Equitable Access to Smart E-Mobility

"Andrew DeCandis is a Principal Planner in the Air Quality program at the Houston-Galveston Area Council as well as one of the co-coordinators for the Houston-Galveston Clean Cities Coalition. He has 20 years of experience in environmental issues with a special emphasis on issues related to air quality improvement, environmental … Read More

"Andrew DeCandis is a Principal Planner in the Air Quality program at the Houston-Galveston Area Council as well as one of the co-coordinators for the Houston-Galveston Clean Cities Coalition. He has 20 years of experience in environmental issues with a special emphasis on issues related to air quality improvement, environmental sustainability, and alternative fuels. Through his work at the Houston-Galveston Area Council, Andrew works with stakeholders and policymakers to find, develop, and promote emissions reduction strategies in Houston and beyond. Andrew holds a Master’s Degree in Meteorology from the Pennsylvania State University. • Prepares grant proposals to secure federal and state funding for regional air quality improvement initiatives. Crafts outreach materials to promote funding availability and to educate elected officials, members of the business community, and the public to develop new projects and funding sources for the region with a focus on programs to improve regional air quality and transportation.  • Manages $6 million in U.S. DOE grant funding to expand the use of alternative fuels within the Houston region. Works with the U.S. DOE and project partners to ensure timely progress towards completion of project goals.• Works with local freight stakeholders develop and spread sustainable transportation options as a staff member of the Houston-Galveston Clean Cities Coalition. Facilitates communication with regional freight partners and fuel providers to expand the use of already proven technologies within the Houston region.• Gathers regional air quality data, evaluates and analyzes these measurements, and develops visualizations and presentations to convey complex environmental issues for government and public audiences.• Develops and enacts programs and tools to enable local stakeholders to better understand the actions that they can take to improve air quality. This includes a web-based map to help connect alternative fuel users and purveyors to to increase the rates of implementation of alternative fuel technologies.• Serves as a liaison between agency staff and members of regional air quality advisory committees, working directly with committee members to convey agency direction and to develop committee goals and processes that dovetail with the agency’s. Develops meeting agendas and prepares materials for monthly stakeholder meetings. • Develops documents related to the procurement of goods and services to execute air quality programs. Leads committee-based proposal evaluations, obtains internal contract approval, oversees contract negotiations and initiation. " Read Less

"Kimberly J. Williams Chief Innovation Officer “METRO’s Office of Innovation is proud to support METRO’s efforts to enhance riders’ travel experience. We appreciate the vision and support of the METRO Board in advancing innovative initiatives.” — Kimberly J. Williams Kimberly J. Williams is in charge of METRO’s “idea factory.” Her … Read More

"Kimberly J. Williams Chief Innovation Officer “METRO’s Office of Innovation is proud to support METRO’s efforts to enhance riders’ travel experience. We appreciate the vision and support of the METRO Board in advancing innovative initiatives.” — Kimberly J. Williams Kimberly J. Williams is in charge of METRO’s “idea factory.” Her job as chief innovation officer is to look for the latest and greatest developments in transportation and figure out how to make them work for the Houston area. METRO’s Office of Innovation successfully secured Texas as a recognized autonomous-vehicle proving ground and launched a pilot project with Texas Southern University to operate an autonomous vehicle on campus. The shuttle service could eventually connect with the METRO system. The office has also been instrumental in a pilot project for Wi-Fi on a limited number of buses and trains as well as other Agency initiatives related to technology and innovation. Williams is an attorney with extensive experience in law, academia, city and state government affairs and transportation. She has worked in California, Washington, D.C. and Beijing. Past Positions METRO, Deputy Chief Procurement Officer METRO, Chief Administration Officer Labor Attorney, city of Houston Texas Southern University, Vice President of External Relations International Labor Office of Beijing, People’s Republic of China Legislative Attorney, Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress Legislative Aide to U.S. Representative Barbara Rose Collins (ret.) Member of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee Professional Associations and Activities Member, APTA Board of Directors Co-Chair, APTA Procurement & Materials Committee Board of Advisors, Young Professionals in Transportation Past President Emeritus, Houston Chapter, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Honors Presided over METRO’s award-winning Small and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Programs Emerging Leader of the Year, COMTO First Director of the Barbara Jordan Institute for Policy Research, Texas Southern University Recipient, Congressional Black Caucus Internship Survey Editor, Wayne Law Review Civic Activities Past Board Member, Greater Houston Black Chamber Past Board Member, Midtown Redevelopment Authority Former Treasurer, Greater Channel Chapter of Jack and Jill Inc. Member, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Education and Certifications Graduate, ENO Institute Senior Transit Executive Program Graduate, Leadership Houston Graduate, Leadership APTA Certified Mediator and Arbitrator J.D., Wayne State Law School, Detroit, Michigan B.A., Howard University, Washington, D.C." Read Less

"Bruce Race, FAIA, FAICP, PhD is the principal and founder of RACESTUDIO and is responsible for all aspects of project planning, design and delivery. Since founding RACESTUDIO in Berkeley, CA in 1994, his projects have received 33 design and planning awards including national awards from the American Institute of Architects, … Read More

"Bruce Race, FAIA, FAICP, PhD is the principal and founder of RACESTUDIO and is responsible for all aspects of project planning, design and delivery. Since founding RACESTUDIO in Berkeley, CA in 1994, his projects have received 33 design and planning awards including national awards from the American Institute of Architects, American Planning Association, and Environmental Protection Agency. The Long-Range Development Plan for UC Merced received a national 2012 AIA COTE Top Ten Green Projects Award, and the Owings Award for Environmental Excellence, from the California Architectural Foundation in 2013. The Downtown Plan for Estes Park, Colorado received a Colorado APA Planning Award for Community Resilience in 2018. In 2015, Dr. Race joined the Gerald D. Hines School of Architecture as Director of University of Houston’s newly created Center for Sustainability and Resiliency (CeSAR). Dr. Race represents the CoAD on the UH’s Deans of Research Committee advising university-wide research program, funding, and facility policies; is a 2018 50in5 Scholar; and UH Energy Fellow. His sponsored research includes National Science Foundation grants for intelligent transportation systems and community resilience. In Houston, CeSAR has assisted prepare strategies for flood-resilient neighborhoods and energy-positive mixed-use development. The Robins Landing Town Center is the first mixed-use town center for Habitat for Humanity in the United States. The plan received the 2021 APA Texas Gold Award for Resilience. His net-zero master plan for the 143-acre Ruffino Hills landfill site in Southwest Houston has received a 2022 APA Houston Gold Award for Resilience. Dr. Race received his PhD from Cardiff University’s Welsh School of Architecture where has been a visiting research fellow, faculty in The Master in Urban Design (MaUD) program, and an instructor in the Low Carbon Architecture Summer Program. Prior to joining UH, Dr. Race was an Associate Professor of Practice and a full-time urban planning faculty for Ball State University’s Master of Urban Design program in Indianapolis. Bruce Race is one of very few planning and design professionals in the United States that have been elected to fellowship by both the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) and American Institute of Certified Planners (FAICP). In 2012, Dr. Race received the Planning Sagamore from APA Indiana recognizing his accomplishments “as a model planner before the public and the planning profession.” Bruce Race served as the urban design columnist for the Indianapolis Business Journal from 2012-2015; and as a member of ICE Publishing Urban Design Proceedings Editorial Panel, Institution of Civic Engineers, London, UK from 2014-2020." Read Less