Eric Hill took a deep and productive dive into the world of traffic engineering back in 2014, when he participated in the Operations Academy Senior Management Program. As Director of Systems Management and Operations at MetroPlan Orlando, he continues to apply what he learned at the Operations Academy, particularly in the area of TSMO (transportation systems management and operations.) 

Since his role as director required him to spend most of his time in planning, collaborating with other jurisdictions and Departments of Transportation, and allocating funds to support projects, he did not have much experience in TSMO. 

“What the Operations Academy helped me understand is that everyone who is part of a project from beginning to end needs to collaborate and understand each other,” he said. “You must understand, you’re now part of a network in the transportation community. The concept of TSMO has emerged since 2014 and it’s the way of the future in the transportation industry.”

The most important thing he learned in the Operations Academy is that TSMO is much more about technology than the planning he’d been accustomed to, and it forced him to expand his knowledge about traffic engineering. 

Each Operations Academy cohort must complete a major, collaborative group project. Eric was his group’s leader, and at first, understanding the role of the traffic engineers in the project was a challenge. 

“Being group leader helped me understand their role, how they think, and how they see a project,” he said. “Everything I learned in the Operations Academy helped me later.”

Many of Eric’s stakeholders at MetroPlan Orlando are elected officials who do not always have the time to grasp all the details of a project. That’s exactly why Eric developed what he calls an “elevator speech,” to succinctly explain TSMO to them in a way that can resonate, that will open the doors to resources for the project and build needed credibility.

 “One of the most significant skills I took away from the Operations Academy was how to communicate a TSMO project to your benefactors,” he said. “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.”