This webinar will examine the changing state and local policy landscape for transit-oriented development (TOD). Speakers will discuss recent legislative and policy developments and their potential impact on transit agencies, including opportunities to advance TOD on agency-owned property. The session will feature case studies from several Transit-Oriented Development Programs, highlighting practical approaches transit agencies can use to navigate policy frameworks, encourage housing development, and support broader community objectives.

Moderators:

• Sasha Page, Principal, Rebel
• Dennis Wood, Managing Director, Greystone Real Estate Advisory Group

Speakers:

• Miriam Harris, Senior Vice President, Transit-Oriented Development, New York MTA
• Kristen E. Mitchell, Director of Transit Oriented Development, New Jersey Transit
• David Zaidan, Chief of Transit Oriented Development for Maryland Department of Transportation
• Sean Massey, Senior Director, Transit Oriented Development New Jersey Transit
• Steve Segerlin, Head of Commercial Development, Amtrak

View the fundamentals video overview and download the instructor guide.

Transit decisions are shaped by public funding, policy, and accountability, from governance and funding sources to operating and capital budgets. Fares, federal compliance requirements, and public and political engagement define what agencies can fund, approve, and sustain.

View the listing of all pathway modules.

Transit heavily depends on labor, from leadership to frontline operations and maintenance personnel.  Recruitment, training, retention, labor relations, and safety management determine whether agencies have the workforce capacity to deliver reliable service.

View the listing of all pathway modules.

Operations turn service plans into reliable daily service through scheduling, dispatch and control centers, and performance monitoring. Fleets, facilities, and technology determine what agencies can actually deliver on the street.

View the listing of all pathway modules.

Planning and design connect community needs, travel markets, and land use patterns to decisions about networks, modes, and passenger facilities. Data, analysis, and community engagement shape those choices, reflecting available resources.

View the listing of all pathway modules.

Transit foundations explain how the industry evolved, how agencies are governed and make decisions, and how safety is managed across agencies. It also establishes why public transportation matters to communities, including its benefits, challenges, and relationship to land use.

View the listing of all pathway modules.

Get ready for the APTA Legislative Advocacy Fly-In by attending this briefing webinar.

We are hosting the Advocacy Fly-In for APTA members to visit with their Members of Congress on September 16. Online registration is available for the 2026 Fly-In.

This webinar will share our latest advocacy tools and messaging guides, discuss the Advocacy Associates platform, and prepare participants for effective meetings on Capitol Hill.

Panelists:

• Jillian Kinder, Legislative Representative, Government Affairs and Advocacy, APTA (Moderator)
• Caroline Decker, Chair, APTA Business Member Legislative Subcommittee
• Dan Renberg, Partner, ArentFox Schiff LLP
• Stephen Kendrick, Director, Communications and Marketing, APTA
• Jared Bonina, Policy Analyst, Policy Development and Research, Government Affairs and Advocacy, APTA
• Paige Love, Account Executive, Advocacy Associates

For more information on the Fly-In and to sign up, please visit the Fly-in page on APTA.com.

This webinar will feature employee engagement experts, labor relations professionals, and national labor partners to discuss best practices for employee engagement, discipline, and performance.

Panel will discuss:

• Best practices for managing the disciplinary & progressive disciplinary processes
• The Voice of Labor - What's the why and underlying reasons for discipline? What have you observed that works for staff to succeed? How do you work with management to re-engage and revise, to address a trend of discipline?
• Example from organizations – What to do when your employee has abilities/disabilities.  i.e. increasing leave time; traumatic incident response to allow paid leave at management discretion
• How to shift the focus to the work, performance, and rewarding what you want to see more of in your unit, department, organization.
• Employee recognition programs (i.e. awards, mentoring, job shadowing, social media feature, local media, etc.)

Moderators:

• Trish Collins, Chair, APTA Labor & Employee Relations Subcommittee, Director of Human Resources, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), St. Petersburg, FL
• George F. Fields, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Vice Chair, APTA Labor & Employee Relations Subcommittee, HR Deputy General Manager, Greater Cleveland RTA
• Kelli Coughlin, Second Vice Chair, MTA Labor and Employee Relations Subcommittee, Senior Deputy Chief, Labor Relations – Railroad Operations, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), New York, NY

Panelists:

• Amanda Salmon, Civil Rights Compliance Officer (ADA), Utah Transit Authority, Salt Lake City, UT
• Edward Valente, General Chairman & Executive Board Director, Association of Commuter Rail Employees (ACRE), Metro-North Railroad, New York, NY
• Ashley Mason, Manager, Employee Engagement, Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC)

Join us as public and private sector transit leaders discuss innovative internship programs that are expanding career awareness, strengthening workforce development, and building the next generation of transit professionals. Hear directly from their current interns and recently hired interns as they share their experiences, the skills they've developed, and how these opportunities have influenced their career aspirations, professional growth, and pathways into the transit industry. 

Featured organizations:

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority; WSP; Kimley-Horn & Associates;  Metro Transit; St. Paul Right Track Program; Chicago Transit Authority; Center for Urban Transportation Research.

Moderator:

• Geisha Ester, Chair, APTA Education and Career Awareness Subcommittee; Executive Director, National Transit Institute

Internship Program Leaders:

• Diana Arciniegas, Senior Director, Emerging Talent, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority
• Jeffrey Dorcley, Emerging Talent Coordinator, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority
• Inez Evans Benson, SVP Strategic Initiatives, WSP 
• Brittany Bolden, Early Careers Program Manager, WSP
• Mats Dale, Civil Engineer, Kimley Horn & Associates
• Craig Lamothe, Director, Guideway BRT Projects, Purple Line Project Manager, Metro Transit
• Xue Xiong, YJ1 Program Manager, City of St. Paul Right Track Program
• Kim Robinson, Vice President, Training and Workforce Development, Chicago Transit Authority
• Jodi Godfrey, Senior Research Associate, Center for Urban Transportation Research.

Interns, Fellows, Recently Hired Interns:

• Nusrat Jahan Naba, Emerging Talent Branding Intern, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority
• Siddhi Kataria, Associate IT Portfolio and Project Specialist, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Former Intern)
• Manu Gonela, Civil Engineering Intern, WSP
• Kelly Lige, Early Career Civil Engineer, WSP (Former Intern/Recently hired)
• Lidya Woldeyesus, Associate Consultant, Transportation Planning, WSP (Former Intern/Recently Hired)
• Jacy Becker, City of St. Paul Intern, St. Paul Right Track Program
• George Yang, St. Paul Fire Intern, St. Paul Right Track Program
• Michael Maceda, Ramsey County Public Works Intern, St. Paul Right Track Program
• Charles Perkins, Chicago Youth Works High School Intern, Chicago Transit Authority
• Anonda Jones, Cohort Conductor College Intern, Chicago Transit Authority
• Ishi Agarwal, Program Analyst, Strategic Business Initiatives, Chicago Transit Authority (Former Intern/Recently Hired)
• Daniel Frolich, Ph.D. Graduate, Center for Urban Transportation Research