April Chan, the San Mateo County Transit District Chief Officer for Planning, Grants, and the Transportation Authority (TA), will be honored next week by the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.
Chan, a 15-year employee with the San Mateo County Transit District, will be given the 2016 Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award from the Bay Area Chapter of WTS, an organization dedicated to the professional advancement of women in transportation.
As Chief Officer of Planning, Grants, and the TA, Chan is responsible for overseeing strategic and long-range planning, environmental compliance, sustainability, grants and procurement programs, and the TA, the agency in charge of administering San Mateo County’s transportation tax funds. She is a longtime member of the WTS and the current Professional Development Chair of the organization’s Bay Area Chapter.
The Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award is given annually to an individual who has made significant contributions in promoting diversity and cultural awareness within their organization.
Chan received the award for her work toward facilitating professional opportunities for women, including guiding the successful development of the Chapter’s leadership program, and contributing to promoting diversity and multi-cultural awareness at the District.
“We are extremely proud of April’s work at the District,” said Jim Hartnett, General Manager and CEO of the San Mateo County Transit District. “She shows great poise and leadership as a Chief Officer and continually advocates for the advancement of women in the workplace here.”
Along with Chan, Caltrain’s Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project (PCEP) will be honored by the WTS. The PCEP is due to receive the Innovative Transportation Solutions Award, which recognizes innovative transportation projects or services led by women that improve the quality of life for its users and the community.
Scheduled for completion in 2020, the PCEP will electrify the Caltrain corridor between San Jose and San Francisco, upgrading the performance, operating efficiency, capacity, safety and reliability of the Peninsula’s commuter rail service.
The PCEP received the Innovative Transportation Solutions Award because its core management and support team was led by a strong contingent of female employees. That management team was comprised of Marian Lee, the former Chief Officer of the Caltrain Modernization Program, Michelle Bouchard, Chief Officer of Rail, Liria Larano, Director of Engineering, Sherry Bullock, Director of Program Management, Alicia Fraumeni, Contract Officer, Stacy Cocke, Principal Planner and Casey Fromson, External Affairs. Chan was part of the leadership team as well, through her role as Chief Officer of Planning, Grants, and the TA.
Caltrain is also managed by the San Mateo County Transit District.
“WTS has long been a highly-respected and influential organization,” said Hartnett. “We couldn’t be happier to have them recognize the work we’re doing as part of the Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project.”
The Bay Area Chapter of the WTS will hold their 35th annual Scholarship and Awards Event on Wednesday, May 4 at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland.
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About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy. Caltrain has enjoyed more than three years of consecutive monthly ridership increases, surpassing more than 60,000 average weekday riders earlier this year. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad will celebrate 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the corridor by 2019, reducing diesel emissions by 90 percent and adding more service to more stations.
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