Alumni Spotlights

"Through the Operations Academy, I've established contacts all over the country and we have built a community with a common goal. "

Peter Paglia

Project Manager

Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory, University of Maryland

"Since my experience at the Operations Academy, I've been able to have more informed conversations with TSMO experts and put together my department’s needs with more clarity."

Charles Wade

Director of the Bureau of Planning and Economic Development

Wisconsin Department of Transportation

"My time in the Operations Academy put me in a cohort of other high performers and leaders, and what I learned there helps me do more to benefit the Town of Cary."

David Spencer

Transportation Engineering Manager

Town of Cary, North Carolina

"Even after 11 years, it’s all still pertinent, relevant and useful. Every segment of the Operations Academy was enriching. Nothing should have been left out. I wish I could go back."

Mia Silver

City Traffic Engineer

City of Santa Monica Department of Transportation

"I feel prepared, and I know how to navigate. The biggest accomplishments are when I’m working through the process. This made me rise to the occasion, and I loved every second of it."

Zack Neihof

TSMO Program Lead

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

"We came out of the Operations Academy better engineers, better planners, and better administrators."

Ken Knutson

Traffic Engineer for Operations for the Eastern Region

Washington State Department of Transportation

"I took my experience, put it into practice and formed a new division. My time in the Operations Academy translated directly into my career’s advancement."

Brad Freeze

Deputy Director

Nashville Department of Transportation and Multi-Modal Infrastructure

"If you’ve completed the program, you’re now part of a rich and distinguished group of transportation practitioners. Your career will flourish because of your participation."

Eric Hill

Director of Systems Management and Operations

MetroPlan Orlando

"Teaching us all how to see from different perspectives is extremely useful and helping us all see that is what the Operations Academy does very well."

Paul Manyisha

Tunnel Manager

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

"Effectively communicating our stories and our needs and the services we provide, and creating a constant feedback loop was among the greatest takeaway skills I acquired at the Operations Academy."

Ryan Knapp

Intelligent Transportation Systems Section Chief

Vermont Agency of Transportation

"I encourage everyone to go, dive in, put yourself out there as a colleague, and know you’re going to get out of it what you put into it."

Greg Duncan

Senior Engineer

Applied Pavement Technology, Spokane, Washington

"As a manager, I now see a larger picture, and the Operations Academy had a huge part in helping me understand that larger picture."

Rashad Rice

Division Chief of Transportation Management Center Operations

Maryland Department of Transportation

"In my two weeks at the Operations Academy, I learned months’ worth of useful material. It broadened me so that I was able to bring all the tools to the table that would help law enforcement do a better job."

Jeff King

Safety Specialist, Speed Management

Federal Highway Administration Arizona

"I learned how to improve traffic flow by thinking outside the box and learning to use every tool I could possibly throw at the problems."

Darin Hamelink

State Maintenance Director

Missouri Department of Transportation

"No one works alone in any department. The Operations Academy helped me build the relationships I needed to succeed. "

Vandana Mathur

Administrative Analyst in the Division of Operations

New Jersey Department of Transportation

"When I came out of the Operations Academy, I was thinking in a new way and seeing things from a different perspective."

Michael Paylor

Division Chief for Traffic Engineering and Operation

Montgomery County, Maryland

"I’m still in touch with many of my Operations Academy team members. That network is among the biggest benefits from my time at the Operations Academy."

Eddie Watkins

Traffic Operations Engineer

Maryland Department of Transportation

"In a communication session, I learned to gain buy-in, how to ‘read the room,’ and how to present information so it’s digestible. It put me on the right path to sell new ideas to my team."

Tim McCall

Olympic Region Freeway Operations Manager

Washington State Department of Transportation

"The Operations Academy changed how I participate in my organization. It changed my leadership's perspective on how I should be participating, and it prepared me for my current role in leadership."

Lara Bouck

Manager of Project Development

Metropolitan Orlando

"The best part was the camaraderie that we had in our group. There was always someone to talk to, and that’s never gone away."

Alvin Marquess

Senior Operations and ITS Specialist

Jacobs Engineering

"It’s been 16 years, and it’s definitely something I’m proud to say I did. The Operations Academy is a seed that was planted long ago, and it still benefits me."

Tony Leingang

WSDOT State ITS Program Administrator

Washington Department of Transportation

"Everything about the program helped us. It’s not possible to find this level of training elsewhere."

Todd Leiss

Traffic Incident Management Specialist

Jacobs Engineering

"In the Operations Academy, I learned a new way to make decisions. "

Susi Marlina

Project Delivery Team Leader

Federal Highway Administration Delaware

"Being an alumna of the Operations Academy adds a note of credibility to your experience. We hold ourselves to a higher standard, because we know better, and we can’t do anything less."

Laurie Matkowski

Vice President and Director of Planning

Gennett Fleming TranSystems

"I acquired so many skills and expanded my professional and personal horizons so much, I wish I could take the course again. "

Lauren White

Facility Maintenance Supervisor II

Maryland Transportation Authority

"Impactful, substantive discussions with other industry professionals prove invaluable. Attending the Operations Academy is a ‘sought-after spot every year!’"

LisaRene Schilperoort

Southwest Region Traffic Engineer

Washington State DOT

"Being in the sessions with professionals from around the country gave me a great resource to hear from others, ask questions, and understand how others are approaching TSMO strategies."

Joanna Wadsworth

Manager of Engineering

Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada

"My experience at the Ops Academy reaffirmed my career purpose. I learned I wasn’t a small cog in the wheel. I was a CRITICAL cog, and I learned why that was true."

Monica Harwood Duncan

Transportation Operations Specialist

Federal Highway Administration

"What I learned is that TSMO is a culture. It’s something you practice. It means collaboration, communication, and creating a culture in which lines are open."

San Lee

State Traffic Engineer

Colorado Department of Transportation

"Without the knowledge I learned at the Operations Academy, I would not be the Director of Iowa DOT. I have no doubt about that."

Scott Marler

Director

Iowa Department of Transportation

"One of the assignments at the Operations Academy™ was to list five actions to undertake after graduation from the program. One year later, the list is mailed back it you. I credit that list, plus my experiences at the Operations Academy, with my career success."

Said El Said

Transportation Program Manager

Neel Schaffer Engineering

"Looking back, completing the Operations Academy training was a great thing to do. Working with all those different people enriched me, and it helped me add to my credentials and step into the position I now have."

Reese Brewer

Director

Frontier Metropolitan Planning Organization

"For a collision reconstruction investigator, the Operations Academy communication sessions were ‘pivotal’"

Chuck Burkhardt

Commander, Tactical Intelligence

Pennsylvania State Police

"My experience at the Operations Academy transformed me into a champion for implementing TSMO strategies at my agency, and the lessons I learned were the foundation of a much-needed, new TSMO strategic plan for NCDOT."

Jennifer Portanova

TSMO Engineer

North Carolina DOT

"The most important benefit from the Operations Academy was I learned to better communicate to my agency what TSMO is and its impact. Now I’m able to demonstrate to our leadership what we need to invest in, and get their buy-in."

Alexandra Lopez

TSMO Engineer

Florida Department of Transportation

"I was exposed to many different types of training in 30 years with the Alabama DOT, but the Operations Academy was hands down, bar none, the most impactful training I ever took."

Chris Hilyer

National TSMO Leader

Arcadis

"Operations Academy Training was Pivotal: ‘You might find yourself running a DOT’"

Solomon Caviness

Commissioner

Atlanta DOT