As we hit the peak in hurricane season today, you may have this upcoming CUTR Transportation webcast on Thursday, September 13, 2018, 12:00PM (ET) to be particularly relevant. The webcast is free and will be recorded. No pre-registration required.
The Role of Public Transportation during a State of Emergency Declaration due to Natural Disasters
Destructive natural disasters such as hurricanes or other extreme weather events challenge many industries, especially the public transit industry. The 2017 hurricane season proved to be tumultuous, with three major hurricanes devastating the U.S. in less than 2 months. The challenges faced in Florida, in response to Hurricane Irma, precipitated best practices and lessons learned related to monitoring and reporting status of transportation infrastructure, identifying temporary alternative solutions, and coordinating and communicating with Emergency Operations Centers, state Departments of Transportation, and individual transit agencies. Sharing the lessons learned from recent firsthand experiences will undoubtedly improve the public transit industry’s emergency preparedness, response, and recovery activities.
Presenters: Jodi Godfrey, Rino Saliceto, and Roberta Yegidis, CUTR
Jodi Godfrey is currently a Research Associate at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida (USF) where she works on the Transit Safety and Workforce Development Programs and the Mobility Policy Research Teams. Ms. Godfrey received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Civil Engineering from USF in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Jodi is a member of the Transportation Research Board’s Task Force on Transit Safety and Security, and a graduate of the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Leadership program, Class of 2017. Jodi is also a member of the International Institute of Transportation Engineers STEM Subcommittee and Women in ITE Task Force, and is the current Treasurer for the Tampa Bay Chapter of ITE. Jodi’s passions revolve around transportation safety and security, and she is committed to making the transportation network safer for all users.
Gennaro “Rino” Saliceto is a Safety and Security Reviewer at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida. He helps FDOT to ensure Florida agencies to be in compliance with rules and regulations offering technical assistance and conducting triennial reviews. He has more than 20 years of extensive international background in public transportation operations and safety, including roles as Director of a Transportation Center in Spain, consultant for safety, security, drug and alcohol, and training for the main Transit Authority in Valencia Spain, and most recently as Safety and Security Officer for Space Coast Area Transit in Cocoa, Florida. In his role as Safety Officer, Gennaro implemented an Accident Investigation Program and created a System Safety and Security Program Management Plan. In addition, he developed a training program for bus operators. These programs have been recognized by the Florida Public Transportation Association (FPTA) which awarded the agency first place in safety implementation for 2016. He is a certified Safety and Security Director and a Certified Safety Instructor Senior Level by WSO, a Florida Transit Trainer and a Drug and Alcohol Manager certified by FDOT. He also holds the TSSP certificate through TSI in both rail and bus. He provides several training courses for CUTR and he is involved in different FTA rail and bus research projects. Recently, Mr. Saliceto has been one of the authors of a paper titled “The Role of Public Transportation during a State of Emergency Declaration due to Natural Disasters” which has been accepted for presentation at the APTA Bus & Paratransit Annual Conference in May in Tampa, and at the International Institute of Transportation Engineers Annual Meeting in August in Minneapolis. Mr. Saliceto also served as a lieutenant in the Italian Army, Mountain Special Forces, and he was honored with a Gold Medal for Distinguished Service during his participation in the U.N. Mission named Albatros (ONUMOZ 1992-1994).
Roberta Yegidis is an Affiliate Faculty Member at the University of South Florida’s Center for Urban Transportation where she contributes to many publications and training curricula development ranging in topics from federal regulations to transit safety and organizational leadership. Ms. Yegidis has led in-depth interviews with transit agencies across the country on both bus and rail projects. Her ability to research the appropriate contacts and connect with transit professionals has resulted in substantial contributions to the success of research projects. Roberta has over 30 years of professional and executive management experience, with 13 years at Greater Bridgeport Transit, serving as both the Administrative and later, Chief Operating Officer. Roberta was assigned to the Presidential Aircraft, Marine I during her career with Sikorsky Aircraft, where she gained an in-depth knowledge of federal regulations. Roberta is a Certified World Safety Executive and a WSO member, served as Chair of the Connecticut Association of Community Transportation, was a member of the Connecticut Regional Office of Emergency Management – leading EFS 1, a graduate of Leadership Bridgeport, Leadership APTA, travelled through the far east on the Eno’s International Studies Program, concentrating on bench-marking and international transit practices and is a Certified Transit Manager and Certified Safety and Security Officer through CTAA. Ms. Yegidis has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Bridgeport. Her previous roles included transit and Operations Management, Grant Management, Budgeting, Safety, Security and Training, Worker’s Compensation, Benefit Administration, Paratransit, Procurement, Financial Analysis, Domestic and International Sourcing, Project Management, FTA and Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).
