Staff

As the Center’s founding Director, Brian has deep experience building industry-wide labor-management joint programs and partnerships, focusing both on the workplace and on public policy.  In the 1990s he served as president of the Work and Technology Institute.  He has written a series of reports on technology and trade, high road labor-management partnerships, deindustrialization and the growing polarization of US incomes.

With over 20 years’ experience in government workforce development systems and sector development work, Jack brings deep expertise in the areas of worker training and career ladders.  A Ford Foundation/Kennedy School of Government Award for Innovations in State and Local Government winner, prior to joining the Center, Jack served as Deputy Director in the Mayor’s Office of Jobs and Community Services in Boston, MA

Xinge is a respected researcher in economic and statistical analysis in transportation and labor markets.  She is the lead author of the Center’s groundbreaking Metrics of Success series, and has led several DOL and TCRP research projects. She holds a Masters in HR and Industrial Relations from Penn State and is a certified Professional in Human Resources.

Liz has 25 years of extensive accounting experience in the public accounting and non-profit sectors.  She began as an auditor with KPMG Peat Marwick and then spent 15 years with the AFL-CIO Working for America Institute as the Senior Accountant on staff.

Tia is a researcher with first-hand knowledge of the training needs of transit workers, having spent time as a bus operator at the University of Alabama.  Joining the Center from ATU, where she worked as a contract analyst, Tia holds an MIS, which has allowed her to actively work on several of the Center’s technical database and web systems and on project management.

With a background in nonprofit communication and organizing (including Americorps, Planned Parenthood and ACORN), Julie’s experiences serve the Center well in her work as program manager of instructional design for the Center’s industry-wide transit elevator/escalator training consortium and as the leader of the communications team.

Mark leads the Center’s programs on apprenticeship and rail vehicle national training programs.  He brings an extensive rail labor background to the Center, having served as President/CEO of the High Speed Rail Association and Director of Research and Education at the Transportation Communications Union. He holds a Master of Administrative Science from Johns Hopkins.

obin is a leading expert on transit worker safety and health.  Previously Technical Director for Safety and Health at Transport Workers Union Local 100 in New York, Robin leads the Center’s team on transit health and safety, including TCRP F-17 Bus Operator Health Safety and Wellness. Based in New York, Dr. Gillespie is a member of NIOSH’s National Occupational Research Agenda Sector Committee on Transportation, Utilities and Warehouse.R

Pat brings to the Center over three decades of experience in labor, management, and workforce education at the U Mass. School of Management and the National Labor College. Her current work focuses on supporting career pathways for youth and community members for frontline positions in transit and connecting transit training programs to colleges so workers can also have a pathway to a degree.

Currently the Associate Director of the Instructional Systems Design Program at UMBC and formerly Deputy Provost of the National Labor College, Chuck brings in-depth expertise in instructional design, curriculum and apprenticeship to the Center’s team.  Joining the team from West Virginia, Chuck’s focus at the Center is on instructional systems design.

Jim brings a wealth of experience to his role as Director for the National Elevator/Escalator Training Consortium. Prior to joining the Center, Jim was Manager for Elevator/Escalator at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).  Based in Chicago, he has over 30 years’ experience in transit and is an accomplished trainer, holding an M.Ed.

With over 18 years’ experience managing maintenance and training operations, Ron comes to the Center having served as Manager of the Technical Skills Training Program at Washington Metro where he helped lead the outreach program to youth in DC high schools.  His areas of expertise include electronics technologies, instruction, and apprenticeship.

Leslie is a leading expert in education and training programs for career ladder mobility, transit operations planning, and linking disadvantaged populations to high-wage jobs.  Now based in NY, she has managed OJT Supportive Services and the Universities and Grants Programs for the FHWA, and has been engaged by prominent transit agencies including MBTA, WMATA, and NJ Transit.

As the Center’s lead expert on bus maintenance technologies and training, John has played a major role in the Center’s courseware improvement initiatives. John has served on the APTA staff and has authored several research studies for the Transportation Research Board. Now based in Connecticut, he has also worked as an automotive/bus technician, adding to his expertise in teaching and communicating complex mechanical topics.

As the Center’s Office Manager, Joyce works as the glue holding everything together. In addition to typical office management functions, Joyce coordinates travel and logistics for the Center’s national committees.  She joined the Center after serving as Office Manager at the Trust for Public Land.