San Francisco Sets the Stage for Emerging Leaders Class of 2026

APTA’s 12^th class of its Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) convened prior to the Rail Conference in San Francisco, CA, for a three-day opening session. Program topics covered networking, emotional intelligence, and team building. Highlights included:

Enhance Your Networking Skills, which prepared class members to engage with APTA members during the conference and make meaningful contributions to conversations.
The Transit Café, where class members met with subject matter experts to learn and ask questions about transit areas outside of their specialty.
A Tour of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) cable car barn.

The Class of 2025 gained insights from ELP Committee members, mentors, and alumni, who served as faculty during the opening session. Additionally, the class absorbed expertise shared by numerous SFMTA employees.

Next Steps in the Program

The next cohort will begin engaging with national mentors, who will provide individual guidance, fresh perspectives on leadership development, and insights into potential career paths. At the same time, local mentors will support participants in navigating the complexities within their own organizations. Additionally, class members will present their organizational projects or initiatives during monthly webinars held from September through February 2026.

In September, the ELP Class of 2026 will convene for a two-day mid-year session held alongside APTA’s TRANSform Conference in Boston, MA. By May, project groups will submit their capstone topics and conduct research throughout the winter in preparation for presentations to be shared with APTA members and presented to APTA committees in Spring 2026. The program year will conclude with a three-day final session and graduation, held in conjunction with APTA’s Mobility Conference in Salt Lake City, UT.

Capstone Project Topics

Emerging Leaders cohorts are tasked with developing capstone project presentations that address pressing challenges within the transit industry. This collaborative effort encourages teamwork and includes outreach to transit agencies, along with conducting interviews and surveys with industry organizations. The primary goal of the capstone project is to share key findings and recommendations, support APTA members in addressing critical issues, and provide valuable insights for APTA committees focused on problem-solving and knowledge sharing.

APTA committee leaders are encouraged to submit research questions for Emerging Leaders Program groups to explore as part of their capstone projects. These projects are most impactful when developed in partnership with committee leadership. Since APTA committees typically meet during the Mobility Conference, ELP groups have the opportunity to present their findings in person. Please send proposed research topics to Karen Donald, senior program manager, educational services, at [email protected] by September 5. ELP groups will finalize their capstone topics by early October.

Class of 2026 Members and Sponsoring Organizations

Here are the 36 members of the Emerging Leaders Class of 2026:

Jenny Ackerson is a planner based in Minneapolis, MN, and is sponsored by Metro Transit.

Lourdes Alvarez is a transit planner based in West Covina, CA, and is sponsored by Foothill Transit.

Alex Askew is an interim manager of transportation based in Everett, WA, and is sponsored by Community Transit.

Erica Blonde is a senior planner based in Boston, MA, and is sponsored by HNTB.

Adam Borsch is a transit planner/engineer based in Denver, CO, and is sponsored by HDR.

Justin Browning is a senior insights analyst based in Washington, DC, and is sponsored by AlphaVu.

Michael Cox is a manager of sustainability projects based in Oakland, CA, and is sponsored by San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District.

Navi Dhaliwal is a manager, government & community affairs, based in San Carlos, CA, and is sponsored by Caltrain.

Taylor Eidt is a deputy director of capital projects & planning based in Vancouver, WA, and is sponsored by C-TRAN.

Seth Daphne Esmeson is a transit safety program manager based in Seattle, WA, and is sponsored by Sound Transit.

Divya Gandhi is a transportation planner III based in Oakland, CA, and is sponsored by AECOM.

Amy Garbarini is a Northern Virginia manager of transit planning based in Alexandria, VA, and is sponsored by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

Brianna Gaytan is a customer relations & sales project manager based in San Antonio, TX, and is sponsored by VIA Metropolitan Transit.

Gwen Griffin is a transit planner based in Washington, DC, and is sponsored by Nelson\Nygaard.

Sibtay Hassan Haider is a senior transit planner based in Philadelphia, PA, and is sponsored by Jacobs.

Di Kang is a consultant based in Portland, OR, and is sponsored by WSP USA.

Nick Keeling is a short-range service planner II based in Cincinnati, OH, and is sponsored by Cincinnati Metro.

Lori Lencheski is a real estate and TOD manager based in Charlotte, NC, and is sponsored by Charlotte Area Transit System.

Katie Mabry is a legislative representative based in Washington, DC, and is sponsored by APTA.

Kenzie Maidl is an associate manager, transit data, based in Seattle, WA, and is sponsored by Arcadis.

Rachel Mak is a senior financial analyst based in Orange, CA, and is sponsored by the Orange County Transportation Authority.

Carter McCoy is an associate manager, transit data, based in Washington, DC, and is sponsored by Cardinal Infrastructure.

Kellie Melleady is a customer experience lead based in Chester Springs, PA, and is sponsored by Transpro Consutling LLC.

Drew Merrill is a GIS transit service planner based in Columbus, OH, and is sponsored by the Central Ohio Transit Authority.

Nicholas Miller is a planner III based in Cleveland, OH, and is sponsored by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.

Catie Miller is a civil engineer based in Saint Paul, MN, and is sponsored by Kimley-Horn.

Matt Morley is an operations manager based in Fort Wayne, IN, and is sponsored by Citilink–Fort Wayne Public Transportation Company.

Emma Patel is a planning manager based in Monterey, CA, and is sponsored by the Monterey-Salinas Transit District.

Brigitte Pawliw-Fry is a northeast partnerships officer based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is sponsored by Transit app.

Senna Phillips is a principal transportation planner based in New York, NY, and is sponsored by MTA New York City Transit.

Meghan Schulz is a senior sustainability systems manager based in Philadelphia, PA, and is sponsored by Amtrak.

Adrienne Taylor is a corporate proposal manager based in Salt Lake City, UT, and is sponsored by Stacy and Witbeck, Inc.

Matthew Tyksinski is a senior transportation planner based in Newington, CT, and is sponsored by Connecticut DOT.

Cristobal Villegas is a community engagement specialist based in Salt Lake City, UT, and is sponsored by Utah Transit Authority.

Ayeola Williams is a deputy counsel based in Austin, TX, and is sponsored by CapMetro.

Aurora Zhu is a supervisor, data analysis, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is sponsored by the Toronto Transit Commission.