After completing the Operations Academy Senior Management Program in fall 2023, Lauren White acquired so many skills and expanded her professional and personal horizons so much, she wished she could take the course again. 

The coursework includes 40 hours of pre-study work to be done prior to the beginning of the classes, which taught Lauren about prioritizing work while remaining at her post as a facility maintenance supervisor at the Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA). 

Personally and professionally, the most important skills she acquired through the Operations Academy were identifying deadlines, and then meeting them. Her mastery of those skills was particularly evident as she was able to keep up with both her daily job responsibilities as well as the coursework. 

Lauren helps manage the Fort McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore, including its operations. She also gained many perspectives about intelligent transportation systems (ITS) from other professionals in her cohort, from departments of transportation all over the country. 

“I learned so much about different ITS-related topics, like ramp metering,” Lauren said. “The MTA has a ramp metering system, but we weren’t using it correctly.”

Her newly-acquired knowledge about this issue was a significant value added to her agency, because she could do more than just identify the problem—she could solve it. Her solution ultimately saved the MTA a great deal of money. 

“Through my coursework at the Operations Academy, I found better ways to operate and manage traffic with that ramp meter system, and I wouldn’t have known it otherwise,” she explained. 

Hearing others’ perspectives of the daily challenges everyone faces was the most illuminating aspect of participating in the Operations Academy. Because her professional network expanded so much, she knows she can always find support when she has difficulty. 

“One of the best things is you become part of an email chain that allows you to be able to ask questions of transportation professionals in the industry all over the U.S., and you’ll get lots of responses, and that’s what I think sets the Operations Academy apart,” she said. 

Her experience was so worthwhile; she believes others who get the opportunity to participate would regret it if they didn’t. She has been applying the skills she has taken away from the Operations Academy in her daily work life and is maximizing the benefits of having a wide and varied circle of professional support.