: Connecting new professionals in transportation worldwide.
About
Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT) is an international 501(c)(6) nonprofit coalition of organizations, which helps professional development, fellowship, and networking for new professionals in the transportation field.
Membership to YPT is open to all young transportation professionals around the world. We DO NOT have an age-restricted definition of “young” in YPT. Anyone is welcome to participate in our activities
Founded in 2008, the vision of Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT) is to become the preeminent professional development organization for emerging leaders in the transportation field. YPT provides professional development guidance, fellowship, and networking opportunities for young professionals in transportation. Our members are rising leaders in the transportation field and are employed in consulting firms, local government, and national transportation agencies across the continent.
YPT is rapidly expanding its membership and influence. Since January 2014, YPT has added new chapters – including multiple international chapters – and has grown to 25 chapters across North America. Our International board supports local chapters as they develop innovative programming and grow membership, as well as sustaining strong ties with national transportation agencies and organizations. YPT hosts events at international conferences such as Transportation Research Board (TRB), and partners on learning opportunities and fun events through digital engagement.
Supporting YPT shows a commitment to supporting the future of transportation. We encourage you to join Young Professionals in Transportation International and learn more about our dynamic industry. We are the future of the global transportation community.
YPT has chapters and regional districts in cities and regions across the world. Choose from the chapters below to learn about YPT in your area. If you are interested in starting a chapter in your city and or country contact us at Chapters@yptransportation.org .
For more information on starting a new YPT Chapter click here.
YPT is an international organization with a growing number of local chapters.
To support YPT’s value to members, its growth, and impact on the transportation community, a strategic initiative to create Regional Districts, with Regional Board of Directors is being explored.
We are currently accepting applications for our new YPT Regional District Board of Directors in both North America and Europe. Please complete the interest form via the link below if you are interested in supporting this strategic initiative and further leadership opportunities in the transportation community!
The National Board of Directors is based in Washington, DC and elected each November to provide guidance and leadership for the international organization as a whole.
For more information on each Board of Director role description, please click here.
YPT 2020-2021
CHAIR AND CEO
WILLIAM WANG // PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY CONTACT // CHAIR@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG YPT NEW YORK CITY
William Wang is a Leadership Fellow at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He is currently working for the Aviation Concessions & Strategic Customer Experience Unit. William works on operational excellence projects to modernize and digitize concessions processes, improve customer experience, and develop strategic partnerships to expand revenue streams. He supports Aviation Concessions, Commercial and Customer Experience leaders in strategic initiatives.
William was born in China and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. He received a Bachelor’s Degree with a double major in politics and public policy from New York University and a Master of Public Affairs from Brown University. His experience in multiple levels of government from the U.S. Senate and House to the New York City Mayor’s Office has focused his passion and interest on urban planning and development in the New York Metropolitan Region. William works to promote collaboration and professional development opportunities for people in the transportation and civil service fields. In his free time, he enjoys spending time exploring parks and other public places, especially ones located near subways and train stations. RESPONSIBILITIES
Serve as the Chief Executive Officer of YPT International
Day-to-day implementation of the policy and guidelines of the Board of Directors
Preside over Board meetings and create/appoint members to Committees
Develop and oversee strategic initiatives and partnerships
DEPUTY CHAIR
SHANE MISZTAL // TRANSMART/EJM CONTACT // DEPUTY@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG YPT CHICAGO
Shane Misztal is a Traffic Engineer at a civil engineering consulting firm TranSmart/EJM, located in Chicago. He has project experience in intersection design, traffic analysis, complete streets, traffic impact studies, and signal design and works on local projects alongside agencies such as the CTA, CDOT, and IDOT.
Shane is born and raised in Miami, Florida and moved to Chicago three and a half years ago. Shane has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida. Since 2016, Shane has been involved with the YPT-Chicago Chapter serving as Chair for Programs, Deputy Chair, and Chair. In his free time, he can be found playing in sports leagues such as softball, flag football, and volleyball leagues, and taking the CTA around town. RESPONSIBILITIES
Assist the Chair in administering the international board and with any miscellaneous
needs
Set up monthly board meetings
Administer the subsequent year’s election process
Stand in for the Chair when necessary
DIRECTOR OF SPONSORSHIP
JAIME MCKAY // Transit Services of Frederick County CONTACT // SPONSORSHIP@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG YPT BALTIMORE
Jaime McKay is the Deputy Director of Transit Services of Frederick County. She has been involved with YPT since 2016 serving multiple roles for her local and international chapters. Jaime and her team won the 2016 YPT Project of the Year Award for their work on GTFS expansion in Maryland, and she has been recognized as both an ACT (2016) and Mass Transit Magazine (2020) 40 Under 40 Recipient.
Jaime received her Masters in Geography from the University at Albany, and was introduced to the wide world of geography as an undergraduate at Geneseo. Jaime loves trains, loves to ride her bike, and has a one-eyed cat named Linus, who you can meet on Twitter. RESPONSIBILITIES
Solicit and maintain international sponsors
Administer and keep up-to-date sponsorship levels
Provide accurate sponsorship information to the Director of Finance for budget
planning
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
CHRISTOPHER LAU // AECOM CONTACT // FINANCE@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG YPT HOUSTON
Christopher Lau, P.E. is currently a Highways Civil Engineer with AECOM in Houston, Texas. He has worked on numerous highway PS&E and Schematic projects for multiple clients around Texas, including TxDOT and the City of Houston. Outside of work, Christopher has been involved with YPT since 2016, and has undertaken various leadership positions in YPT Houston, YPT International, and the ASCE Houston Branch.
Christopher grew up in Houston, Texas and earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in May 2016. He is also currently a 2022 MBA candidate at the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. Since joining YPT, Christopher has been proactive in his goal to promote the connecting and networking of young transportation professionals globally. RESPONSIBILITIES
Collect individual dues payments and redistribute to chapters
Record and maintain accurate financial records
Pay organization bills in a timely fashion
Manage organization payment systems
Seek opportunities to best utilize existing financial resources and expand revenue streams
Develop annual budget and provide monthly updates to the international board
DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP
NIGEL GREMBOWSKI // EQUITY ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING CONTACT // MEMBERSHIP@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG YPT NEW YORK CITY
Nigel Grembowski is a transportation and urban planner with experience in transportation, land use, emergency management, complete streets, and traffic planning who strives to identify and fill gaps in organizational structure and functionality. Nigel is a Certified Planner by the American Planning Association. Now based in New York City, Nigel was born in Chicago, IL and grew up in Woodstock, IL, a small town in northern Illinois. He values input from diverse opinions, counting his experience both in the rural Upper Midwest and New York City as extremely beneficial. Nigel received his Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and his Master of City and Regional Planning from the Eduard J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Within transportation, Nigel is especially passionate about complete streets and how they can influence development to proceed at a human scale creating long-term benefits for cities and their residents. RESPONSIBILITIES
Monitor YPT membership numbers
Grant administrative access to the Contact Relationship Management System (CivicCRM)
Setup new chapters in database
Remove duplicate membership from the membership database
Assist chapters in using CiviCRM
DIRECTOR OF CHAPTER DEVELOPMENT
EMILY WEIGAND // JACOBS CONTACT // CHAPTERS@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG YPT AUSTIN
Emily Weigand, P.E., PTOE is a Transportation Engineer at Jacobs in Austin, TX. Her work focuses on traffic operations analysis and design work. Emily has worked on TxDOT projects throughout the state of Texas, some local projects in Austin, and master plan development projects. Emily holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Emily’s enjoys pilates and spin classes, baking and cooking, and traveling to places with french patisseries. RESPONSIBILITIES
Communicate with local chapter leadership and hold monthly chapter calls
Assist interested individuals in establishing new YPT chapters
Assist chapters with day-to-day chapter management
Monitor chapters with low or changing membership numbers
Serve as a liaison between chapter leadership and International Directors
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS
SEBNEM TUGCE PALA CONTACT // PROGRAMS@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG YPT SAN FRANCISCO
Sebnem joined YPT International as the Director of Programs in 2020. Sebnem has been working in the field of sustainable transportation policy since she moved to the Bay Area in 2016. She believes in the power of technology to provide accessible, affordable, sustainable, safe and equitable transportation for everyone. She is one of the policy wonks who can translate policy into tech talk. Previously, she worked for Miami’s first unicorn startup, REEF Technology, as the Energy Grant Strategy Director and she led AmpUp’s Public Policy and Government Affairs team. Her previous work experience includes: the European Union’s non-profit lending institution (European Investment Bank) in Luxembourg, a rural development case study in Kenya at the International Labor Organization in Switzerland, and an internship with top 100 artificial intelligence startup Iris Automation’s public policy and regulatory affairs team in San Francisco and with the third largest micro-mobility startup Spin Electric Scooters.
While studying at UC Berkeley, she did policy research on autonomous drones and autonomous vehicles at UC Berkeley’s Transportation Sustainability Research Center. Sebnem studied Professional Diploma Program in Business Administration and Project Management at UC Berkeley, MA in Development Studies at Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva (IHEID) and another MA in International Political Economy at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. She speaks seven languages. Her interests include traveling to exotic places as an avid traveler, practicing yoga and meditation, and playing with clay. RESPONSIBILITIES
Plan/oversee events in conjunction with major conferences
Support chapter programming, especially when major conferences are held near chapters
Coordinate events with the Director of Finance and the Director of Membership
DIRECTOR OFCOMMUNICATIONS
ERIC TAURO // WSP CONTACT // INFO@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG YPT NEW YORK CITY
Eric Tauro is an architectural designer in the Transportation Facilities Group (TFG) within Transportation & Infrastructure at WSP. He is involved in project design, development, and coordination within the transportation building typology. His work experience consists of knowledge and design services ranging from American with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines, capacity improvements, building code/client standards, construction documentation, design development, and conceptual visualization/3D renderings. He has experience working agencies, such as Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT), Port Authority of NY & NJ (PANYNJ), New Jersey Transit (NJT), Long Island Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and Chicago Metra Rail. Eric is the Vice Chair of the WSP Developing Professionals Network (DPN).
Originally from CA, Eric has a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from California State Polytechnic University and studied at Santa Chiara Study Center in Italy. He moved to New York to earn a Master of Architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and spent a semester at the Center for Architecture, Science & Ecology (CASE) at the NYC office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). He has great passion for urban planning & design, architecture, sustainability, natural environments, and built ecologies. He also enjoys music, theater, photography, art, design, fashion, food and technology. During his free time, he likes traveling, hiking, cooking, singing, dancing, experiencing different restaurants & cultures, and exploring cities by foot or bicycle. RESPONSIBILITIES
Development and distribution of YPT International communications and newsletters
Website design, management and coordination for all international chapters
Social media updates and management
Graphic Design and Video Editing
Development of Annual Report
DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION
NATALIYA PEKAR // ALTA PLANNING + DESIGN CONTACT // ADMIN@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG YPT TORONTO
Nataliya Pekar is a designer and EIT at Alta. Based in Toronto, she works on active transportation and Complete Streets projects across Canada. Nataliya is always thinking about the role of our industry in creating a more sustainable and just society and sees YPT as a key resource for young professionals to connect and advance positive change. She is also passionate about women in STEM, contributing to her local chapter of SWE and volunteering as a university mentor with WISE. Nataliya has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto. Prior to joining Alta, she worked at the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario in construction administration and corridor control for provincial highways. Nataliya has also previously worked for the City of Toronto’s Pedestrian Projects Unit supporting road safety and accessibility projects. RESPONSIBILITIES
Record minutes for all monthly board meetings
Oversee international awards and other major activities
Keep accurate records of the organization
Board of Advisors 2020-2022
YPT’s Board of Advisors are preeminent public and private sector leaders in transportation with a wide range of exemplary experience in the field. We are grateful for their participation and willingness to assist the development of a new generation of transportation professionals.
YPT’s diversity of programming, events, publications and other opportunities is made possible through support from our annual Sponsors – firms and organizations within the transportation industry making a financial commitment to the development of the next generation of transportation professionals through their support. To learn more about becoming a Sponsor, please contact Sponsorship@yptransportation.org.
Becoming a YPT Sponsor
YPT’s vision is to become the preeminent professional development organization for emerging leaders in the transportation sector. Our members are the future of the global transportation community. Your generous support of our organization will ensure that you and your business will play a critical role in shaping a better transportation world for generations to come. YPT offers a number of exciting opportunities for you and your employees!
To view our Sponsorship Package, please click here.
If you would like to discuss benefits of Sponsorship, and how your company would like to get involved with YPT, please contact the Director of Sponsorship at Sponsorship@yptransportation.org.
2020 – 2021 Sponsors
RAIL LEVEL
BRT LEVEL
BIKE LEVEL
CARPOOL
As a federally-recognized 501(c)(6) non-profit entity, contributions or gifts to YPT are not tax deductible as charitable contributions. However, they may be tax deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses.
Calendar
For information on how to post events within our social media channels or calendar please contact (Programs@yptransportation.org).
To show events for only select cities or chapters, use the arrow in the upper right corner of the calendar to adjust the visible events.
YPT Coffee Chat Program
Interested in meeting more fellow YPT International members and connecting with new transportation professionals worldwide? Expand your network and be sure to sign up for our new member pairing program: YPT Coffee Chat!
Forbes recently reported that, while 76% of people think mentors are important, only 37% actually have one. We would like to change that equation.
We are thrilled to announce that YPT International has launched a mentorship program to help transportation professionals learn from transportation professionals. We are eager to empower those with more experience to share their knowledge, skills and journey. And we want rising transportation wonks to learn from those who have walked before them in order to grow their careers and network.
We will be accepting applications from interested transportation professionals. Nevertheless, it is important to note that all mentees must be a YPT member but anyone in the transportation community can be a mentor.
