PROGRAM

Alain Mercier joined the Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC) as CEO in April 2012. His extensive experience in the area of transportation, both in the private and public sector at the local, national and international levels spans 35 years. Alain has worked at the operational, commercial, strategic and executive levels dealing with developing transportation solutions such as rail and bus networks, implementing innovative business practices, restructuring organizations and most recently focused on organizational governance.

Alain became a member of CUTA’s Board in 2012 and joined the Executive Committee in 2015. On the Executive Committee, he has held the positions of Vice Chair, Technical Services, Vice Chair, Finance and most recently, First Vice Chair. Alain will be CUTA’s Chair for the next two years.

Marco D’Angelo was appointed President & CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) in 2018. As president, he has continued to position CUTA as Canada’s voice for public transit and urban mobility.

Obviously, 2020 brought mounting challenges for transit systems due to the Covid-19 pandemic. D’Angelo mobilized the CUTA team, consulted with transit systems across the country, and tirelessly advocated for emergency support for transit. Not only advocating—but succeeding—in securing an unprecedented $4.6 billion in emergency operating support.

Prior to joining CUTA, Marco was the Executive Director of the Ontario Traffic Council (OTC) for over a decade. The OTC is the leading industry association representing the traffic management sector in Ontario.

From 2003 to 2006, Marco worked as Director of Public Affairs at CUTA. In this role, he managed national advocacy campaigns to improve the visibility, image and positioning of transit.

Allan Hubley is married to Wendy (Barber) and they have three children – Christine Leigh, James and Joshua,and welcomed first grandchild Macara, in 2016 and twins Lily and Max in 2020.  In 2011, their son James was lost to suicide at the age of 15. Since losing James, Allan has been a very active advocate for mental health initiatives in Ottawa working with groups such as the Youth Services Bureau, CHEO, The Queensway Carleton Hospital and many others.

​Allan was born in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia and first moved to Kanata in 1978.  Allan has been very active in his community serving in a variety of capacities for all of Kanata South including:

• Founding member and Co-Chair of the Kanata Community Police Partnership;
• Chair of the Bill Connelly Charity, which provided scholarships to Kanata students entering building and trades programs;
• President of the Glen Cairn Community Association;
• Founding member and Vice Chair of the City of Ottawa’s Accessibility Advisory Board;
• Contributor to the Kanata Santa Claus Parade, the Kanata Canada Day Celebrations and other events;
• Member of the Kanata Sports Club, the West Ottawa Board of Trade, and the Kanata Legion.

In 2007, Allan Hubley was recognized for his extensive community service in Kanata South and was chosen the City of Ottawa’s Citizen of the Year.
​In 2008, Allan was chosen by the Governor General to receive the Caring Canadian Award at Rideau Hall for his community and volunteer work.

​Prior to being elected Councillor for Kanata South, Allan had worked in the Federal Public Service for over twenty years in various senior advisory positions including Manager of US Relations; Manager of Intergovernmental Affairs and in the Emergency Management and National Security Branch of Public Safety Canada.  In these positions, Allan gained experience working with officials from CBSA, CRA, IRS, CSIS, RCMP, DND, FBI, Homeland Security, ICE, London Metropolitan Police (better known as Scotland Yard) and other law enforcement agencies.

First elected in 2010 as Councillor for Kanata South Ward 23, Allan has served as a member of the FEDCO, Planning and Environment Committees.  He has also served as Vice Chair of Transportation and Chair of the Audit Committee in addition to serving on several Boards such as the Ottawa Exibition, Pineview Golf Course and Manotick Mills.  In 2016, Allan Hubley was appointed to the Police Services Board.  Allan has also served as the Honourary Chair of the Dragon Boat Festival for two years; the Kaleidoscope of Hope for five years, and the CrackUp Comedy Festival for five years.

In 2018 Allan began his new role as chair of the city’s Transit Commission. In this role, he proudly helped launch the Confederation Line of the new LRT system. He currently sits as a member of the Finance and Economic Development Committee, Transportation Committee, Environment Committee and the Planning Committee.

Jim Watson was first elected Mayor of the City of Ottawa on October 25, 2010, and re-elected for a third consecutive term on October 22, 2018.

Mayor Watson has dedicated most of his career to public service in Canada’s Capital. First elected as a Councillor in 1991, he was re-elected in 1994. Three years later he was elected as the youngest Mayor in Ottawa’s history with 82% of the popular vote.

Following the amalgamation of Ottawa and surrounding communities, Mayor Watson was appointed the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Tourism Commission, a federal crown corporation. In 2003, he was elected as the Member of Provincial Parliament for Ottawa West-Nepean and immediately appointed to cabinet as Minister of Consumer and Business services. In 2005, he was appointed as Ontario’s first Minister of Health Promotion and he successfully implemented the Smoke Free Ontario Act. Re-elected as MPP in 2007, he was promoted to Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

An active member of his community, Watson has also served on the boards or as honourary chair of several community organizations, including the Riverside Hospital, the National Capital Commission, the National Arts Centre, the Christmas Exchange of Ottawa and the Forum for Young Canadians. He served as chair of United Way’s 2002 campaign, which raised a record $21 million.

Mayor Watson was recognized for his support of the tourism industry by being named Ottawa Tourism Leader of the Year in 2012. In 2013, he was recognized by the Canadian Housing Renewal Association for his work on breaking the cycle of poverty. In 2014, Mayor Watson was named “Communicator of the Year” by the International Association of Business Communicators’ Ottawa chapter. In 2016, he was presented with the Water Leader Award by the Ottawa Riverkeeper, for his persistent leadership to prioritize the City’s efforts to clean up the Ottawa River.

Marco D’Angelo was appointed President & CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) in 2018. As president, he has continued to position CUTA as Canada’s voice for public transit and urban mobility.

Obviously, 2020 brought mounting challenges for transit systems due to the Covid-19 pandemic. D’Angelo mobilized the CUTA team, consulted with transit systems across the country, and tirelessly advocated for emergency support for transit. Not only advocating—but succeeding—in securing an unprecedented $4.6 billion in emergency operating support.

Prior to joining CUTA, Marco was the Executive Director of the Ontario Traffic Council (OTC) for over a decade. The OTC is the leading industry association representing the traffic management sector in Ontario.

From 2003 to 2006, Marco worked as Director of Public Affairs at CUTA. In this role, he managed national advocacy campaigns to improve the visibility, image and positioning of transit.

John has 30 years’ experience in municipal government and is presently the General Manager of the City of Ottawa’s Transportation Department. The Department is responsible for the planning and operations of all transportation services in Canada Nation`s Capital – Ottawa.

The Department oversees all aspects of transportation planning, traffic management and transit services.  John oversees a team that manages an operating budget of over $700M, 3,000 employees, a $300M transportation annual capital program, and a $12B Light Rail Program.

Anaïssia Franca is a Senior Consultant and Professional Engineer with the Transportation Planning and Advisory Services at WSP. Anaïssia has been actively contributing to projects related to electrification roadmap planning and infrastructure upgrades required for fleet electrification, which gives her a global understanding of the challenges faced in the industry. She specializes in electric bus performance modelling, and fleet charging requirement. Her latest fleet electrification projects led her to support transit agencies in Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Israel.

Taylor is the Supervisor of Compliance and Customer Service at the City of Barrie (Barrie Transit). Taylor has over a decade of transit and planning experience in both the private and public sectors.  In his current role, he leads the team responsible for the administration and management of the City’s P3 Transit contract and Terminal Operations. He has a keen interest in improving ‘the transit rider experience’ and sustainable mobility. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Arts (Geography) from Trent University and a Diploma in School Board Administration (DSBA) from the University of Guelph.

Bjorn Radstrom has spent his entire career as a transportation engineer with Winnipeg Transit. Beginning in 2007 as a Transit Planner, and since 2012 as the Manager of Service Development, Bjorn has been involved with some of Winnipeg Transit’s largest projects. These include the planning, design and construction of the Southwest Transitway, which included a complete redesign of the entire route network in southwest Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Transit Master Plan, and the Transition to Zero-Emission Bus Study. Bjorn is a registered professional engineer, a member (and past Canadian national board member) of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and a member of CUTA’s Technical Services Committee.

Erin Cooke is an accredited Professional Engineer (P. Eng.) and Project Management Professional (PMP) with more than 17 years of experience managing technology projects in the transit and specialty vehicle industries. Erin currently oversees Winnipeg Transit’s bus electrification program, where she analyzes technological, operational, financial, and environmental considerations involved in transitioning to a zero-emission fleet. Her recently released Transition to Zero-emission Technology Evaluation Report provides the framework for Winnipeg Transit to evaluate currently available zero-emission technology and support future decisions on transit electrification. Her previous work includes designing and managing battery-electric and (hydrogen) fuel cell-electric transit bus projects at New Flyer. Notable projects include New Flyer’s first 60-foot fuel cell-electric bus and the commercial launch of their 40-foot fuel cell-electric buses for California transit agencies, as well was a 40-foot battery-electric deployment for TriMet in Portland, Oregon. Erin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Manitoba and has completed courses in marketing, operations management, and financial accounting from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Renée Amilcar is an engineer with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Polytechnique Montréal (1996). She also holds an MBA from Université de Sherbrooke (2004). She joined the STM in 2002 as a senior bus engineering analyst. She quickly rose through the ranks, occupying various positions in the bus network. In less than ten years, she was appointed Director of Bus Maintenance, becoming the first woman in Quebec to hold the position. She has an outstanding reputation, with a strong ability to understand operational issues and manage large teams. She stands out through her ability to mobilize others, which demonstrates the strength of her leadership. She was promoted to Executive Director in 2014, and occupied the position of Executive Director of Bus Services from 2014 to 2019. She managed over 5,300 employees assigned to service delivery, the maintenance of a fleet of 1,800 buses and paratransit. Since the beginning of 2020, she has focused on bus and paratransit operations, with a budget of nearly $500M. She developed and is managing the flagship project to increase the bus fleet by 15% in just two years, as well as five infrastructure strategies that will allow for operation. Visionary and pragmatic, she is also developing the STM’s forward-looking electric bus network strategy to respond to the issues of sustainable mobility and a green economy, key projects for the STM. As the first woman to chair the Bus Committee of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), she has been a force of change. With her leadership experience, she was elected Vice President of UITP in Stockholm in June 2019, and has served on the organization’s Executive Board ever since. Renée Amilcar also received the Mercuriades 2018 Prix Leadership Femme d’exception from the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec for all her work. She is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and the International Women’s Forum (IWF).

Jonathan Cliche is a data architect at the STM. He has expertise in BI (business intelligence) / analytics, has participated during his career in the implementation of ETL tools (extract transform load), analytical platform focused on reports and visualizations as well as projects in the domain of Big Data. Prior to his position at the STM, Jonathan spent 8 years at Metro Richelieu in several positions. He started his career as an intern in BI development and worked his way up the ranks to become a BI Team Leader, and later got the position of BI Architect. Jonathan is results-oriented and interested in technological evolution. For his first project at the STM, he worked on occupancy levels of its Métro trains, an artificial intelligence project that won a PMI-Montréal prize.

Vincent Chabin has a degree in Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Transportation Planning from Polytechnique Montréal. He has always been extremely interested in data science and, more specifically, its application to the transport industry. Vincent continues to work on these issues at exo, which he joined in late 2019. Vincent goes beyond the technical opportunities in this field, paying equally close attention to the ethical implications of his work.

Analyste – Science des données de fiabilité, exo

Thomas Brunel Ouellet a obtenu son Baccalauréat en Génie Mécanique de l’École de Technologie Supérieure en 2015. Il œuvre en tant qu’analyste en fiabilité au sein de l’équipe Exploitation d’exo depuis plus de 4 ans. En charge du développement applicatif de l’évaluation de la condition sur la plateforme ESRI, il participe également au développement solution sur la Power Plaform de Microsoft et de la visualisation de données dans l’équipe Performance et gestion des actifs.

Vibert Hart Is the Supervisor of Data Management at the City of Mississauga – MiWay. He hold a B.Sc in Mathematics and a Master in Information Technology. He has more than 20 years in the technology field and has worked in the transportation section for the pass 4 years. In the last year he has been focused on Analytics and Business Intelligence within Transit.

Graham Procter’s love of transport began at a young age tinkering with train sets and riding Edmonton’s LRT system from end to end. This love has continued as Graham is still an avid transit rider and proud cyclist. Graham graduated from Ryerson University’s MPl program in 2016 and has worked in both the private and public sectors. He is currently a Transit Planner with MiWay working on service planning and data-driven service changes.

Lauren Grabowski is a Principal Planning Strategist with Swiftly. Prior to joining Swiftly, Lauren has worked over 10 years as an urban planner as both a private consultant and within public agencies.

A former Air Force telecommunications officer, Eric left the military in the mid-90s to work in the Hi-Tech sector. In 2003, he joined CSE and has spent his career there performing various aspects of cyber defence, such as hands-on analysis of computer attacks and software development, to his current position at the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security building partnerships with Critical Infrastructure owners and operators

As EY Canada’s Cyber Threat Management Leader, Chandra is responsible for building a cyber threat management practice that offers managed threat detection and response, threat & vulnerability management, threat intelligence, security assessments and adversary simulation. Chandra brings over 15 years of industry experience in cyber threat management, incident response and threat intelligence. He has extensive experience in leading incident response, threat detection, penetration testing, and vulnerability management initiatives in both IT and industrial environments and has worked with transportation agencies across Canada to develop next generation cyber threat management strategies.

Paul Comfort is the VP, Business Development at Trapeze Group, host of the award-winning podcast, Transit Unplugged, and bestselling author of The Future of Public Transportation. He’s a passionate transit evangelist and frequent speaker on the most important issues facing transit today, and how to solve them. He most recently served as CEO and GM of MTA Maryland (Baltimore’s transit agency), the 11th largest transit system in the U.S. He’s a frequent speaker at transit conferences.

Phil Verster is the President and CEO at Metrolinx. He oversees a team committed to transforming transportation in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Prior to joining Metrolinx, Phil managed train operations, infrastructure builds and infrastructure management for passenger rail systems in England, Scotland and Ireland. Phil joined Metrolinx in October 2017, and his comprehensive knowledge and extensive transit background has equipped him with the necessary tools Metrolinx requires to continue working towards delivering an integrated, regional transportation system that will serve the needs of residents and businesses for years to come.

As the Transit Director for Hamilton Street Railway since 2016, Debbie Dalle Vedove has been rolling forward for more than three decades in the public transit sector. Having started her career on the front lines operating buses, streetcars, trolley buses and subway cars with the Toronto Transit Commission in the late 80’s, her time behind the wheel may only be further enhanced by piloting The Shinkansen.

In addition to holding the positions of Route Supervisor and Assistant Superintendent in the bus, streetcar and subway divisions of the TTC; her last six years there were spent in Human Resources as a Labour Relations Consultant, providing Debbie a deep understanding of labour relations, enhancing her ability to expertly manage the human side of transit.

Following her time at the TTC, Debbie spent ten years as Operations Manager at Oakville Transit, where she led the implementation of numerous projects, including the launch of their Intelligent Transportation System.

Debbie’s focus has always been on creating a Customer Centric agency, which has been her priority since arriving in Hamilton. HSR began a comprehensive community engagement campaign to (Re)envision the HSR, where they are analyzing the results, and engaging with residents through several community events, activities and platforms. Through her continued leadership of mentoring members of her team to learn, grow and become leaders, they’re bringing the voice of their customers into the planning and design practices, to make public transit a first choice.

She’s completed the Queens University Executive Program Certificate in General Management and holds the Ivey School of Business Leadership Certificate from The University of Western Ontario. Debbie is equally proud of her dedication to running; having consistently run outdoors 21km per week, every week since 2013 – the equivalent of running from Prince Edward Island to Vancouver, and back eastward as far as Calgary and still going strong.

Debbie beams with pride at her 18-year-old daughter and her husband Richard, for being a saint in enduring her strong opinions all these years!

Jim McDonald attended the University of Saskatchewan, spent 29 years in the Army, and began career 2 with Edmonton Transit learning the ropes from his Transit mentors Wes Brodhead and Lorna Stewart. Jim is presently Saskatoon’s Director of Transit.

Actively involved in the community as a volunteer and on a number of boards, his most recent cause is the No Stone Left Alone Memorial Foundation. Since 2008 he’s been active with CUTA starting with front line supervisor workshops and now as the First Vice Chair.

In Pre COVID times he decompressed by singing with the Saskatoon Chamber Singers, the Saskatoon Symphony Chorus and his local church – well now – one out of three ain’t bad. Now he looks forward to photos and videos of his 18-month-old grandson.

Pepper Harward is general manager at Routematch by Uber. He brings over a decade of transit and technology experience to todays mobility landscape, working with large cities and small towns to provide strategic guidance as they shape their own mobility ecosystems to help communities thrive. He has spent the last seven years identifying how rider experiences can be improved through technology innovation, and mobility has become today’s soft infrastructure. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Pepper also nurtures a strong interest in constitutional law, civil rights and social progress.

Paul Hamilton has been involved in planning and providing public and client passenger transportation for 35 years.  His educational background includes degrees in Urban Affairs and Public Administration with Majors in Transportation and Urban Planning.

He has worked on three Native American reservations providing ultra-rural route and service analysis, including a system start-up on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, he served as Transportation Director for their first seven years.  During that time, he consolidated social service and community college assets to develop a County-wide system providing over 125,000 passenger trips a year in a 9,000+ square mile service area and acquired Federal discretionary funding to build a maintenance and storage facility and to replace their aging bus fleet.

Mr. Hamilton also served as a Transportation Planner with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) developing State and National training modules, performance based funding distribution models, and assisted in oversight of grant compliance for several Federal grant programs.

Managing a student shuttle system at Texas State University, he worked to develop a regional public bus system between Austin and San Antonio, (The BTI) expanding a former client-based system providing less than 200 trips a day to an open-door bus system providing over 1,000 trips a day.

Since 2015, he has moved back to his roots in demand-response and paratransit transportation.  First at Capital Metro in Austin, TX where he assisted in repurposes a part of their paratransit fleet to pilot an accessible demand-response software to expand access in a greenfield development with limited fixed-route bus service.

Currently, he serves as the senior manager of paratransit services at RTD.  During his service here, he has worked to deploy a cell phone app and web portal that allows paratransit customers to manage trips and see where their vehicle is in real-time; helped deploy a food delivery service option during the pandemic which allows paratransit customers to book food delivery as an alternative to transport to and from their grocer and is currently working to pilot a peak-hour on-demand paratransit alternative using Uber and contracted lift-equipped vehicles.

Mike Bismeyer is the Regional Sales Director at Proterra serving the Canadian market, focused on helping Canadian transit agencies implement electric bus fleets. With 13 years of experience in the transit industry, Mike was formerly with Seon Design under the SafeFleet brand, providing mobile video surveillance and fleet management solutions for the transit industry in North America. At Seon he was responsible for strategic accounts in the Northeast US and managed transit sales in Canada, and was an integral part of the inception of the United to End Bullying (UEB) Initiative. Passionate about spreading kindness and anti-bullying initiatives, Mike was recently awarded the Savita Shah Award for Kindness, Compassion, and Advocacy through the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation. Mike is also an active member of the APTA Bus Safety Committee & the APTA Diversity and Inclusion Council.

John Walsh serves as the Senior Vice President of Sales at Proterra, leading Proterra’s transit sales business. Prior to joining Proterra, John Walsh was President and Chief Operating Officer of Davey Coach Sales, Inc., one of the leading dealers of new and used mid-sized buses and shuttles in North America. Prior to that, he served as President of the REV Group, one of the largest bus manufacturing groups in the United States. Walsh was also Vice President of Sales and Marketing at ARBOC Specialty Vehicles and CEO of VPG Autos, maker of the MV-1, the first purpose-built wheelchair-accessible car. Before that, Walsh spent more than two decades at National Bus Sales & Leasing, Inc. and served as President, where he grew National from a small school bus dealership to the largest bus dealership at the time.

In 2016, Eddie Robar moved his family across the country from Halifax to Edmonton to become the Branch Manager of Edmonton Transit Service. Building on his 14 years of experience with Halifax Transit, where he oversaw a number of initiatives, including a transit strategy review and amalgamation of regional transit services within the Halifax Regional Municipality, Robar came to Edmonton prepared to roll up his sleeves.

Through his time at Edmonton Transit Service Eddie was responsible for the redesign of the entire transit network, the largest deployment of on demand buses in Canada, and the launch of Edmonton’s first electric bus program that saw the launch of the largest single fleet in Canada.

In late 2020 the opportunity to further diversify his work portfolio presented itself and Eddie moved from Edmonton Transit Service to Fleet and Facility Services as Branch Manager. Eddie has worked in transit for almost 20 years and is enjoying expanding his scope with Fleet and Facility Services. With his leadership acumen, ability to build strong teams and commitment to deliver results, he adds tremendous
value and brings a fresh perspective to the branch.

Eddie leads a team of 1,250 employees who maintain and manage over 5,000 vehicles and equipment, more than 900 City-owned buildings such as libraries and recreation centres, and over 700 additional infrastructure amenities, including park spray decks and splash pads.

The City of Edmonton is the most diverse integrated municipal fleet maintenance operation in Canada. This includes the full spectrum of fleet services, including vehicle and equipment procurement, maintenance, fleet engineering, fabrication, fuel management, fleet safety, oversight and administration.

Eddie currently sits on the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) Board of Directors. He has been recognized by Mass Transit Magazine as a ‘Top 40 under 40’ industry leader and has several national transportation awards.

Eddie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in industrial organizational psychology and a Certificate in Human Resource Management, both from St. Mary’s University.

Prior to her appointment, Ms. Garneau was President of Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Ltd. since 2016, where she led an integrated strategy to keep operations competitive and viable in an ever-changing global market.

Possessing over 20 years of experience in the aerospace industry, she has experience leading complex teams and projects in a number of areas of operation, including Supply Chain Management, Corporate Affairs and Government Relations.

Prior to Bell Helicopter, she held various technical and leadership roles at Bombardier Aerospace, where she helped launch several major aircraft program initiatives as part of the Strategic Sourcing group and key negotiations for the Business Aircraft group.

Cynthia Garneau has served on various boards, including the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, where she served as Chair in 2017-2018, and Aéro Montréal Aerospace Cluster in Quebec. She has also been a Board member of the Fondation de l’Hôpital Regional de St-Jérôme.

In addition, Ms. Garneau was a member of the Economic Strategies Table on Advanced Manufacturing, an initiative launched by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development as part of the Government of Canada’s Innovation & Skills Plan, which is made up of industry leaders. Their mandate is to set ambitious growth goals, identify sector-specific challenges lay out an actionable roadmap to achieve their goals.

Possessing a Bachelor of Specialized Education as well as a Bachelor of Law, both from Sherbrooke University, she has been a member of the Québec Bar since 1994.

Marco D’Angelo was appointed President & CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) in 2018. As president, he has continued to position CUTA as Canada’s voice for public transit and urban mobility.

Obviously, 2020 brought mounting challenges for transit systems due to the Covid-19 pandemic. D’Angelo mobilized the CUTA team, consulted with transit systems across the country, and tirelessly advocated for emergency support for transit. Not only advocating—but succeeding—in securing an unprecedented $4.6 billion in emergency operating support.

Prior to joining CUTA, Marco was the Executive Director of the Ontario Traffic Council (OTC) for over a decade. The OTC is the leading industry association representing the traffic management sector in Ontario.

From 2003 to 2006, Marco worked as Director of Public Affairs at CUTA. In this role, he managed national advocacy campaigns to improve the visibility, image and positioning of transit.

Hilia Boris Iglesia has a background in Political Science and Economics from England and two postgraduates in from Edinburgh University and University College London. She has also collaborated with various international and European urban networks. She is responsible of the UITP Transport Economics Committee supporting the knowledge creation on matters pertaining to funding and financing within the Public Transport industry. She has been leading the recent launch of UITP’s Research in Mobility Committee to provide a forum for all stakeholders with an interest in R&I to promote discussion and knowledge exchange within UITP.

Carrie is the acting Branch Manager with Edmonton Transit Service. She has been leading the ETS team through the pandemic response and recovery process, and is passionate about transit’s critical role in achieving climate, economic, social and city building goals. She has worked in transit for the past nine years and has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She is also an active member of CUTA, serving as chair of the Workforce Development Committee and on the Board of Directors.

Marc Lachance is the Manager of Strategy and Business Planning with the Edmonton Transit Service. Marc joined ETS in 2015 to work on the Regional Transit project, and had a leading role in the electric bus pilot program and the development of the City’s current Fare Policy. Marc has an MBA from the University of Alberta, enjoys (misses) charcuterie outings with his 9 year old daughter, is an avid fan of fantasy baseball, and does not appreciate pandemics.

An electrical engineer and PMP-certified IT project manager, Prévost has more than 13 years of experience in IT, including 9 years in project management. He has led several large-scale (>$1M) IT projects in infrastructure, data security, software and embedded systems. After working extensively in finance and insurance, he now works at the Société de transport de Laval (STL), implementing innovative solutions such as contactless payment on buses, a first in Quebec.

Pat is the Director, Transit Customer Systems and Planning, at the City of Ottawa. Broadly speaking, the job of Pat’s team is to help people to travel on Ottawa’s transit system, OC Transpo, as easily as possible. In particular, team members work on providing information and problem-solving for customers, managing the fare system, designing the complete transit system, setting standards and measuring performance against them, and deploying and operating technology solutions to support customers and operations. All of this is done to provide excellent service on a transit system that is an integral part of the community. Pat has been at OC Transpo since 2000, before that was at the Toronto Transit Commission, and has a degree in geography from the University of Waterloo.

Troy is the Director of Transit Operations, which is part of the Transportation Services department. Troy joined the City of Ottawa in 2002 and has always worked with or supported OC Transpo in some capacity. As the Director of Transit Operations, Troy provides strategic leadership to his management team and oversees several of OC Transpo’s services, including Rail Operations, Bus and Para Transit Operations, Transit Fleet and Facilities Maintenance, the Transit Operations Control Centre and the Special Constable Unit.   Troy is also an experienced Human Resources and Labour Relations professional.  In his previous roles with the City of Ottawa in Human Resources and as a Labour Relations consultant, he supported OC Transpo. Through this, Troy developed a strong knowledge base of public transit through recruitment and performance management activities as well as union/management relations and contract negotiations.

Nomessi Kokutse has a bachelor’s degree in Transportation Engineering, a PhD in Engineering Sciences (Université Bordeaux 1, France) and 10 years of modelling and data science experience in various fields (transportation, environmental sciences and geotechnics). He has been working as a data and modelling analyst at the Réseau de transport de la capitale (RTC) since 2018.

Antoine is a senior solutions analyst at Inro. He has project experience implementing Emme multimodal transportation forecasting models in Canada, the USA and France, and he has made contributions to model components in Israel, Australia and elsewhere. Antoine has developed numerous procedures for general distribution in the Emme software. Recently, Antoine’s contributions have focused on map matching transit information on a road network and creating 3D interactive visual environments to explore activity-based travel models.

Antoine has a M.A. Sc. In civil engineering from the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal and a Diplôme d’ingénieur from the Ecole Centrale de Lyon.

Committed to working in mission-driven companies, Arthur Nicolet has spent his entire career working in mobility. A graduate of the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris, Arthur began his career at the age of 23 as Operational Division Director at Veolia Group in Europe. Arthur advanced quickly, managing several operational entities that would lead him to handling the largest public-private partnership contract for Transdev group in France. Building on his experience both in the field and in complex political and industrial environments, Arthur took over management of Transdev Canada, a subsidiary of Transdev Group, in July 2018 with the mandate of making Transdev a Canadian leader in mobility services on behalf of public authorities. As a specialist in public-private partnerships, Arthur has forged strong convictions during his leadership career because of the diverse political and industrial players these partnerships bring together and the long-term vision of the projects they implement. Committed to the values of corporate social responsibility as well as the teams that enact it, Arthur wholeheartedly defends a management approach based on diversity, autonomy and performance. Under his leadership, urban transit contracts in France in particular saw their commercial and financial performance improve. His leadership also led to major innovations such as transit fare purchase by text message and Europe’s first on-demand transportation service provided by autonomous vehicles, in partnership with major industrial leaders and European public authorities. With Arthur at the helm, Transdev Canada experienced 78% growth over two years. Originally a public transit bus operator in Quebec, Transdev Canada now operates in three provinces in the fields of medical and school transportation. The company was awarded its first contract as a streetcar operator as part of a PPP in the Greater Toronto Area. An energy transition pioneer, Transdev partnered with Quebec manufacturer Lion Electric to develop the largest fleet of electric school buses by a private operator in North America. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and despite a nearly 50% decline in activity at the peak of the crisis, Transdev Canada fulfilled its social commitment by maintaining the jobs and full salaries of its 2,700 employees.

As Manager of York Region Transit’s Mobility On-Request, Sharon provides leadership and direction in the management and delivery of accessible public transportation to people within York Region. Sharon has been with the Region since the amalgamation of the five municipal transit services in 2001. In addition, Sharon is Chair of CUTA’s Accessible Transit Committee.

Marco D’Angelo was appointed President & CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) in 2018. As president, he has continued to position CUTA as Canada’s voice for public transit and urban mobility.

Obviously, 2020 brought mounting challenges for transit systems due to the Covid-19 pandemic. D’Angelo mobilized the CUTA team, consulted with transit systems across the country, and tirelessly advocated for emergency support for transit. Not only advocating—but succeeding—in securing an unprecedented $4.6 billion in emergency operating support.

Prior to joining CUTA, Marco was the Executive Director of the Ontario Traffic Council (OTC) for over a decade. The OTC is the leading industry association representing the traffic management sector in Ontario.

From 2003 to 2006, Marco worked as Director of Public Affairs at CUTA. In this role, he managed national advocacy campaigns to improve the visibility, image and positioning of transit.

Alain Mercier joined the Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC) as CEO in April 2012. His extensive experience in the area of transportation, both in the private and public sector at the local, national and international levels spans 35 years. Alain has worked at the operational, commercial, strategic and executive levels dealing with developing transportation solutions such as rail and bus networks, implementing innovative business practices, restructuring organizations and most recently focused on organizational governance.

Alain became a member of CUTA’s Board in 2012 and joined the Executive Committee in 2015. On the Executive Committee, he has held the positions of Vice Chair, Technical Services, Vice Chair, Finance and most recently, First Vice Chair. Alain will be CUTA’s Chair for the next two years.

A former Air Force telecommunications officer, Eric left the military in the mid-90s to work in the Hi-Tech sector. In 2003, he joined CSE and has spent his career there performing various aspects of cyber defence, such as hands-on analysis of computer attacks and software development, to his current position at the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security building partnerships with Critical Infrastructure owners and operators

Rob Fleming was first elected to represent the riding of Victoria-Hillside in 2005.

Rob has previously served as the Minister of Education from July 2017 to October 2020. Before his election to the Legislature, Rob served two terms as a Victoria city councillor. He chaired the city’s finance committee and represented Victoria at the Capital Regional District, the Victoria Regional Transit Commission, the Capital Region Housing Corporation and Tourism Victoria.

As a city councillor, Rob was a leading advocate for public transit and affordable housing. He was instrumental in the creation of the Capital Region’s Affordable Housing Trust and the region’s transportation plan.

Rob has a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Victoria. He worked in research and communications and was a research and policy analyst for the Ministry of Advanced Education. He was involved in many community organizations and travelled to El Salvador to monitor elections there.

Rob lives in Victoria with his wife Maura, daughter Rory and son Jack. He is a dedicated soccer fan and player, and helps coach his son’s team.

Gigi Chen-Kuo is currently the Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for TransLink. In her current role, she will help drive a number of key priorities for the TransLink enterprise, including work on a new Investment Plan, TransLink’s 30-year plan, Transport 2050, and advancing ridership recovery.

In her prior role as General Counsel & Executive Vice-President of Corporate Services at TransLink, Gigi was for responsible for TransLink’s Enterprise Safety, Business Technology Services, Real Estate, Legal Services, Corporate Secretary, Insurance & Claims, and Privacy functions.

Prior to joining TransLink in 1999, Gigi served as in-house legal counsel at BC Transit, a provincial Crown Corporation.

Gigi is currently a director on the boards of Consumer Protection BC and Commissionaires BC. She has also participated in various legal education courses as a speaker.

Over the past 15 years, David Cooper has contributed to numerous transformative transportation initiatives across Canada. David is the founder and principal of Leading Mobility, a transportation planning firm that offers strategic and planning support for public transit, infrastructure delivery, stakeholder support, and government relations projects and initiatives.

Some of David’s significant transportation contributions include planning the Relief Line Subway and King Street Pilot in Toronto; procurement support for the Broadway Subway Project and development of TransLink’s Battery-Electric bus program in Vancouver; implementation of LRT/BRT expansion and regional transit in Calgary. David recently authored the Canadian Urban Transit Association’s COVID-19 National Recovery Strategy, a foundational plan which has helped to obtain emergency operational funding to maintain transit service during the acute stage of the pandemic and to secure long term capital funding to position public transit at the centre of economic recovery.

David firmly believes in supporting and facilitating success for new community builders. Through his work teaching as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Calgary, University of Toronto, and Ryerson University, he instructs future planners on transportation policy, planning processes, and public consultation.

David’s contributions to city building and transportation have been nationally recognized. He was the recipient of the ‘President’s Award for Young Planner of the Year’ granted by the Canadian Institute of Planners, the ‘Individual Leadership Award’ from the Canadian Urban Transit Association, and received Mass Transit’s ‘Top 40 Under 40 Award’ in North America.

Martin Bean leads the Bow Valley Regional Transit Service Commission, operating local and regional transit services in the iconic Canadian Rockies.  With over 35 years of leadership experience in the transportation industry, Martin is leading Roam Transit in its’ move to zero emission vehicles.  Martin and his family have lived in the Bow Valley for more than ten years and has brought a background that includes management roles with transit, tour operator, charter bus and aviation organizations.  Throughout his career, operational excellence, marketing and customer service have been the key focus areas for the organizational teams he has led.  Martin has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo and an Executive Leadership Certificate from the University of California at Berkeley.

Holly Montalban is Senior Manager of Marketing at Proterra, a leader in the design and manufacture of zero-emission transit buses and EV technology for commercial applications. Previously, Holly managed U.S. marketing for Mercedes-Benz Energy, a Daimler company developing stationary battery storage systems and second-life EV battery solutions. Prior to Mercedes-Benz Energy, Holly held marketing positions at Engie Storage, a subsidiary of Engie, focused on battery storage systems for commercial and industrial applications. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Communications from Santa Clara University.