DIRECTORS AND ADVISORS

Board of Directors

The International 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 he r e.

YPT 2021-2022

**CHAIR AND CEO**
**WILLIAM WANG** // PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY
**CONTACT** // CHAIR@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG
**YPT NEW YORK CITY**
William Wang is a Manager 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**
**TAYLOR GILL** // VIA
**CONTACT** // DEPUTY@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG
**YPT NEW YORK CITY**
Taylor Gill got her start in Transportation in 2013 as a Bus Operator for San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. As a long time rider, she quickly found a passion for making public transportation more reliable. She specializes in evaluating and reworking outdated processes and improving employee engagement. During her eight years at Metropolitan Transit System, she also held two other roles in overseeing customer service and operations teams. Taylor is currently serving as a Field Manager for Via Transportation, and pursuing a Masters of Transportation Management at NYU Tandon.
**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**
**LOUIS BARTHOLOMEW** // Carnegie Mellon University
**CONTACT** // SPONSORSHIP@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG
**YPT PITTSBURGH**
Louis Bartholomew is a 2nd-year graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, where he is earning his Master of Science in Public Policy and Management. He is also a Teaching Assistant for Carnegie Mellon graduate classes on Organizational Design and Geographic Information Systems, as well as an after-school math tutor for Pittsburgh students. After attending New York University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy with a minor in Business Studies, he taught high school mathematics for two years in Detroit as part of Teach for America. His time in Detroit spurred his interest in how public transportation investment and reforming land-use zoning can revitalize and strengthen communities. In his spare time, Louis enjoys biking, boxing, reading fantasy novels, and spending time with friends.
**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**
**LUCCA CASTRUCCI** // Center for Urban Community Services
**CONTACT** // CHAPTERS@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG
**YPT NEW YORK CITY**
Lucca Castrucci works developing Affordable, Supportive, and Transitional Housing in NYC. He has worked at the Port Authority in New York as a Process Improvement Consultant and has a Masters in Public Affairs. He has previously supported and nurtured groups from the ideation to operating phases of their growth. Lucca is particularly interested increasing the stock of and access to public transportation in New York City as well as more generally. Some of Lucca’s interests include discussing policy, playing board games, exercising (running, spinning, yoga) and most recently, learning Salsa.
**RESPONSIBILITIES**
Foster growth and operations in Regional Boards
Support local chapter leadership
Work with prospective new local chapters
Making processes easier for local chapters
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 OF COMMUNICATIONS**
**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**
**NICHOLAS COWAN** // PORT AUTHORITY OF New York & New Jersey
**CONTACT** // ADMIN@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG
**YPT NEW YORK CITY**
Nick Cowan is a Leadership Fellow at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. His work focuses on the intersection of urban planning, transportation, and data science. Currently rotating in the Aviation Customer Experience and Concessions Unit, his work includes efforts to centralize data streams available at four airports in the New York region and apply governance and analytical frameworks to the data such that it may be used to improve revenue streams, operations, and passenger experiences.
Nick was born and raised on Long Island, NY and now lives in NYC. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban and Regional Studies from Cornell University and a Master of Urban Planning from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. He works to promote innovation and data-driven decision making in transit networks so that they can be more efficient, safe, reliable, and sustainable. Outside of work, Nick enjoys baking, graphic design, and reading about all things urban planning, public transit, and smart cities.
**RESPONSIBILITIES**
Record minutes for all monthly board meetings

Keep accurate records of the organization
Manage the organization’s Teams channels and Zoom account for virtual meetings
Oversee international awards and other major activities
Keep accurate records of the organization
Collect and monitor metrics for all activities, events, and programming

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.

Lora Byala – President and CEO, Foursquare ITP | D.C.

Nathaniel Ford – CEO, Jacksonville Transit Authority | Jacksonville, FL

Michael Helta – Chief Innovation Officer, Maryland Transit Administration | Baltimore, MD

Katharine Kelleman – CEO, Port Authority of Allegheny County | Pittsburgh, PA

Joung H. Lee – Director of Policy & Government Relations, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials | D.C.

Andy Palanisamy – Director & Head of Practice – Smart Cities, Parsons Corporation | Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Chris Pangilinan – Public Transportation Policy Manager, Uber | San Francisco, CA

Robert Puentes – President and CEO, Eno Center for Transportation | D.C.

Kimberly Slaughter – CEO, SYSTRA USA | Chicago, IL

Christof Spieler – Vice President, Huitt-Zollars | Houston, TX

Audrey Wennink – Director of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Council | Chicago, IL

Kimberly Williams – Chief Innovation Officer, Houston METRO | Houston, TX

Sam Zimbabwe – Director, Seattle Department of Transportation | Seattle, WA