OST-R @ TRB 2025

U.S. DOT Ballroom Sessions

Monday, January 6, 2025

1:30 pm-3:15 pm
Session 2152, Washington Convention Center Ballroom A
U.S. Department of Transportation: Climate Resilience, Decarbonization, and Land Use
Christopher Coes, USDOT Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy - presiding

Panelists: 

• Dr. Gretchen Goldman, Director, Climate Change Research and Technology Program, USDOT
• Kurt P. Golembesky, Water Engineer, North Carolina Department of Transportation
• Gabe Klein, Executive Director, Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
• Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, USDOE
• Liya Rechtman, Environmental Protection Specialist, USDOT
• Larry Shifflet, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
• Arianna Skibell, Journalist, Politico
• Catherine Teebay, Special Advisor, Federal Transit Administration
• Mariia Zimmerman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, USDOT

For the past four years, USDOT has charted a course forward for a clean, efficient, and convenient transportation system fueled by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Integral to this work is alignment between land use and transportation planning, as well as housing and transportation projects. Smart growth supports thriving communities that are affordable, equitable, sustainable, and resilient. This session will take stock of the progress made towards a resilient and decarbonized transportation system and the opportunities available to continue that work at a State and local level. The USDOT Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, Christopher Coes, will introduce TRB to the Climate Strategies that Work playbook and share reflections on successes from the Biden-Harris Administration on land use, as well as a path forward for 2025.

3:45 pm-5:30 pm
Session 2203, Washington Convention Center Ballroom A
U.S. Department of Transportation: Beyond BIL - Lasting Legacy in a Time of Transition
Polly Trottenberg, USDOT Deputy Secretary of Transportation - presiding

Panelists: 

• Mohsin Syed, Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary of Transportation, USDOT
• Christopher Coes, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, USDOT
• Mariia Zimmerman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, USDOT
• Amit Bose, Administrator, FRA
• Veronica Vanterpool, Deputy Administrator, FTA
• Stephanie Pollock, Senior Advisor for BIL and Project Implementation, USDOT

Join Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg and senior transportation leaders for an engaging discussion on how DOT is shaping the nation’s mobility future to deliver lasting impact. This will include how the historic investments in infrastructure of the last 3 years have changed the way we work together to improve safety, mobility, and sustainability while creating new jobs and righting past wrongs. 

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

8:00 am-9:45 am
Session 3036, Washington Convention Center Ballroom A
U.S. Department of Transportation: Research, Development and Technology Results
Alasdair Cain, Office of Research, Development, and Technology - presiding

Speakers: 

• Dr. Robert C. Hampshire, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, OST-R
• Eric Neiderman, Acting Director, William J. Hughes Technical Center, FAA
• Rhonda C. Shaffer, Acting AA and Director, Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, FHWA
• Nanda Srinivasan, AA for Research and Program Development, NHTSA
• Cem Hatipoglu, AA for Vehicle Safety Research, NHTSA
• Mark Patterson, AA for Research, Data, and Innovation, FRA
• Dr. Mary Leary, AA for Research, Demonstration and Innovation, FTA
• Tom Keane, AA for Office of Research and Registration, FMCSA
• Alan Mayberry, AA for Pipeline Safety, PHMSA
• William Schoonover, AA for Hazardous Materials Safety, PHMSA

U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) senior executives will discuss the Department’s Research, Development and Technology (RD&T) accomplishments enabled by the historic investments made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The session will provide perspectives from senior leaders from the Office of the Secretary and the Operating Administrations.

3:45 pm-5:30 pm
Session 2095, Washington Convention Center Ballroom A
U.S. Department of Transportation: Advisory Committe on Human Trafficking Recommendations
Annie Petsonk, USDOT Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs - presiding

Panelists: 

• Rabbi David Saperstein, Religious Action Center on Reform Judaism
• Esther Goetsch, Truckers Against Trafficking
• Leslie Richards, University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design
• Michael Krumm, Michigan State Police
• Shamere McKenzie, Sun Gate Foundation

Transportation is a critical connector that can both facilitate and prevent human trafficking. Human traffickers exploit roadways, railways, waterways, and airways in urban, rural, and Tribal communities across the United States to recruit and transport their victims. This session will highlight recommendations from the USDOT Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking’s 2024 report and underscore best practices for the transportation sector in combating human trafficking with immediate, actionable steps for stakeholders.

Resources:

• Schedule of OST-R sessions and events
• Where to find us in the exhibit hall
• ITS JPO's TRB 2025 activities page
• BTS @ TRB activities page
• Volpe Center @ TRB activities page
• See what we do and how it supports the overall mission of US DOT.