Advisory Committee
A. Ricardo Archilla
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Hawaii
United States
Ricardo is Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Hawai'i. His areas of specialty are Transportation Infrastructure Management Systems, Pavement Engineering, Deterioration Modeling, Transportation Systems Analysis, Transportation Systems Analysis, Applied Statistics, and Traffic Engineering. Ricardo obtained his Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 2000.
Katie Benouar
Division Chief, Division of Transportation Planning at California Department of Transportation
United States
Katie Benouar is the Chief of the Division of Transportation Planning at Caltrans Headquarters in Sacramento. During Katie's 23 years with Caltrans, she has worked in a variety of planning and research divisions. Currently, she is leading the Caltrans transportation planning program statewide in responding to California policy to promote multi-modal transportation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector. Katie has devoted her career in planning to regional planning and interagency partnerships, building research to support innovation in planning, and bringing environmental considerations into multi-modal planning. Katie has worked to establish an early and inclusive collaborative planning approach to all issues. Currently, she is leading her Caltrans planning team to implement multi-modal system planning and planning for operations on State routes and facilities. Under her leadership, Caltrans planners are working to foster development of a sustainable transportation system. Katie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master's in urban planning from Columbia University.
Coco Briseno
Division Chief, Division of Research, Innovation and System Information, California Department of Transportation
United States
Coco Briseno started her Caltrans career in 1990 and is currently the Chief of the Division of Research, Innovation and System Information. This position includes responsibility for the Caltrans research program as well as management of the transportation information required to support the State’s public road system decision making needs. During her time with Caltrans, Coco has worked in many capacities including serving as the Chief of Staff and working at the City of West Sacramento, the California Transportation Commission, and the Divisions of Traffic Operations and Planning. Coco graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University.
Tilly Chang
Executive Director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority
United States
Tilly Chang serves as the Executive Director at the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. The Transportation Authority administers the Prop K local transportation sales tax and is the Congestion Management Agency (CMA) for San Francisco. Ms. Chang holds an advanced degree in Transportation from M.I.T. and a degree in Economics, with a minor in City Planning, from U.C. Berkeley, and has over 19 years of professional experience encompassing three years in the private sector and 16 years in transportation planning, including one year at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, five years as a Transport Officer at the World Bank and 10 years as the Manager of Planning and Deputy Director for Planning at the Transportation Authority.
Lawrence Dahms earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from San Diego State University and an MBA from Sacramento State University. After serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, he became Principal Administrative Analyst in the office of the California Legislative Analyst, where he analyzed state capital outlay and transportation programs. From 1969 to 1975, he held leadership roles including Director of Planning and Research, Assistant General Manager, and Acting General Manager at the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. Following his tenure at BART, he worked for Arthur D. Little, Inc., and then as Deputy Director of the California Department of Transportation. In 1977 he was named Executive Director of the MTC, a post that he held for the next 23 years. The MTC is the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Debra S. Elston
Director, Office of Corporate Research, Technology, and Innovation Management, Federal Highway Administration
United States
Debra is the Director of the Office of Corporate Research, Technology, and Innovation Management at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Debra leads the FHWA effort to do the right research, do it well and deliver the results to the partners and customers of the agency's highway research and technology program (R&T). Her responsibilities include preparing for the implementation of SHPR2, delivery of the Exploratory Advanced Research program, and continually improving communication networks to disseminate technical publications and program information. In summary, Debra leads the functions related to the innovation lifecycle from agenda setting through innovation delivery and impact assessment.
Gail Goldberg
Executive Director, Urban Land Institute Los Angeles
United States
Gail Goldberg is the Executive Director of Urban Land Institute Los Angeles, a District Council of the Urban Land Institute. Prior to taking this position, Goldberg was Director of Los Angeles City Planning Department and Planning Director of the City of San Diego. Goldberg now commands day-to-day workings and long-range programming of ULI Los Angeles, one of the largest and most active district councils of the international Urban Land Institute. Goldberg is a native Californian and holds a degree in Urban Studies and Planning from the University of California San Diego. She has served as an Urban Land Institute Trustee, Chair of the San Diego/Tijuana ULI District Council and on the Statewide Coordinating Committee for the Urban Land Institute’s California Smart Growth Initiative.
Xudong Jia
Professor, Cal Poly Pomona
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
- (909)-869-4312
Xudong Jia is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. His areas of specialty are GIS Applications in Transportation, Traffic Safety, Transportation Information Systems, Travel Demand Management, and Air Quality. Xudong received his Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering and Planning from the School of Civil an Environmental engineering.
Wei Hua Lin
Associate Professor of Systems and Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, University of Arizona
- (520) 621-6553
Wei Hua Lin is Associate Professor of Systems and Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management at the University of Arizona. His areas of specialty are Mathematical Programing, Numerical Optimization, Continuous Approximation Methods, and Model Based Simulation. Wei obtained his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1995.
Jim Martling is the founding principal of Sperry Capital. Mr. Martling has over 30 years of experience in investment banking and infrastructure advisory services. Mr. Martling has served as the senior manager or financial advisor on over $40 billion of offerings for states, state agencies, local governments, transportation authorities and 501(c)(3) corporations. Mr. Martling holds a B.A. degree from the University of California at Berkeley, a Master of Science and a Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia University.
Eric Shen
Director of the Southern California Gateway Office, Maritime Administration
United States
Eric C. Shen, P.E., PTP, is the Southern California Gateway Office Director, Maritime Administration (MARAD) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). The Southern California Gateway Office is based in Long Beach, California, and its area of responsibility includes four deep water ports in Southern California, the state of Arizona, and the west coast of Mexico. The combined ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, known as the San Pedro Bay ports (SPB), rank first in the United States and 10th in the world. Previous to this appointment, Mr. Shen was the Director of Transportation Planning for the Port of Long Beach, California. Mr. Shen received a BS degree with honors and a MS degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Irvine. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Alabama and California (Civil) and a Professional Transportation Planner (PTP), certified by the Institute of Transportation Engineers in Washington DC. He is an adjunct faculty member in the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering and the Sol Price School of Public Policy. He is the faculty adviser to the ITE/USC Student Chapter.