakes in the workplace. Not only is Stacy and Witbeck lucky to have Erik on their executive leadership team, but we’re super lucky to have him contributing to the transportation industry in Arizona!