Who We Are

Samuel leverages his project management and analytical skills to support the Emerging Trends analysis for the Florida DOT Forecasting and Trends Office.  Sam previously worked as a Transportation/Drainage Engineer performing roadway design, drainage design, signing and pavement marking design, written reports, supporting calculations, on-site inspections, crash data analyses, cost estimating, and 3D modeling. Roadway projects ranged from Widening/New Construction, RRR, and PD&E studies. Sam also has experience in performing Classification and Compensation studies for public sector clients across the country. Overall, Sam has 10 years of Transportation/Drainage Engineering, Construction Engineering, and Consulting experience.

Sam holds a Professional Engineer's license, a Project Management Professional certification, and a Building Contractor's License. He also holds a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, as well as an MBA, both from Florida State University.

Interests & Hobbies

Sam is active in his local church and enjoys Braves baseball, Florida State athletics, reading and studying, weightlifting, Krav Maga, Ironman triathlon, traveling, and country line dancing.

Kirk T. Steudle is an independent senior executive advisor and President of the Steudle Executive Group, LLC focused on advancing national transportation policy, executive coaching, and integrating technology into transportation.  His current clients include public agencies, private businesses, and academic institutions.  He is a noted expert in surface transportation and a nationally recognized leader in the integration of technology into transportation and the development of connected vehicle technology.

During his 32-year public employee career, he served as Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) from 2006-2018 directly serving both Democrat Governor Jennifer Granholm and Republican Governor Rick Snyder. Aside from his political, executive and management experience, he is a registered engineer in Michigan and had extensive experience in construction project management with his Civil Engineering degree focused on Construction Engineering. Kirk worked in every aspect of the DOT from Design and Maintenance to Permitting and Operations. He was instrumental in the significant development of the CAV ecosystem in Michigan.

Kirk, recently retired as Sr Vice President from Econolite Systems, an international traffic management and software company headquartered in California, where he ran the software, ITS integration, and field services businesses as well as the consulting services business.

He has led and contributed to significant research work with NCHRP, many with Cambridge Systematics, most recently completing Phase 1 of the National Vision for Transportation and currently starting Phase 2.  Previously he was the Principal Investigator for the development of the AASHTO Strategic plan and numerous asset management and ITS projects.

Mr. Steudle has extensive industry and business contacts developed over his 4-decade career. He served as president to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AASHTO, chaired the Transportation Research Board, TRB, executive committee and chaired for the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, ITSA, Board of Directors. He is the current President of the Engineering Society of Detroit, a Board Trustee of Lawrence Technological University, serves on the Texas Technology Task Force and previously was a Board member of the Center for Automotive Research and an elected City Council member for the City of Essexville, Michigan.

Mr. Stock is a economist, researcher and quantitative analyst experienced in developing and executing innovative methods to collect and analyze information to support client research goals. His clients have included the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and Transport Canada, as well as many regional, state and metropolitan agencies. His 40 years of experience includes regional economic impact assessment, benefit/cost analysis, operations analysis, policy analysis, business case development, grant writing, and research design and management. His focus for the past 27 years has been on determining impacts of programmatic, technological and infrastructure improvements on the profitability, efficiency, safety and security of transportation systems.

Karl graduated from UC Berkeley in December 2020 with a Master of City Planning and MS in Transportation Engineering. During his graduate studies, Karl focused his research on micromobility policy and transit use and demand. Prior to that, Karl worked as an energy consultant for clients in New England and graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine.

Interests & Hobbies

Karl enjoys staying active in his free time by hiking, swimming, biking, and playing tennis.

Mathew Trostle is an Associate at Cambridge Systematics with experience in travel model development and application, data analysis, GIS analysis, and transportation safety planning. Mr. Trostle has experience in trip-based and activity-based travel demand model development, calibration, and application. He has also made contributions in data validation, network coding, data visualization, and alternatives analysis for numerous travel-demand forecasting projects from statewide model development to subarea modeling and corridor studies.

Mr. Trostle received a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado Denver and a Bachelor’s degree in Aviation Technology from the Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Interests & Hobbies

Mat enjoys skiing, biking, running, and hiking with his wife and their dogs in his home state of Colorado or anywhere else their travels might take them.

As the CS Client Relationship Manager, Susan brings her "insider's" understanding of government to her CS clients based on her interdisciplinary skills and customer perspective developed during a unique public service career at USDOT, the US House of Representatives, the US Senate, and OMB. She broke the glass ceiling as the first woman to lead an FHWA field office as Division Administrator -- giving her insights into strategic management, program delivery and problem solving that are valuable to her clients. Her focus on funding and financing, performance-based needs analysis, legislation, and transportation policy analysis have been successfully applied in an eclectic portfolio of national and state clients such as TRB's Interstate Futures Study, FHWA "reinvention" of the Conditions and Performance Report, exploration of road user charging via a New Zealand study tour and analyses of education strategies for VMT strategies, and studying the implications and current use of program flexibilities under the Federal-aid Highway Program.

Interests & Hobbies

During the pandemic, she returned to her creative hobbies, needlepointing, knitting, and crocheting up a storm. She's now turning to her stained glass and quilting projects. All will help decorate the house that she, and her husband Michael, are updating at the beach.

Linnea holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School. She has expertise in environmental and sustainability planning, land use, and transit-oriented development. She came to the professional planning world via land use reform advocacy in Minneapolis, where she currently lives.

Lauren has over eight years of experience overseeing and administering transportation planning programs. Prior to joining CS, Lauren was a Senior Planner at a mid-sized MPO in New York, creating and analyzing data to support sustainable transportation and land use policies. She specializes in data analysis, public engagement, and multimodal planning.

Interests & Hobbies

Lauren loves reading, staying active, and exploring new places. She lives with her husband and two dogs in the Mid-Hudson Valley.

Rachel Vierstra joined Cambridge Systematics, Inc. (CS) after earning dual master's degrees in urban planning and public health from the University of Washington. Before to joining CS, Rachel worked for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the Seattle Department of Transportation. Her prior work has informed her interest in how the built environment, equity, and community health intersect with each other.

Interests & Hobbies

In her free time, Rachel loves to bake, read, and travel. She lives in Boston and loves her bike commute to the Medford office.

Jack Glodek joined Cambridge Systematics in 2019 following his graduate studies at Georgia Institute of Technology. With CS, Jack has assisted with safety, transit, freight, and all-encompassing transportation projects. At Georgia Tech, Jack was a Graduate Research Assistant working on a number of travel demand modeling and forecasting projects for Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Interests & Hobbies

Jack grew up in Philadelphia and is a passionate supporter of its sports teams. In his free time, Jack enjoys watching film, commuting by bicycle, and playing board games and puzzles.

Greta joined CS in 2022 after three years of modeling experience for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. She brings experience in model calibration & validation, survey analysis, statistics, network editing, and GIS.

Interests & Hobbies

In her free time, Greta likes exploring the restaurant scene of Oakland (thanks to AC buses and the BART), reading sci-fi & fantasy novels, hiking, and traveling with her partner, Peter.

Michelle Bina is a Senior Associate of Cambridge Systematics (CS) in the Travel Demand Forecasting group. Michelle's experience includes travel demand modeling and application, specializing in project management, activity-based modeling, statewide modeling, and transit forecasting.

Interests & Hobbies

In her free time, she likes hiking and exploring all the beauty of Colorado with her family and traveling just about anywhere and everywhere.

Heide has been instrumental in the success of the CS software group from its earliest days. She brings a rare diversity of skills: excelling at QA, data analysis, project management and staff management. She has also played a critical role in strengthening the management of our Mobility Information platform. A team player who always prioritizes the needs of the organization and her colleagues, she has made invaluable contributions as a coach, manager, and mentor to junior staff.  

Interests & Hobbies

Heide enjoys hiking, playing in the snow and paddleboarding. She is an avid baker and loves chocolate chip cookes.

Mr. Harrington is Regional Manager for Cambridge Systematics’ planning practice in the Mid-Atlantic region with more than 28 years of professional experience in transportation planning in the public and private sectors. Tom has served as a Project Manager in multiple studies that focus on transit systems planning, transit corridor studies and alternatives analysis, and performance-based multimodal evaluation and project prioritization.

Interests & Hobbies

In his free time, Tom spends time biking and swimming. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with his wife Claire and daughter Fiona.

Richard is a Junior Analyst at Cambridge Systematics (CS) and has been a team member since 2018. In his 3 years with CS he has worked in various planning related capacities including congestion management, transit planning, long range plans, safety studies, resilience planning and other technical and non-technical capacities. Prior to his joining CS, he worked with the Mobility Policy Research team at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida for 4 years where he conducted Florida travel behavior research that informed Florida Department of Transportation Central Office decision making. Throughout his time at CUTR he earned his Bachelor and Masters degrees in Transportation Engineering, held office with the University’s Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) chapter, was the captain and champion of the ITE National Traffic Bowl competition, and was the recipient of the United States Department of Transportation National Center for Transit Research Outstanding Student of the Year Award 2017. He is currently located in the CS Denver office where he works closely with the Colorado DOT Freight Advisory Council and the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.

Interests & Hobbies

Richard's interests include playing and watching sports of all kinds, hiking, swimming, exploring local restaurants and challenging himself to try new things.

Guilherme Leao is a Transportation Analyst at Cambridge Systematics. With a degree in Urban Studies, he has a wide range of skills, from Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to public policy analysis. Since joining Cambridge Systematics, he has been involved in various state Transportation Systems Management & Operations (TSMO) efforts, as well as projects related to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Freight Planning, and Systems Engineering. Guilherme is also fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish.

Interests & Hobbies

In his free time, Guilherme enjoys watching movies and documentaries, and exploring cities around the U.S. and the world. He was born in South Florida and lives in Chicago.

Ken is a Senior Associate with expertise in strategic planning, finance, grant writing, capital programming, policy analysis, and transit operations. Ken has helped public agencies secure more than $270 million in competitive transportation grant funds across 13 awards for highway and transit projects, and he is experienced in developing detailed benefit-cost analyses. Prior to joining CS, Dr. White led RIDOT’s Office of Transit and Capital Programming, where he managed the state's $9 Billion STIP, coordinated the deployment of Rhode Island’s IIJA funds and programs, and represented RIDOT on the Northeast Corridor Commission (NECC). He received a Special Achievement in GIS Award in 2023 for his work developing map-based transportation planning tools. He holds a Ph.D. and Master's in Political Science from Brown University and dual Bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Economics, summa cum laude, from Union College.

Interests & Hobbies

Ken enjoys cooking, basketball, and exploring new restaurants with his wife, Allison, and their dog, Franklin.

Marisela Cruz is a Certified Federal Contract Manager who possesses a broad knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. She has more than eight years of experience providing advice and guidance on a wide range of contractual activities, serving as an expert in all matters involving the interpretation of contract requirements and company policies.

She has successfully negotiated and managed GSA, IDIQ, T&M, FFP, and CPFF contracts of products and professional services supporting the Department of Defense and the United States Forest Service.
She has exceptional track record in reviewing RFPs; assisting in preparation of cost proposals and budgets; developing competitive and profitable rates and overall pricing strategies; negotiating pricing and rates with government clients; and responding to pre-award/post-award audits.

Interests & Hobbies

In her spare time, you can catch Marisela tasting different cuisines with her friends at restaurants in downtown Chicago or hiking with her husband and Gunther, their basset hound/bloodhound mix. When Marisela isn’t dining or hiking, she’s solving Sudoku or watching one of her favorite TV shows, Game of Thrones (only up to the seventh season).

Xinbo holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Northwestern Polytechnical University, as well as a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Purdue University. Prior to joining CS, Xinbo served as a Senior Transportation Engineer at Evansville MPO, where he crafted travel demand model, microsimulation models and customized tools, while also conducting engineering and big data analyses. Here at CS, Xinbo will continue his commitment to developing effective, efficient, and user-friendly models.

Interests & Hobbies

Beyond his professional pursuits, Xinbo is an avid traveler, soccer enthusiast, and board game aficionado. He also shares his home with two beloved cats and tends to a thriving collection of koi fish. We're delighted to have Xinbo on board and look forward to his contributions to our team!

Lily holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Texas State University in San Marcos, TX as well as a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA. Prior to joining CS, Lily worked as a Management and Program Analyst Student Trainee with the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General where she supported the Procurement & Acquisitions auditing team. Prior to this, Lily managed the Alamo Commutes transportation demand management program at the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization in San Antonio, TX.

Interests & Hobbies

In her spare time, she enjoys all things food - eating it, reviewing it, cooking it, watching it, reading about it, and talking about it. She lives in Ithaca, NY with her fiancé and rescue dog.

Tory holds a Master's Degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC), where she sharpened her skills in community engagement, graphic design, and planning. She has interests in equitable development, shared mobility, universal design, and community based economics. Prior to her return to school and the United States, she worked as an English teacher in Southeast Asia for three years, gaining experiences in community building and cultural collaboration.

Interests & Hobbies

In her free time, Tory enjoys scuba diving, photography, traveling, and volunteering as a member of the Associate's Board of Special Olympics Chicago.

Mr. Patel brings over 20 years of professional experience in business and engineering to Cambridge Systematics, specializing in asset management, operations and maintenance, systems engineering, software implementation, change and quality management, CAPEX and OPEX budgeting, program and performance management, creative problem solver, process and standards development, business strategy, departmental mergers, and developing highly effective cross-functional teams. For the past nine years, Mr. Patel has had a leadership role in Asset Management for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), becoming a nationally recognized leader in the field.

Interests & Hobbies

In his free time Sati enjoys his family and friends and living asset management! as an active DIY-er he has decades of experience remodeling his own home and that of family members. Sati also loves to learn and experience new things and meet new people as he and his family explore the United States. He lives and works in Massachusetts and has 5 children.

Jyoti works as a Transportation Analyst Jr I and supports Florida DOT District 4 contracts held by CS, including Level of Service reporting for the Planning office and transit corridor analysis for the Modal Development office as well as resilience projects across Florida.

Interests & Hobbies

In his spare time, Jyoti likes to play soccer, and tennis. Jyoti also enjoys hiking, watching movies, and trying different cuisines.

Russ has over 15 years of experience in traffic safety, public policy, advocacy, communications, strategic planning, and association program, meeting, and training management. He is a national expert on behavioral aspects of traffic safety. Prior to joining CS, Russ was Senior Director of Policy and Government Relations at the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), where he represented GHSA's state and territorial highway safety office members on the national level and supported the implementation of impactful state and local traffic safety programs. Russ also served at AAA National where he helped AAA's network of motor clubs advocate to improve state traffic safety laws and initiatives. Throughout his career, Russ has partnered with a constellation of policymakers, advocates, government agencies, insurers, automakers, tech companies, criminal justice and public health authorities, researchers, engineers, and other stakeholders to improve transportation for all and prevent crashes, deaths and injuries on our roads.

Interests & Hobbies

Russ lives in Northern Virginia and enjoys listening to and making music, visiting bookstores, cooking at home, and spending time with family.

Alex has over 15 years of experience as a strategic transportation planner, providing insights across a range of issues at the metropolitan level. Prior to joining CS, Alex was Assistant Director with the Genesee Transportation Council, where he was responsible for the Transportation Improvement Program and implementation of an innovative, multi-modal performance-based planning process in the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region.

Interests & Hobbies

Alex lives in Rochester and enjoys hiking and swimming with his wife, twin daughters, and their golden retriever, Gus.

Ms. Wakeman has more than 10 years of experience and serves as a Senior Designer. At Cambridge Systematics (CS), she conceives and creates a full range of design products, including infographics, logos, product overviews, brochures, print ads, posters, and cards—integrating new design concepts and themes to meet unique requirements of individual clients. She edits documents for grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, and overall consistency according to the firm’s style sheet or client guidelines. She creates special formats and templates from client specifications and proofreads completed hard copies of documents for revision quality and correct formatting. She is trained in ArcGIS and has developed a range of maps for project deliverables. In addition, she has extensive experience in Section 508 compliance.

Interests & Hobbies

In her free time she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, hiking, and cooking new dishes.

Ms. Ni joined Cambridge Systematics in 2019 as a Travel Demand Modeler with diverse range of skills and interests in travel demand modeling, big data analytics, transportation and land use, and transportation policies.

Interests & Hobbies

Xuenan likes soccer and boxing (pre-covid).

Dalia has 15 years of experience planning for the future of multimodal mobility. Her work focuses on transit planning and analysis, travel demand forecasting, and planning for emerging transportation technologies and their impacts on travel behavior and the built environment. Dalia has worked extensively for agencies across the country, particularly around the Washington DC metropolitan region. She uses her unique expertise to combine the technical areas of modeling, planning, and engineering to distill highly technical analysis to decision-makers and the public in a way that is understandable and useful. Dalia was named a Top Young Professional by ENR Mid-Atlantic in 2019.

Interests & Hobbies

Dalia lives in Washington, DC and enjoys exploring restaurants and theaters in and around the District. She is an avid traveler and is currently planning more trips than she will ever actually get to take.

Leonardo ‘Leo’ Cavalcanti is an Associate at CS, with experience in supporting transport and economic development strategies to plan and fund sustainable mobility and governmental interventions in the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean. As an Environmental Scientist with a Master's in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University, Leo has been a part of engagements related to freight, trade, economic planning, decarbonization, and resilience. He also served as a Manager of Capital Program Planning at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, helping to develop and implement the Authority's five-year capital investment plan. At CS, Leo focuses on advising our clients on matters related to freight, economics, and resilience.

Interests & Hobbies

Leo spends his free time trying out new food, deciding which music concert to go to, and what city to visit next.

Heath Lupton joined Cambridge Systematics as a Travel Demand Modeler with experience in data analytics and travel demand modeling practices. Heath also has experience in transportation planning and is proficient in QGIS, ArcGIS, R, and Python.

Isabel is a Principal at Cambridge Systematics (CS) with 25 years of experience in benefit-cost and economic impact analyses of existing and proposed transportation infrastructure and services for passenger and goods movement; statewide, regional, and urban freight planning; freight corridor analysis; supply chain and commodity flow analysis; freight performance metrics; and road safety analysis. Isabel has used both quantitative models and qualitative methods to estimate the full range of benefits from transportation improvements and related economic growth. Isabel has also led several benefit-cost analyses in support of successful grant applications for highway, freight, transit, and active transportation projects. Isabel is the Vice-Chair and Paper Review Coordinator of the TRB International Trade and Transportation Committee (AT020) and a Member of the TRB Agriculture and Food Transportation Committee (AT030).

Interests & Hobbies

I enjoy hiking, visiting museums, eating food from other countries, and drinking my morning and afternoon coffee.

Mark is a Senior Assoicate at Cambridge Systematics with expertise in Travel Demand Model application and development, transit ridership forecasting, discrete choice models, and toll road studies. Mark has been involved in a wide variety of projects since he began his transporation planning career in 2005, many of them utilizing his background in applied math and statistics.

Interests & Hobbies

In his free time, Mark enjoys playing his electric and acoustic guitars, running, hiking, playing board games, and spending time with his 12-year-old daughter Allison (with two Ls) and his partner Alison (with one L).

Ryan J. Ellis is a Market Leader at Cambridge Systematics, Inc. (CS), as part of the Planning division at the firm. Based in Atlanta, GA, Ryan brings over fifteen years of experience in transportation marketing, communications, sales, and public/employer engagement. Paired with his work experience in both the public and private sectors, Ryan works to connect our clients’ vision to the unique planning services offered by CS. Before joining Cambridge, he served as a lead Marketing Strategist with ICF International’s Georgia Transportation practice, where his work included business development and branding and communications assistance for projects such as the New York Department of Transportation’s statewide Transportation Demand Management program and ITS4US demonstrations in Gwinnett County, Georgia, and Buffalo, New York.

Interests & Hobbies

Outside of work, Ryan and his partner, Josue, are avid travelers, often spending time exploring new countries and destinations each year. Currently, they reside just outside of Atlanta, GA, along with their two dogs rescue dogs, Mikey and Bulleit.

Rachel Copperman has expertise in developing and applying travel demand models. Her focus areas include developing advanced and innovative models and intercity passenger rail and urban transit ridership forecasting. She is a leading expert in incorporating uncertainty and risk analysis within the travel forecasting process.

Sheldon is a skillful leader, team-builder and manager who reaches across offices and practice areas to collaborate, innovate, and problem-solve. Sheldon has an exceptional ability to communicate complex issues and ideas like data and modeling. He has been instrumental in modeling and planning activities across the Southeast, providing our clients with data-driven results. That talent, together with his consistent dedication to supporting his peers in delivering the highest quality work, has made him a highly sought-after collaborator and mentor to junior, mid- and senior-level staff.

Mr. Beagan is a Principal of Cambridge Systematics (CS) with more than 45 years of experience in transportation, traffic analysis, and planning in the public and private sectors, and is a recognized expert on freight forecasting.

Interests & Hobbies

Mr. Beagan enjoys all forms of Pop Culture, especially animation and old movies and TV. Mr. Beagan is an avid sports fan, particularly of baseball and has visited almost all of the major league baseball parks, and and most of the minor league parks in the East Coast States. Mr. Beagan is a Disney expert and has been to the Disney theme parks in Florida and California many times.

Brad is the President & CEO of Cambridge Systematics, Inc. Prior to his appointment as CEO in 2011, he founded and led several CS business lines focused on technology planning in transportation, freight transportation, and developing and implementing software solutions for our clients. Before joining CS, Brad worked for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and in Civil Engineering Group at United Parcel Service. He has a B.S., in Business Management from Northeastern University.

Interests & Hobbies

Brad lives outside of Boston with his wife and three sons. In his free time Brad enjoys playing golf and watching his kids play football, hockey and lacrosse. He also enjoys spending time on Long Island, Maine, where he is a member of the Civic Association's Board of Directors.

Danny Shopf is an Associate with Cambridge Systematics, Inc. He has experience in long range policy planning and safety planning. Danny provides support for the development and implementation of Florida's statewide long range plan, the Florida Transportation Plan (FTP) and Florida high-priority transportation network with the Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) Policy Plan. Danny has also developed Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSPs) for multiple states and currently supports multiple traffic safety coalitions focused on SHSP implementation.

Chris has 15 years of experience in multi-state, statewide, and urban freight and rail planning.  He has led the development of regional and state freight plans and studies in urban and rural states and regions. He has assisted economic development organizations with identifying transportation investments, public policy, and other strategies to promote industry retention and economic development.  Chris has worked with public and private stakeholders to gather data and analyze supply chain performance across multiple modes and geographies.  He has led research on integrating freight into community planning and last-mile delivery trends and issues.  Chris is the Director of our New York office and manages our mid-level and senior Freight and Economics staff in the Eastern U.S.

Interests & Hobbies

Chris spends his free time cycling, gardening, and serving on the board of his local community association in Jersey City, NJ.

Raphael has over a decade of cross-functional experience in transportation and transit, in both public and private transportation organizations. At CS, he helps guide strategy for mobility information software and serves as a project manager for engagements involving customer-facing real-time data and multimodal trip planning.

Leah Mooney is a Senior Project Manager (Sr. Associate) with close to 20 years public sector experience and over 15 years in strategic transportation and transit planning and project financing. With a background in infrastructure and operations, she has supported large scale planning efforts, including oversight of preliminary engineering, NEPA and FTA approvals. Leah has overseen significant visionary projects, including the CTA’s path to ADA accessibility: the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) and the Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) plans. She also provides tactical, hands-on support for securing grants and funding, with successful submissions for Capital Investment Grants, including Full-Funding Grant Agreements (FFGA), Federal, state, and local competitive grants, as well as value capture funding, such as Chicago’s Tax-Increment Financing program (TIF).

Interests & Hobbies

Leah is a gardener, a hiker, a biker, a baker, a reader of mysteries, and (together with her better half) is the parent of two children and two dogs.

Claudette is a Senior Project Manager that specializes in transit operations, regulatory compliance, program planning and grant administration.

Navjyoth Jayashankar is a Denver-based Travel Demand Modeler Jr. with Cambridge Systematics (CS) who recently joined the firm. Navjyoth has experience in transportation modeling, optimization, networks and modeling shared mobility services. Being a captive transit-rider himself, Navjyoth is very passionate about cities needing to plan space efficient, scalable and sustainable transportation systems where one's mobility is not defined by their access to a personal car due to age, income or a disability. Prior to joining CS, Navjyoth completed his Ph.D. in Transportation Systems Engineering from University of California, Irvine (UCI) in August 2023. Navjyoth brings technical expertise in agent-based modeling platforms such as POLARIS; programming languages such as C++ and Python; and optimization packages such as CPLEX and Gurobi; as well as network and spatial analysis packages such as networkx and geopandas.

Interests & Hobbies

Outside of work, Navjyoth loves to engage in bus-fanning and rail-fanning, listen to Ludovico Einaudi, and watch soccer.

Michael has fundamentally transformed CS’ business processes to inform our forward-looking strategy. His analyses have allowed CS to critically assess our business structures and systems, so our staff can focus on producing great work for our clients. Michael pushes CS to be our best through his willingness to be inquisitive and challenge the status quo. He leads us to new ways of thinking about our business by analyzing problems from unique perspectives. He brings a strong commitment to our growth and success, demonstrated through his contributions and his efforts to support and elevate the work of his colleagues.

Scott Meeks has more than 30 years of software experience and has served as Architect, Technical Lead, and Principal Engineer on a wide variety of software projects for transportation agencies.

Interests & Hobbies

In his free time, Scott enjoys reading, playing board games, camping, hiking, and attending science fiction conventions.

Seema Singh is a Senior Professional in the Planning team at CS. Seema brings 10+ years of experience working at the research-policy-planning-and-education interfaces in sustainable development and transportation planning. She is a recent PhD in City and Regional Planning from Cornell where her research focused on mainstreaming gender and equity considerations into transportation policies and planning practices. Prior to that, Seema worked as a Research Associate at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) where she led several projects assessing the social, economic, and environmental impacts of transportation policies and programs. At CS, Seema is excited to bring her equity expertise to projects and clients across the US, and is currently supporting transit and research projects for NJDOT and CapMetro.

Interests & Hobbies

Outside work, Seema is an artist at heart and loves to paint. She also likes to travel and try different cuisines.

Scott focuses on market and operations analysis of transit and shared mobility systems around the US. He is motivated by historic inequity, a changing climate, and the need to build strong and resilient communities. Pulling together cutting-edge data analytics and context-sensitive stakeholder engagement into a cohesive and innovative planning approach, Scott works with his colleagues to help clients plan, fund, and operate the next generation of mobility options.

Interests & Hobbies

Originally from North Carolina, Scott resides in Austin, TX where he rides his bicycle, plays steel guitar in an alt-country band, and survives on a steady diet of pollo asado and Lone Star Light.

Wendy has more than 19 years of experience coordinating and developing strategic proposals for state and local transportation agencies. She supports the firm's new business activities in the Western region.

Interests & Hobbies

In her free time, Wendy coaches her daughters softball team and enjoys watching her kids play baseball, hockey, soccer, and softball.