2025 Midwest Transit Conference

Andrew Carpenter

Director | National Center for Applied Transit Technology

Andrew Carpenter is the Director of the National Center for Applied Transit Technology, housed at the Community Transportation Association of America. 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 same small agencies build their internal data skills, and to identify the programs that can better help them make data-based decisions.

Buffy Smith

Chief of Staff for Congressman Graves

Carrie Butler

FTA Region 7 Administrator

Carrie Butler joined the Federal Transit Administration in September 2024 as Regional Administrator for Region 7, overseeing federal transit funding in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Her office supports community partners with grant development and program management.



With more than 25 years in public transportation, Butler previously led the Transit Authority of River City in Louisville, Ky., and served as general manager of Lextran in Lexington, Ky. She has a strong record of collaborating with leaders and stakeholders, focusing on quality transit service, customer experience, and financial stewardship.

Active in the national transit community, Butler has served on the American Public Transportation Association Board of Directors and several research panels. She holds a master’s in urban and regional planning from Florida State University and a bachelor’s in economics from Bellarmine University.

Christy Evers

Administrator of Transit | Missouri Department of Transportation

Christy Evers is the Administrator of Transit for the Missouri Department of Transportation. She oversees the administration and management of the State of Missouri’s State Transit Assistance and Missouri Elderly Handicapped Assistance Program, as well as, the Federal Transit Administration Section 5304, 5310, 5311, and 5339 grants programs.

At a local level, Christy serves as a committee/board member of the Missouri Public Transit Association, Capital and Columbia Area Metropolitan Planning Organizations and the Master Plan on Aging Transportation Subcommittee.

Nationally, she is member of the AASHTO Multi-State Transit Technical Assistance Program, American Public Transit Association, Community Transportation Association of America, Citizens for Modern Transit and AASHTO’s Council of Public Transportation. She holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance.

Heath Pickerill, PhD

Assistance Teaching Professor | Missouri University of Science and Technology

Dr. Pickerill is an assistance teaching professor in the civil, architectural, and environmental engineering department at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla. He leads the Missouri Local Training & Resource Center located at Missouri S&T and serves as Manager of Missouri’s Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP). Missouri S&T has managed RTAP for MoDOT since April 2012. Heath also serves as Director of Missouri’s Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), a position he’s held since 2007. He currently serves as the president of the National Local Technical Assistance Program Association (NLTAPA).

He holds a PhD in Human Environmental Sciences from the University of Missouri – Columbia and a Master of Architecture, Master of Science in Civil Engineering, and Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His previous experience includes consulting work in architecture as well as project management with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Directorate of Public Works at Fort Leonard Wood.

Jason Kander

Host of Majority 54 Podcast, Veteran, and Former Missouri Secretary of State

Jason Kander is a former Army intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan, where he investigated corruption and espionage. He earned the rank of captain and was a national finalist for the Reserve Officer Association’s Junior Officer of the Year Award.

After his service, Jason was elected to the Missouri House in 2008 and became Missouri Secretary of State in 2012—the first millennial elected to statewide office. He later founded Let America Vote, which grew into the nation’s largest pro-democracy advocacy group.

Jason has been open about his struggle with PTSD, stepping away from a Kansas City mayoral campaign to seek treatment. Today, he advocates for mental health and serves as president of national expansion at the Veterans Community Project, which helps prevent veteran suicide and homelessness. He also founded the American Rescue Project, aiding Afghan allies after the U.S. withdrawal.



An author of two New York Times bestsellers and co-host of the podcast Majority 54, Jason remains an influential voice in politics and veterans’ issues. He lives in Kansas City with his wife and two children.

Kristen Ribaudo

Project Manager of Instructional Design | International Transportation Learning Center/Transit Workforce Center

Kristen Ribaudo, Project Manager of Instructional Design, leads the Rail Car and Traction Power Training Consortiums at the International Transportation Learning Center/Transit Workforce Center. With over a decade of experience in instructional design and workforce development, Kristen specializes in building engaging, industry-relevant training programs for transit maintenance professionals. She has developed dozens of technical courses and leads the Train-the-Trainer and Foundational Skills programs. Kristen is passionate about elevating frontline workers through accessible, high-quality training and enjoys collaborating with SMEs to turn complex technical topics into digestible learning experiences.

Lauren Ellis

Program Associate| CTAA

Lauren Ellis is the Program Associate at CTAA supporting National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT). She has a Bachelor's from Rutgers University and a Master of Public Administration from American University. Prior to joining CTAA, Lauren interned on Capitol Hill and in the White House focusing on constituent services. Lauren enjoys helping transit agencies find solutions that help them and their riders.

Mike Redington

US DOT Volpe Center

Olivia Hook

Mobility Management Director | Oklahoma Department of Transportation

As the Mobility Management Director at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Olivia is responsible for implementing the new Oklahoma Mobility Management Program and improving coordination of public transportation services. The mobility management program is designed to improve access to mobility for all Oklahomans and create solutions with transportation stakeholders. Olivia serves on the Oklahoma Mobility Institute board as the vice president helping transit agencies find opportunities through partnerships, and she also chairs on The University of Oklahoma Women in Transportation advisory board. She also serves on the multi-state plan on aging advisory board of stakeholders and advocates for the importance of mobility for older Oklahomans. Previously, Olivia was the statewide mobility coordinator at the Ohio Department of Transportation, where she led the Nationally recognized Ohio mobility management program.

Olivia resides in Midwest City with her husband and their two dogs. She volunteers with the Hope Retreat Ranch providing equine therapy for children with disabilities in her local community. Olivia holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a unique historical fact about her is she used to be an over the road truck driver. 

Patricia Green

Paul Comfort

Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer | Modaxo Americas

Paul Comfort is a leading voice in public transportation and mobility innovation, with over 30 years of experience in leadership roles across the transit industry and government. He currently serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer for Modaxo Americas, one of the world’s largest transit technology companies.

Paul is the host and producer of the Transit Unplugged podcast, heard in over 100 countries, and the host and producer of the Transit Unplugged TV show, a fast-growing YouTube and cable television travel series with millions of views showcasing the food and culture of great cities around the globe and their transit systems and leaders.

An accomplished author, Paul has written multiple Amazon #1 best-selling books on public transportation and transit leadership. He previously served as CEO/General Manager of the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore, leading one of the nation’s largest multi-modal transit systems.



He is also the Executive Director of the North American Transit Alliance (NATA), representing the largest private transit operators in the U.S., and an adjunct faculty member at Villanova University, where he teaches a graduate course on Public Transportation Systems. As an attorney, Paul brings a unique blend of legal insight, executive leadership, and policy expertise to the mobility space.

Peter Williams

Lochmueller Group

Ron Gann

Transportation Security Inspector | TSA Surface

Ron Gann is a Transportation Security Inspector for TSA Surface office in Omaha, Nebraska. The TSA office in Omaha serves both Nebraska and Iowa Surface Transportation entities providing security awareness presentations to large and small mass transit companies, school districts, contracted bus companies, railroad and trucking industries.

The security programs and activities are provided for free and are voluntary. TSI Gann is one of hundreds of TSA surface transportation inspectors throughout the United States serving to protect the nation’s transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce. 

Ron will present on the behalf of the Transportation Security Administration programs offered at no cost to transportation companies throughout the United States. These programs highlight vulnerabilities and seek to enhance a company’s security posture in efforts to detour significant threats to harm people, communities, and assets that are of value to citizens every day. These Surface Security Outreach Programs outline Strategic, Operational and Tactical levels of activities that will afford opportunities to prepare employees with tools that serve to protect.

Scott Bogren

Executive Director | CTAA

Scott Bogren has been with the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) since 1988, serving the Association in a wide variety of roles before being named Executive Director in 2016. He has testified before Congress on multiple occasions; developed CTAA’s legislative and policy priorities; and leads an organization of 25 dedicated transit professionals. His work has always focused on building and promoting safe, affordable, accessible and inclusive mobility for all Americans. He is a passionate transit advocate and daily transit rider.

Tyler Means

KCATA