2025 Midwest Transit Conference Speakers

Thursday, September 4, 2025

• 7:00 a.m. - 5:15 p.m. | Registration Desk Open

• 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. | Breakfast with Exhibitors
• Join our sponsors & exhibitors for breakfast and another chance to collect stickers to be entered into a prize drawing. Winners must be present and will be announced at 10:45 during the Exhibitor Tradeshow.

• 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. | Welcome Plenary
• FTA Region VII Administrator Carrie Butler, KCATA CEO Frank White, Buffy Smith, MO Chief of Staff for Congressman Graves, Taulby Roach, CEO of Bi-State Development (MPTA President)

• 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. | Leadership and Service in a Time of Uncertainty | Jason Kander, Veterans Community Project
• Keynote Speaker, Jason Kander, former Army intelligence officer, statewide officeholder, best-selling author, podcast host, and humanitarian Jason Kander, as he pulls from his life experiences as a former government official and veteran recovering from PTSD to instill lessons of leadership and resilience.

• 10:00 - 10:45 a.m. | Exhibitor Tradeshow
• Join us for the prize drawing and take advantage of your last chance to visit with our conference sponsors and exhibitors.

• 10:45 - 11:00 a.m. | Announcement for Prize Winners

• 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Breakout Sessions
• Operations: Doing Business with FTA, the Good, the Bad, the Ugly - FTA Region VII Staff
• Receive updates on funding, circulars, process & procedures, etc.
• Innovations: Transit Data - Transparency and Optimization - Tyler Means, KCATA
• Chief Mobility & Strategy Officer, Tyler Means, will discuss innovative ways transit agencies can use data to optimize decision-making, how data transparency can build public trust, and the importance of data and strategies for effective stakeholder engagement.
• Technical Assistance: Numbers Matter: Value of Research in Transit Advocacy - Carl Lingen, Iowa Public Transit Association, Kim Cella, Missouri Public Transit Association, Peter Williams, Lochmueller Group
• This session will highlight the value of impact-focused research on successful transit advocacy.
• Mobile Workshop: Tour of Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) Headquarters
• KCATA is proud of the expertise of its 620 employees committed to delivering safe, reliable services. Join us on a walking tour of KCATA Headquarters. Highlights will include a look at our diversified fuel mix, as well as how the agency has incorporated tech solutions for efficient operations.

• 12:00 - 1:45 p.m. | Lunch & Keynote Speaker: Public Transportation in 2025 - A New Administration, New Priorities and A New You
• Keynote speaker, Paul Comfort, SVP Customer Officer at Modaxo Americas & Host/Producer of Transit Unplugged will take attendees on a journey through the evolution of public transportation over the past decade, exploring the shift from monopolistic transit operations to integrated mobility networks including Uber, Lyft, e-bikes, and more.

• 1:45 - 2:45 p.m. | Breakout Sessions
• Operations:  May the Force Be with You: TWC Frontline Worker Foundational Skills - Kristen Ribaudo, Transit Workforce Center
• Learn and discuss the Foundational Skills Program that provides strategies and curriculum to bridge the most common skills gaps and helps elevate competencies to meet the standards required for effective and safe performance in the industry.
• Innovations: Transit Agency CEO Roundtable [INVITE ONLY SESSION] - Paul Comfort, Modaxo Americas & Transit Unplugged
• Join transit agency CEOs and executive directors for a candid discussion on the most pressing challenges facing public transportation today. Leaders will share strategies for addressing funding constraints, workforce shortages, and changing ridership patterns while exploring opportunities in electrification, technology, integration, and service innovation.
• Technical Assistance: Drug & Alcohol Training - Mike Redington, US DOT Volpe Center
• The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requires employers to have drug and alcohol policies to prevent accidents and injuries. These policies include testing, prohibited substances, and alcohol use restrictions. The presentation will provide information on recent FTA and DOT regulatory revisions and interpretations.
• Mobile Workshop:  Moving the Needle on Transit-Oriented Community Development Tour
• Tour will highlight transit-oriented community development, visiting five of the seven projects that are underway in Kansas City.

• 2:45 - 2:50 p.m.   Transition Time

• 2:50 - 3:50 p.m. | Breakout Sessions
• Operations:  Missouri Meet Up -  Christy Evers, Missouri DOT, and Heath Pickerall, Missouri RTAP
• Join Christy & Heath for a discussion of federal programs, state programs, and reporting requirements. This session will also feature an overview of the Rural Transportation Assistance Program, identifying available training opportunities for rural transit providers.
• Innovations:  Transit Jeopardy with the FTA -  FTA Region VII Staff
• You don't want to miss this fun "Jeopardy"-style session focused on transit rules, regulations, and more.
• Technical Assistance: Drug & Alcohol Training – continued - Mike Redington, US DOT Volpe Center
• Mobile Workshop: Transit-Oriented Community Development Tour – continued

• 3:50 - 4:15 p.m. | Break

• 4:15 - 5:15 p.m. | Breakout Sessions
• Operations: What is Statewide Mobility Management? The Oklahoma Story - Olivia Hook, Mobility Management Director at Oklahoma Department of Transportation
• Join Olivia as she tells the story of the development and implementation of Oklahoma's Statewide Mobility Management Program.
• Innovations:  Learning  from our Peers: Small Urban & Rural Transit Research Project Case Studies -  Alvaro Villegrand, Shared-Use Mobility Center
• This session will share project case studies focused on small urban and rural providers, including examples of agencies that pooled resources for micro transit, customer service, fare payment, and coalition building. Explore how these transit-focused research projects evolve from the initial phase to mature, sustaining programs going forward.
• Technical Assistance: Determining Your Cyber Security Risks in Transit -  Lauren Ellis and Andrew Carpenter, National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CAAT), CTAA
• Join Lauren as she leads a tabletop exercise to help your transit system team think through cybersecurity risks and scenarios, while evaluating your system's risks and response plans. Andrew has led technical assistance projects around the country to help small transit systems understand what technology tools can best help them accomplish their goals. He is excited now to kick off a data literacy initiative that will help these agencies build their internal data skills and to identify the programs that can better help them make data-based decisions.
• Mobile Workshop: Troost BRT / Transit Center Tour
• Includes a tour of historic Troost Avenue as well as a look at the East Village Transit Center, featuring an indoor waiting area for more than 20 fixed routes, bike share, and 24/7 on-site security.