Biographies

Kome Ajise

Executive Director, Southern California Association of Governments

Kome Ajise is the Executive Director of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the nation’s largest Metropolitan Planning Organization.  His responsibilities include developing and updating the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) which is the long-range blueprint that identifies projects and strategies to address the region’s transportation challenges as well as improve system performance, and the Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) which is the short-term programming document that identifies specific funding sources and amounts needed to implement the projects in the RTP.  He is also responsible for long-range transportation planning specific to goods movement, aviation, transit and passenger rail, transportation demand management/transportation systems management, intelligent transportation systems, and transportation finance among others. At SCAG, Kome also oversees a comprehensive program of environmental issues analysis with emphasis on land use, housing, active transportation, air quality, and environmental justice.

Prior to SCAG, Kome was the Chief Deputy Director at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), where he was responsible for the internal operations of the Department with 18,000 plus employees and a budget that exceeds $1.1 billion.

Kome has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography and Regional Planning from the University of Benin, Nigeria and a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from California State University, Fresno.

Frederick Jordan, PE

President
F. E. Jordan Associates, Inc.
Engineers, Planners, Construction
Managers, Environmental Scientists

Fred Jordan is a civil engineer, structural engineer, environmental engineer, construction manager and real estate developer. He is the co-founder of the first African American Civil Engineering and Construction Management firm in the western part of the US, completing over 1,000 projects in the US, Africa and Central America. The firm has received over 45 awards for business and engineering excellence.

Some of the firm’s accolades have been Prime Consulting Engineers on the “Most Outstanding Container Terminal Design” in the World, Port of Oakland, CA; Civil Engineers on the largest vehicle tunnel in the World, Seattle, WA,; Structural Engineers on the longest linear accelerator in the World, Stanford University; bridges and tunnels directly on Hayward Earthquake Fault, transit extensions to the San Francisco International Airport and San Francisco Giants Ballpark and even the resurfacing design of the street that US President Obama lives on in Chicago.

In real estate development, he was joint venture partner with Carpenter & Co and Starwood Hotels in the development of the 40 Story 6 Star St. Regis Hotel and Condominiums that includes the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD). Jordan holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in civil engineering from Howard University and Stanford University, respectively, and hold professional engineer licenses in California and 15 other states.

An ardent civil rights and minority business advocate, He is past President and currently Chairman of the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce and is founding Board Chairman of the Associated Professionals and Contractors of California (APAC). The Chamber, under previous terms of his presidency, was a founding member of the California Black Chamber of Commerce, Sacramento, CA and the National Black Chamber of Commerce, Washington, DC, where he served as Board Chair succeeding his mentor, Dr. Arthur Fletcher, former Asst. Secretary of Labor and “Father of Affirmative Action.” He is a co-founder of “Black Business Month,” which is celebrated in 17 States annually during the month of August.

Stacey Mortensen

Executive Director, San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission

Stacey Mortensen is the Executive Director of the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission and a visionary leader in the field of transportation. Stacey’s ambitious goal is to modernize the existing ACE train and dramatically expand service to cities in the Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area. Stacey is a true consensus-builder and works with community leaders and elected officials to create partnerships for success in transforming the Valley’s commuter rail infrastructure.

Stacey has 23 years of experience in transportation planning, having started her career conducting traffic counts for the City of Vacaville. This sparked her initial interest in public works, road design, and transit, Stacey soon propelled herself into a managerial position, working in the Engineering and Passenger Rail Service for the San Joaquin County.

As founding Executive Director for the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, Stacey helped launch the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) train service in 1998. The train runs from Stockton to San Jose on a limited schedule, but exciting plans are in the works to expand service and bring in sleek modern new trains. Stacey knows how to get things done and she played a fundamental role in the restoration of the once dilapidated, though iconic, Southern Pacific Station in downtown Stockton. This station currently serves as the northern terminus for the ACE train that carries passengers to San Jose. Many ACE train riders are commuting to jobs in Silicon Valley.

Stacey is now working in partnership with the California High-Speed Rail Authority to ensure that San Joaquin County and broader Central Valley’s issues are addressed in the development of the statewide high-speed rail system. Stacey often makes trips to Washington D.C. to brief Congress and transportation agencies like the Federal Railroad Administration about transportation priorities and progress being made in the San Joaquin Valley.

In addition to her dedication and achievements at the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, Stacey is deeply committed to the development of her staff and education of younger generations. Stacey understands the significance of mentorship and its profound effects on one’s professional development, and as such, continually provides guidance to her staff as well as seeks support and advice from senior colleagues practicing in private and public sectors. In order to foster awareness in younger populations about the complexities of transportation planning and management, Stacey is eager to engage, empower and educate young people – particularly females as transportation is still a male-dominant field.

Stacy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Planning and Management from U.C. Davis and currently resides with her thirteen animals in a quiet neighborhood, nestled between the City of Ione and Jackson. Stacey enjoys spending her free time outdoors and taking long-distance adventures on her motorcycle.

Bijan Sartipi

Caltrans District 4 Director

Bijan Sartipi with over 36 years of civil service with two state agencies prior to his retirement in 2018 from the California Department of Transportation where he served in a number of high profile engineering, management and executive leadership positions.

He was the Caltrans District 4 Director since 2002, serving for over 15 years. As District 4 Director, Sartipi was responsible for managing the day-to-day operation of state highway systems in the nine Bay Area counties covering over 6,500-lane miles of state freeways and highways, seven toll bridges, numerous drawbridges, ferries and tunnels, with close to 3,300 employees, an annual budget of $500 million for salary and operating expenses, and a construction program exceeding $6.3 billion at its highest point. During his 15 years service as the District Director, Sartipi oversaw the delivery of over $17 billion in new construction in Bay Area.

A graduate of the University of the Pacific in Stockton with a degree in civil engineering, Sartipi has extensive experience in design, program/project management as well as construction and capital program delivery. Sartipi has been involved in the design, development, delivery and management of major transportation infrastructure improvement projects in Bay Area, such as the Central Freeway, the San Francisco International Airport expansion project’s ramps and roadway improvements, the Devil’s Slide tunnels, Presidio Parkway P3 Projects, the Caldecott Tunnel 4th Bore, the Marin-Sonoma Narrows projects, Interstate 580 Freight Corridor Improvement Projects, the I-80 and US-101 (ICM) SMART Corridor projects, Jameson Canyon in Solano and Napa Counties and other major transportation infrastructure improvements in the Bay Area. Sartipi successfully managed to deliver 100% of all Capital Improvement Projects in the Bay Area each fiscal year for over 8 years. Sartipi has broad knowledge of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), Transportation Infrastructure Technology and how deployment of autonomous and connected vehicle can help shape the future mobility and address our transportation needs.

Sartipi also led successful responses to major emergencies such as the collapse of the MacArthur Maze, the Russian River Bridge, tanker truck fires in San Mateo and Alameda counties plus numerous other regional emergencies. Sartipi served as a Commissioner of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) the regional planning organization representing the California State Transportation Agency. Sartipi also served as a Commissioner of the Bay Conservation Development Commission (BCDC), as an ex-officio member of the board of directors of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA), a member of the AC Transit BRT Policy Steering Committee, and the Bay Area Joint Policy Committee. Sartipi is a registered Professional Engineer, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS).

Beverly A. Scott, Ph.D. – “People and Communities Matter”

CEO, Beverly Scott Associates, LLC and Senior Partner, Parker Infrastructure Partners, LLC

Dr. Scott is a frequent speaker on the critical need to invest in smart, next generation infrastructure to advance American competitiveness, sustainable outcomes, and “shared prosperity”. Beverly Scott Associates, LLC, is an infrastructure-focused executive management consultant practice which specializes in workforce development at all levels; practical solutions and results that advance equity and inclusion; improve safety, reliability, overall system performance; and achieve positive outcomes for people and communities.
Dr. Scott is a Senior Partner with Parker Infrastructure Partners, LLC, an infrastructure provider of essential infrastructure that focuses on opportunities to develop projects that create value for both the public and private sectors; and improves economic, social impact, and environmental outcomes for all people and communities (https://parkerinfrastructure.com). Most recently, she founded, Introducing Youth to American Infrastructure+ (“iyai+”), a national non-profit dedicated to inspiring, educating, and engaging today’s youth to be tomorrow’s American infrastructure leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and skilled workforce – with special emphasis on improving the active participation and outcomes for our most vulnerable youth and historically underutilized groups – people of color and women (www.iyai.org).
She serves as a Senior Fellow at the Transportation Learning Center, the only national transportation labor-management partnership focused on skills training, research, safety and health for the sector’s frontline workforce (www.transportcenter.org); a Research Associate and Adjunct Professor at the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University (www.transweb.sjsu.edu); and in an Advisory capacity to the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard University Law School in the areas of transportation, infrastructure, and equity (www.charleshamiltonhouston.org).

In 2011, she was appointed by President Obama to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC), a panel of experts including top business executives, leading academics and local government officials who report to the White House through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with responsibility for making policy recommendations to protect and preserve the physical assets that are critical to the U.S. economy and national security. In 2012, she was appointed NIAC Vice-Chair and currently serves in that capacity (www.dhs.gov/national infrastructure).
Dr. Scott’s career in the public transportation industry spans more than three decades, including four appointments as General Manager/CEO – General Manager, Massachusetts Bay Transportation and Rail & Transit Administrator for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), the Sacramento Regional Transit Authority (SRTD), and the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), one of four statewide public transit systems. She has also served in senior level positions at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York), New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJT), the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA), Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), and the Houston Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Houston METRO).
Dr. Scott is recognized throughout the U.S. and North American transportation industry for her visionary leadership, results driven management style; focus on people and communities; and progressive approach to labor management relations. Among her most notable industry contributions is her pivotal leadership role in the critical areas of workforce and leadership development and work to improve outcomes for people and communities – particularly our most vulnerable. In this regard, she is an ardent proponent for significantly increased “people development and investment” at all levels.
Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards and recognitions, i.e., the Hubert Humphrey Award for Distinguished Public Service from the American Political Science Association (APSA), Government Sector Pinnacle Award from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce for Outstanding Service, the prestigious Sharon A. Banks Humanitarian Service Award from the Transportation Research Board, National Academies of Science; named Woman of the Year by the Women’s Transportation Seminar, and is a recipient of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials “Women Who Move the Nation” award. She was named a “Transportation Innovator of Change” by President Barack Obama and the U.S. Department of Transportation for her long record of exemplary leadership and service in the transportation industry.

A past Chairperson of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Rail-Volution (railvolution.org); Board member, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), American Public Transportation Foundation (APTF), Women’s Transportation Seminar International (WTS), the Transportation Research Board TOPS Committee, and Women’s Transportation Seminar Foundation, Dr. Scott currently serves on the national Boards of the American Public Transportation Association (www.apta.com), Americans for Transit (www.americansfortransit.org); and Jobs To Move America, Vice Chair (jobstomoveamerica.org).

Dr. Scott holds a doctorate in political science, with a specialization in public administration from Howard University; and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Fisk University (magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa).

William Ibbs

Full CV

William Ibbs is professor and group leader of the Construction Management program in the civil engineering department at the University of California at Berkeley.  He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in construction management since 1981, specializing in project cost estimating, cost control, and scheduling.  His teaching and research have received numerous awards at the national level.

Dr. Ibbs’s research has investigated the subject of project change and its impact on cost and schedule for large projects.  That work has led to a series of quantitative models that correlate the cost and schedule consequences of large amounts of project change.  These models have been derived from empirical study of over 2,000 large capital construction projects including Boston’s Big Dig, and Johannesburg’s Guatrain and Copenhagen’s Comet systems.  Over the past thirty years this research has been sponsored by dozens of companies (General Motors, Bechtel) and government agencies (US Army Corps of Engineers, National Science Foundation).  This research has resulted in doctoral degrees for thirty of his students, some of whom are now college professors and leading industry executives.

In addition to his academic career Professor Ibbs is an active consultant, chairing The Ibbs Consulting Group.  He has served as an expert witness and project neutral, qualifying to testify in federal and state courts, and international arbitration.  That research work has led to a vibrant consulting practice on matters involving project change and its impact on project cost, schedule, and success.

Dr. Ibbs and his company have worked on some of the biggest, most complex projects in the world including Boston’s Big Dig, refineries, chemical plants, hospitals, process plants, transit systems, and powerplants.  Clients include various large, global private sector and public entities throughout the US, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America.  He has also testified before the California senate on the High-Speed Rail and Bay Bridge projects.

Prior to his academic career, Dr. Ibbs worked in industry as a project engineer and project manager on heavy-civil, commercial and industrial construction projects.

In light of his standing Professor Ibbs was selected by his peers and the American Society of Civil Engineers to chair a committee that is establishing International Standards for Identifying, Quantifying, and Proving Loss of Productivity Claims.  Professor Ibbs earned B.S. and M.S. degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley, all in civil engineering with a construction management emphasis.  He has minors in accounting and finance.