Overview

March 29

Transportation agencies and authorities endured a tumultuous 2020 as passenger numbers and associated revenue plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To survive, these agencies had to pivot to uncover innovative uses of technology to not only become more efficient, but ensure travelers are confident they are safe while using these services.

Today, transportation leaders are rethinking their modernization strategies and focusing operations in a way that shapes a more resilient future. For example, airports are leveraging data to create a more personalized traveler experience, and transit agencies are making public transportation more convenient through real-time data analytics.

Supporting these efforts is the cloud, which provides these agencies with the technology infrastructure to innovate and introduce these improvements at a faster pace and at a lower cost than ever before.

Join Government Technology and Amazon Web Services (AWS) on March 29 at 9 am PT / 12 pm ET as we talk with transportation leaders – including Tanya Acevedo, Chief Technology Officer of the Houston Airport System – about how they are meeting today’s needs while laying the foundation for tomorrow.

Speakers

Mike Helta

Chief Innovation Officer, Maryland Transit Administration

Mike Helta is the Chief Innovation Officer at the Maryland Transit Administration. In this role he actively works to seek out opportunities to improve the services and capabilities of the agency to ultimately improve the experience of the rider. Major focus areas include improving agencywide real-time service information for all modes which includes arrival predictions and delay notification, wayfinding and signage improvement, and consolidating agency data silos. He also oversees the agency’s Office of Performance Management where their mission is to capture, analyze, and make data usable for those across the agency, to again, ultimately improve the experience of the rider. Recent efforts include the development of an agency data warehouse, implementation of a Business Intelligence Visualization program, and modal performance teams. Prior to this role he served as the Manager of Project Development overseeing long range planning and preliminary project design efforts. Before that he served as the Chief of Capital Programing managing the agencies 6-year Capital Program valued roughly at $2.5B. Michael holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and Criminal Justice and a Masters degree in Community Planning from the University of Maryland. He is a graduate of both APTA’s Emerging Leaders and Leadership APTA programs. He is a co-founder of Baltimore’s Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT) chapter and was named to the Association for Commuter Transportation’s 2019 top 40 under 40 list.

Tanya Acevedo

CIO, Houston Airport System

Tanya oversees the strategic planning and operational activities for a variety of technology systems and applications at Bush Intercontinental, William P. Hobby, and Ellington Airports. Her role is to lead a dynamic team that plays a key role in ensuring the successful execution of HAS’ mission through innovative and enabling technology. Key areas of focus will highlight technologies delivering way finding, passenger flow/tracking, a stronger cyber security posture and a renewed commitment to service level agreements. With almost three decades of experience, Tanya has a proven track record of successfully implementing innovative solutions that increase efficiency and automate processes resulting in revenue generation and cost savings. Previously, Tanya was the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Travis County in Austin, Texas where she was responsible for the technology strategic direction of an operational budget of $35 million and 6,000 employees. She’s also held various technology roles within County of Orange in Santa Ana, California as well as Toyota Financial Services, Edmunds.com and Answerthink consulting. Tanya holds a Master's of Business Administration from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Michigan State University. She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Tanya received the 2013 IT Woman of the Year from the Austin Innotech 16th Annual IT Executive of the Year Awards, 2016 Public Sector Chief Information Officer of the Year from Public CIO Magazine and the 2017 Government Technology Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers Award.

Adam Hofmann

VP of Growth & Client Success, iOLAP

Adam is an entrepreneur and executive who leads teams at the intersection of product, marketing, and community to drive growth. He's started and led companies across several industries including education, marketplaces, SaaS, and consulting. Adam joined Responsum to lead the go to market strategy and maximize client outcomes.

Phil Silver

Leader, Transportation - State & Local Government, Amazon Web Services

Phil leads Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) state and local government transportation vertical, supporting the successful transformation, modernization, and migration of airports, seaports, transit agencies, tolling authorities, traffic departments, parking, DOTs, MPOs, and COGs to the AWS cloud. He held sales and strategy leadership roles in global systems integration firms who are specialists in payments, traffic management, tolling, parking, IoT, and advanced analytics, and served in the U.S. Navy, capping a 25-year active duty and reserve career, retiring as a Captain. Phil earned a Masters in Executive Leadership from University of San Diego, an MBA from Fordham University, and Bachelor degrees in Chemistry and History from the University of Florida.

Phil Bertolini — Moderator

Co-director, Center for Digital Government

Phil Bertolini is the Co-Director of the Center for Digital Government (CDG), a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. Previously, he served as deputy county executive and CIO for Oakland County, Michigan. During his 31-year tenure, Phil built a world-class IT organization in the second-largest county in Michigan, just north of Detroit. As Oakland County CIO, he oversaw more than 150 employees serving over 1.2 million residents. In 2005, he was also promoted to deputy county executive, holding dual positions until his retirement. Phil’s efforts earned the county national attention, winning numerous awards for technology innovation and excellence. He was named one of Governing Magazine’s Public Official of the Year and Government Technology Magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers. He was also honored by the President Obama White House as a Champion of Change for 2012.

Webinar

How Transportation is Modernizing for a More Resilient Future