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 2022-2023

**CHAIR**
**CHRISTOPHER LAU** // AECOM
**CONTACT** // CHAIR@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**
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**
**AISULU SALIYEVA** // AECOM
**CONTACT** // DEPUTY@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG
**YPT HOUSTON**
Aisulu Saliyeva, P.E. is a Structural Engineer at AECOM Houston, Texas office. She specializes in design and analysis of bridges and other highway structures. She got her bachelor’s degree from University of Houston in Civil Engineering and her master’s degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a focus in Structures. Aisulu has numerous memberships and has been actively involved in local and international professional organizations.
Aisulu is originally from Almaty, Kazakhstan and speaks four languages. In her free time, she enjoys books, cinematography, architecture, and art in all its forms. She’s determined to work towards achieving YPT 2023 goals and facilitating opportunities for development of professionals in transportation.
**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**
**BOYANG ZHANG** // AECOM
**CONTACT** // SPONSORSHIP@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG
**YPT HOUSTON**
Boyang Zhang is an innovative, self-motivated, passionate, and experienced urban planner with 10+ years of experience spanning across wide areas in transportation planning field, with a passionate focus on emerging transportation technologies.
Boyang has been involved with YPT since 2012, from Los Angeles Chapter to Houston Chapter. On YPT Houston board, he served as the Program Director (2019 & 2020) and the Chair (2021 & 2022), where he led YPT Houston Chapter, oversaw all chapter matters, and supported all other board members.
He earned his master’s degree in Transportation and Infrastructure Planning from University of Southern California and bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information System and minor degree in Computer Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Boyang has served in both public and private sectors, involving both transportation planning and engineering fields.
He calls himself a surfer, and enjoys his time in the great outdoors as well as with his instruments (piano and bass), while making videos here and there.
**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**
**ISABELLA STEINER** // WSP
**CONTACT** // FINANCE@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG
**YPT NEW YORK CITY**
Isabella Steiner, EIT, is a Site/Highway Engineer within the Transportation and Infrastructure team at WSP in Newark, NJ. Isabella is involved in the design of various civil roadway, rail, and site projects. Her tasks include geometric highway design, roadside design, preparation of contract plans and documents, & construction cost estimates for highway projects for local and state agencies. She has developed data analysis and organization software tools for the team and project members to evaluate alternative construction analysis. Isabella is a Local Lead of the WSP Developing Professionals Network (DPN).
Before joining her team, she interned at Faithful+Gould Project Management for Formula 1 in Singapore and WSP in Boston, MA. Isabella is interested in the intersection of planning, design, construction, and operation of the built environment. She is passionate about transit and moving society and transportation infrastructure towards a renewable and sustainable future.
Isabella is originally from Venezuela but moved to the States to obtain a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a minor in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston. During her time in college, Isabella was closely involved with her school’s ASCE student chapter and helped organize volunteering activities. Outside of work, Isabella enjoys scuba diving, skiing, playing volleyball, and hiking. She loves hosting dinners, traveling, and exploring new neighborhoods in her free time.
**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**
**ALINA GAVRILOV** // CITY OF COLUMBUS
**CONTACT** // MEMBERSHIP@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG
**YPT INTERNATIONAL**
Alina Gavrilov (she/her) is a bridge engineer and project manager for the City of Columbus, OH Department of Public Service and the Professional Advancement Instructor for Station1, a nonprofit higher education institution focused on socially-directed science and technology. She received her bachelor’s degree in humanitarian engineering and mathematics from Baylor University, when she moved to Columbus, OH for her current job with the City. She has since been exploring the vibrant local foodie scene and diving into opportunities to explore her professional interests in resilient infrastructure, equitable engineering design, public policy, and transportation planning. Alina is a 2023 NLC Institute Fellow in the Columbus chapter of New Leaders Council, a nonprofit building an ecosystem of cross-sectional progressive leaders, and she is involved in multiple professional engineering societies. Alina enjoys mentoring high school students through the college admissions process, and you can find her attending a local poetry night, avidly listening to podcasts, running, thrifting, and having a long talk with a friend. She is excited to contribute to building a vibrant network of YPT members who can help each other advance in their fields and pave the way for incoming transportation professionals who are underrepresented in the industry.
**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**
**MATT SAXTON** // GILTNER LOGISTICS
**CONTACT** // CHAPTERS@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG
**YPT DALLAS-FORT WORTH**
Matt Saxton is the Operations Manager with Giltner Logistics and oversees and manages the strategic growth, development, and success of the Giltner Logistics Dallas & Atlanta Branch. Giltner Logistics is one of the top asset-based 3PLs in the country. By working closely with our two sister trucking companies, we can design and deliver superior solutions for our shipping customers. Our customers are some of the world’s largest and most demanding shippers. The only way to recruit new customers and retain their business is by providing competitive pricing without sacrificing service.
Matt started his career in logistics with The Pasha Group, a San Rafael, California-based maritime trade company with major operations supporting Hawaii across multiple business units, including international operations and military household goods. Matt managed the mainland US and Hawaiian Islands container group drayage and linehaul transportation operations, as well as strategic process and system enhancements across all modes of transportation. This included oversight and management of the Transportation Groups financials, P&L, and KPI creation and monitoring.
Matt is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Big Data Strategy, which includes a focus on Market Forecasting, Decision Theory, Business Intelligence, and Machine Learning while providing a curriculum to support an advanced skillset to extract meaningful information from large datasets and design strategies that drive business. He also graduated from the California State University Maritime Academy, which prepares students for general management positions in international business and careers in the more specialized fields of logistics, transportation management, and port operations.
Matt enjoys hiking, dirt-biking, offroading, and enjoying time on the lake when off work. He takes care of a small backyard chicken flock and relaxes with his Sheepadoodle in his spare time while looking for project cars to fix.
**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**
**THOMAS DAVIDENKO** // AMTRAK
**CONTACT** // PROGRAMS@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG
**YPT WASHINGTON DC**
Thomas is a Government Affairs Specialist at Amtrak, where he strives to communicate Amtrak’s projects, priorities, and history to federal lawmakers, external groups, and the public. In addition to coming up with unique ways to talk about Amtrak’s major fleet, infrastructure, and workforce investments, he also manages Amtrak’s involvement in YPT International.
Prior to his current role, Thomas was a Policy Analyst for Cardinal Infrastructure, where he helped clients advance major transit projects as well as initiatives related to workforce development, no-emission equipment, and transit-oriented development. Additionally, he has interned at Amtrak, in the House of Representatives, and Philadelphia’s City Council.
Thomas holds a BS in Business, Language, & Culture Studies with a Russian specialization and studied at the International University in Moscow for a semester. He is based in Philadelphia but can be found working up and down the Northeast Corridor. His experience as an everyday transit-user in high school and college, motivated him to pursue a career in transportation with the goal of improving access to low-emission mass transportation for all communities. When he’s not on a train, he enjoys exploring new cities, trivia, and playing guitar.
**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 a Facility Design Specialist in the National Fleet & Facilities Division of Transit & Rail 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 with 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 on the National Committee of 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**
**COURTNEY CHANCE** // HALFF ASSOCIATES
**CONTACT** // ADMIN@YPTRANSPORTATION.ORG
**YPT HOUSTON**
Courtney Chance is currently working at Halff Associates as a Civil Engineer for their Public Works/Transportation team in Richardson, Texas. Since her start as an engineer, she has worked on various PS&E projects under traffic, roadway, and illumination serving TxDOT as the main client.
She is a May 2019 graduate of Southern Methodist University where she obtained her bachelor’s in Civil Engineering and minor in Environmental Engineering. Courtney has been involved with YPT since 2019, serving as the Director of Administration for the Houston Chapter for three years before joining the International Board.
**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