Get ready to kick-start the rail conference in Cleveland! Join industry peers for two and a half days packed with learning and networking. The opening session will feature APTA leadership and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), setting the stage for the exciting content ahead.

Plus, don't miss Grammy Award-winning Hip Hop artist Speech Thomas, a fearless leader who defied odds to achieve transformative success. From overcoming challenges to pioneering hits like "Tennessee" with Arrested Development, Speech shares his journey of Brave Leadership. Learn how to amplify your voice, defy expectations, and carve your own path to success.

Keynote Speaker:

• Speech Thomas, Grammy Award Winner, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist 

Keynote Introduction:

• Raymond Malleady, Executive Vice President, United Safety & Survivability Corporation

President's Welcome:

• Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association

Chair's Welcome:

• Michele Wong Krause, Chair, APTA; Past Chair, DART Board of Directors 2021-2023, Dallas Area Rapid Transit

Welcome:

• Justin Bibb, Mayor, City of Cleveland

Welcome:

• Chris Ronayne, Cuyahoga County Executive

Host:

• India Birdsong Terry, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA)

Host:

• Paul Koomar, Board President, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

Sponsor Remarks:

• Wynton Habersham, Vice President, Senior Project Director, HNTB Corporation

Please join us to hear from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and learn more about FTA’s public transit priorities and the year ahead.

Featured Speaker:

• Matthew Welbes, Executive Director, Federal Transit Administration

Keynote Introduction:

• Michele Wong Krause, Chair, APTA; Past Chair, DART Board of Directors 2021-2023, Dallas Area Rapid Transit

Panelists:

• Morteza Farajian, Executive Director, Build America Bureau, U.S. Department of Transportation 
• Phillip Eng, General Manager & CEO, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
• Goran Sparrman, Interim CEO, Sound Transit 
• Stephanie Wiggins, Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority 
• Catherine Rinaldi, President, MTA Metro-North Railroad

There is a story that accompanies every infrastructure project.   While every project stage requires attention to budgets, schedules and funding, ultimately projects are a story about how they how they enhance the quality of life in a community, how they enable economic growth, and how they provide access to jobs and opportunity.

A new and highly acclaimed podcast by Boston’s GBH public radio station has taken a look at what was at one time the nation’s largest and most scrutinized megaproject – Boston’s Big Dig – to reflect on its story and impact twenty years following its opening.   That story today is about a project that delivered on its promise to transform the city and improve its transit and highway operations.

In this session, Big Dig podcast producer Ian Coss will speak about the public narrative associated with big infrastructure projects, the engineering and community challenges that inevitably arise and need to be overcome, and the ultimate judgement that comes from the longer-term outcomes and benefits.  Following the presentation, a panel of practitioners will share their experiences and perspectives in a facilitated conversation. 

Keynote Speaker:

• Ian Coss, Producer, The Big Dig: A Study in Infrastructure

Introduction:

• Dorval Carter, Immediate Past Chair, APTA; and President, Chicago Transit Authority 

Panelists:

• Felicia Alexander, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation 
• Phillip Eng, General Manager & CEO, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 
• Andy Byford, Senior Vice President of High-Speed Rail Development, AMTRAK 
• Ryan Snow, Senior Vice President - Strategy, Stacy Witbeck

Please join us to hear from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and Amtrak as they share their current policies, initiatives, and trends in passenger rail.

Featured Speakers:

• Jennifer Mitchell, Deputy Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration 
• Roger Harris, President, Amtrak

Transit capital projects address community and regional needs in a variety of ways.   Over the past year, transit agencies across the country have opened new lines, extended service to new parts of their regions, and upgraded operational and environmental performance through improvements such as electrification and double tracking.  Sponsors of transformational capital projects will describe how their projects were envisioned, designed, funded, built, and poised to provide public benefits.  Each project is a reflection of ways the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is being utilized to make big things happen.

Closing Remarks:

• Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association

Moderator:

• Julie Kirschbaum, Director of Transit, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (Muni)

Panelists:

• Jessica Mefford-Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Valley Metro 
• Michelle Bouchard, Executive Director, Caltrain (Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board) 
• Lori Kahikina, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation