TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Kathleen Kelly, Interim General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Employee and Non-Employee Out-of-State Travel
BRIEFING ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving the Semi-Annual Employee and Non-Employee Out-of-State Travel Report for the first half of FY 2024-25.
Staff Contact:
Chris Andrichak, Chief Financial Officer
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - High-Performing Workforce
Initiative - Employee Recruitment, Training and Retention
Employee travel is necessary and/or useful for both employees and the District. Having employees travel to attend in-person training enhances their knowledge and work performance, and conferences and industry events benefit both the employee and the District’s business and profile.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
The travel activity shown was included in the FY 2024-25 Operating Budget.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
This report details travel that occurred during the period of July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, and a summary of the conferences/workshops, attendees, purposes, and costs:
ACC Compliance Conference, Seattle, Washington: This conference provided affirmative action topics, contract compliance, labor compliance, economic and business development and civil rights. Attended by one employee: Brooklyn Moore-Green. The cost was $2,189.
ADMIN Professional Conference, Denver, Colorado: This conference for Administrative Professionals offered training for key responsibilities, including a session on technology, efficiency, communication, and leadership. Attended by one employee: Tammy Kyllo was a speaker at round tables for hybrid meetings. The cost was $3,975.
APTA Sustainability/Operations, Washington, D.C: This workshop focused on sustainable development, facilities planning, clean bus technologies, route design and service planning for enhanced mobility. Attended by four employees: David Berman, Crystal Wang, Bettina Kaes, and Zachary Farmer. The total cost was $11,211. David Berman and Crystal Wang were presenters on AC Transit’s Transit-Supportive Design Guidelines effort).
APTA Tech Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: This conference explored how transit leaders are implementing emerging technologies to improve the rider experience, sustainability, and achieve digital transformation. Attended by five employees: Jonathan Bair, Michael Carvalho, Tasawar Jalali, Ahsan Baig, and Michael Hursh. Tasawar Jalali and Mike Carvalho sat on panels presenting Enhancing Security with a Robust PKI Strategy, Strengthening AC Transit Security Posture. The cost was $15,830.
APTA Workforce Summit, Washington, D.C.: This conference offered opportunities to exchange ideas and best practices for successful recruiting, reskilling, and retaining the public transit workforce. Sal Llamas, Mike Flocchini, and Jose Oseguera-Garcia co-presented a session during which they shared the work AC Transit’s ZEBU is doing to advance workforce development. This included a live demonstration of the remote learning technology we are developing, connecting attendees in D.C. to the TEC in Hayward. Attended by four employees: Sebron Flenaugh, Michael Flocchini, Sal Llamas, Jose Oseguera-Garcia. The cost was $10,942.
Augmented Enterprise Summit, Dallas, Texas: This conference demonstrated manufacturing operations, empowering and augmenting frontline workers with access to tools, data, and insights that improve their day-to-day work processes. Topics included: skilled labor shortages, quality assurance, workplace safety, knowledge management. Attended by three employees: Ronald Lee, Jose Oseguera, and Michael Flocchini. The cost was $10,870.
Clever Connect 2024, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania: This event provided a comprehensive program to address today’s most pressing transit challenges, from cybersecurity to enhancing the passenger experience and improving operational efficiency. Attended by one employee: James Willows. The cost was $2,597.
DMEC 2024, Nashville, Tennessee: This conference offered continuing education in how managing integrated, compliant absence and disability programs not only requires a nuanced understanding of local, state, and federal requirements, but a strong focus on continuous improvement and organizational buy-in. Attended by two employees: Eric Gonzalez, and Darvin Malone. The cost was $8,019.
ENO TMM-MID Management Program, Portland, Oregon: This conference is designed for mid-level managers working in cross-functional transportation roles in transit, federal, and the public and private sectors. Known for being a critical step for hundreds of transportation alumni, TMM is ideal for professionals wanting to accelerate their career advancement. Attended by two employees: Phillip Halley and Kathryn Vo. The cost was $13,858.
FTA NTI Procurement Series 1, Portland, Oregon: This four-day foundational course gave an overview of transit procurement and emphasized “best practices” for contract procurements by FTA grantees. This course focused on good procurement business practices and policies from a broader industry perspective. This training covered the roles and responsibilities of contracting parties and explored opportunities for teaming/partnering internally and with transit suppliers. This course was conducted utilizing exercises, case studies, and other interactive training activities. Attended by one employee: Eslyn Tripuraneni. The cost was $3,570.
Info Tech LIVE 2024, Las Vegas, Nevada: This premier three-day conference brought together more than 2,000 IT executives, thought leaders, industry analysts, and technology experts in an engaging, interactive, and insightful event that explored the future of technology and innovation. Attended by one employee: Ahsan Baig. The cost was $1,277.
LIT Leadership Summit, Portland, Oregon: Latinos in Transit. Participants gain a deep understanding of public transportation, including management practices, finance, procurement, labor relations, and regulatory compliance. Each program area consists of five monthly modules (3.5 hours each), taught virtually by industry leaders. Attended by one employee: Sal Llamas. Sal Llamas serves as co-chair of LIT’s Avanzando Workforce Development Task Force and co-presented a training session titled Avanzando Workforce Task Force, Developing Employees. The cost was $1,601.
Making Connections 2024, Baltimore, Maryland: The conference brought together transit agencies, unions, nonprofits, government, education, and workforce development organizations
And addressed the full range of transit workforce needs, featured workshops, dialogue, and a keynote address from FTA's Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool. The conference was organized around industry needs and FTA's National Transit Workforce Development Strategic Plan goals. Attended by two employees: Leonard Bellow, and Janis Picket-Lacy. The cost was $5,697.
Mobility Live 2024, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: This global event brought together industry leaders, technology experts, policymakers, and innovators to discuss the future of smart mobility, digital transformation, and transportation technologies. Ahsan Baig’s participation as a speaker at Mobility LIVE 2024 in Riyadh was an invaluable opportunity to gain knowledge, strengthened industry relationships, and positioned our organization at the forefront of the smart mobility revolution. Employee was already travelling internationally on his own accord and was invited to speak at this conference. Attended by one employee: Ahsan Baig. The cost was $3,836.
Mpact Transit + Community, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Mpact Transit + Community conference (formerly Rail~Volution) focuses on the interplay of transit, connected mobility options, land use and development in building livable spaces. The conference explored how wayfinding and communications can improve and encourage transit usage. Attended by one employee: Tony Gee. The cost was $2,314.
NAGDCA Conference, Phoenix, Arizona: This Annual Conference is the nation’s premier event for public sector defined contribution plan (457b, 403b) administrators. This conference offers plan sponsors and industry representatives the opportunity to build a national network of contacts, share ideas with peers, learn innovative techniques for improving retirement outcomes. Attended by one employee: Chris Andrichak. The cost was $1,226.
NELI Conference on FMLA & ADA, Washington, D.C.: This Conference is essential for staying up to date with the latest legal developments, best practices, and compliance strategies related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Attended by one employee: Samnang Thom. The cost was $2,634.
Printing United, Las Vegas, Nevada: This event is the most dynamic and comprehensive printing event in the world. Bringing together the entire printing industry in one place to experience over a million square feet of equipment, solutions. Attended by one employee: Vincent Bailey. The cost was $1,548.
Smartsheet 2024 Conference, Seattle, Washington: This conference had panel discussions on using the Smartsheet application, which is a tool used by the Payroll department. Attended by two employees: Kimberlaine Szerlip, and JoAnna Hill. The cost was $8,523.
Transportation Security Consortium, New York, New York: This was a two-day in-person event targeted for Senior Executive decision makers, key influencers, suppliers, and implementation partners to brainstorm with industry experts. Attended by one employee: Tasawar Jalali. The cost was $3,884.
TSI Rail Incident Investigation, Dallas, Texas: This conference trains members in transit safety and security to public agencies, including courses on accident investigation. Attended by one employee: Marla Blagg. The cost was $2,748.
TSI Training, Salt Lake City, Utah: This training offers a training course in safety and security requirements for the US Department of Transportation. Attended by one employee: Marla Blagg. The cost was $2,062.
Workforce Development Conference, Baltimore, Maryland: This conference aims to create a skilled workforce that supports the local economy. These efforts include programs that help people find jobs, improve skills, and advance their careers. Attended by one employee: Gary Jones. The cost was $1,942.
WTS Mid-Level Leadership Training, Washington, D.C.: This training prepares individuals to lead the future of the transportation industry by learning and refining essential management skills. Attended by one employee: Diane Castleberry. The cost was $4,861.
ZEB Con 2024, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: This conference is designed to train management, operations, and maintenance staff on the basic building blocks of deploying battery and fuel cell electric buses, and give participants the knowledge they need to ask the right questions of bus manufacturers and infrastructure providers. The course covers topics from battery behavior to utility rate structures to hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Attended by four employees: Sergio Aparicio, James Auyeung, Cecil Blandon and Joe Callaway. Sergio Aparicio was a speaker. The total cost was $8,677.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
There are no notable advantages or disadvantages to this report.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
This report does not recommend an action.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
SR 24-405 - Second Half of FY 2023-24 Quarter Employee and Non-Employee State Travel.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Employee Out-of-State Travel, FY 2024-25 (July - December)
Prepared by:
Shay Otenbriet, Executive Administrative Assistant
Approved/Reviewed by:
Chris Andrichak, Chief Financial Officer