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21 PleNARY SeSSION 3 International Industry Leaders Panel Martin Wachs, RAND Corporation, Presiding Therese McMillan, Federal Transit Administration Gina-Marie lindsey, Los Angeles International Airport Bonnie Nelson, Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates Maria Mehranian, Cordoba Corporation Martin Wachs introduced a panel of women recognized as transportation industry leaders. The panelists included the following: ⢠Theresa McMillan, who was recently appointed deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administra- tion. Previously, she was deputy director of the Metro- politan Transportation Commission in San Francisco. In that capacity, she managed the commissionâs finan- cial and legislative interactions with legislators at state, regional, and national levels. ⢠Gina-Marie Lindsey, who was executive director of los Angeles World Airways, a group of airports oper- ated by the city of los Angeles, California. She has 16 years of airport management experience, including los Angeles; Anchorage, Alaska; and Seattle, Washington, and she is currently executive vice president of govern- ment relations for an aviation consulting firm. ⢠Bonnie Nelson, who has been a senior principal civil engineer with Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates since 1987. She has 30 years of experience specializing in the management and operation of transit systems. ⢠Maria Mehranian, who is a managing partner with Cordoba Corporation, which is a premier civil engineer- ing and construction management consulting firm. She is an experienced urban planner who has worked in the los Angeles region and elsewhere. The format facilitated a lively discussion. Wachs asked a series of questions, the panelists responded, and the audience joined in the discussion. The questions and summary responses are outlined below. 1. Has being a woman influenced your career paths and choices? Generally, the answer is no. To succeed, women need to examine their personal goals, become the best they can be, work to identify opportunities, find a mentor, and be ready to address challenges and opportunities as they arise. 2. Do women really have equal opportunity? Generally, the answer is yes, but mentoring is the key. Women need to find allies in every assignment and use collaborative strategies to capture the opportunities. 3. Has anything from the body of research influenced your attitudes about this issue? using research in practice is important and helpful. It was suggested that more research is needed on (a) the mobility needs of children and youth, especially for the transit community; (b) the nexus between public health and transportation; and (c) the relationship between uni- versality and individual needs. 4. What is the relationship between transportation and women in developing countries? Transportation is a challenge for women in develop- ing nations, but it is a challenge for everyone at the same time. Transportation professionals must be careful to take culture into account when designing transportation options in developing nations as well as in the united States. 5. Have you observed increased sensitivity to wom- enâs issues in design and operations? universal design should be the driving force, but mar- ket forces will influence specific decisions. While uni- versal design is preferred, participants cautioned that
22 WOMeNâS ISSueS IN TRANSPORTATION, vOluMe 1 we must be careful not to design to the lowest common denominator or to the âmiddle,â either of which may not serve anyone. 6. Do you think activist groups do, can, or should influ- ence transportation design, operations, or other areas? Activist groups are influential, but the problem lies in the risk of influence by âsiloedâ interests. Many felt that it is best not to add one more check boxâfor example, womenâto the list of interests that must be taken into account.