CELEBRATING ASIAN-AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH
AND BIKE MONTH!
We honor all the contributions that Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) people have made in transportation, such as for U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Yoshio Mineta, Aviation Pioneer Hazel Ying Lee, Materials Engineer Abdus Suttar Khan, Railroad Foreman Chin Lin Sou, and the first Chinese-American who traveled to outer space, Taylor Gun-Jin Wang. We celebrate all AAPI members of our community this month!
May is also a time to celebrate active transportation! Since the pandemic began, there has been a surge in biking in NYC. In response, the City has established 80 miles of Open Streets, and there are roughly 50 miles of new bike lane projects in the works that will expand the current 1,375 mile bike network. Providing dedicated bike infrastructure goes a long way towards improving safety and comfort for people on bikes. Whether you ride a bike or not, we can celebrate this progress in local and regional mobility!
Ai Weiwei – Forever Bicycles, 2014, 1,254 bicycles. Dimensions variable. Installation view, Waller Creek Delta, The Contemporary Austin – Museum Without Walls Program, Austin, Texas, 2017, photo: Brian Fitzsimmons/The Contemporary Austin.
YPT-NYC MAY EVENTS
Congestion Pricing, a Conversation with Sam Schwartz
Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.
Join YPT-NYC for a conversation with Sam Schwartz, a.k.a. “Gridlock Sam,” on New York City’s congestion pricing plan. Mr. Schwartz, former New York City traffic commissioner and CEO of Sam Schwartz Consulting, has been an advocate for congestion pricing for over a decade. Mr. Schwartz has kept the topic front and center in public discourse, creating his own congestion pricing plan proposal and forming a broad coalition of supporters through the Move NY campaign. Mr. Schwartz recently served on the New York State’s congestion pricing task force and helped to formulate the current plan. Mr. Schwartz will share the latest updates on congestion pricing and its role in New York City’s COVID recovery.
RSVP will close on May 4 at 5:00 p.m., and an event link will be sent to attendees shortly thereafter.
Click here to register.
Virtual Speed Networking
Wednesday, May 19 at 6:00 p.m.
Our Virtual Speed Networking event is coming up soon on May 19, 2021. This event will take place on Zoom at 6:00 p.m. Similar to speed dating, recent graduates and early-career transportation professionals will be paired with experienced transportation professionals in breakout rooms in ten-minute intervals. This is a great opportunity to learn about different career options in transportation!
Click here to register.
Lawn Day
Saturday, May 22 from 2:00-5:00 p.m
Join YPT NYC as we gather for some socially distant lawn games to refresh our motor and/or social skills after more than a year hunched over our laptops. We will provide games like Kubb, badminton, and bocce. Bring your own snacks, chairs, masks, and blankets for a low-key lawn event in Brooklyn’s front yard: Prospect Park! We will gather by the center of the Long Meadow Ball Fields. Rain Date: May 23.
Click here to register.
Creator Talk with Andrew Lynch a.k.a. vanshnookenraggen
Wednesday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m.
Andrew Lynch, more widely known as vanshnookenraggen, is a New York based cartographer and transit activist. For nearly 20 years he has been documenting subways and exploring the rich history of unrealized transit expansion. Lynch is the Chief Design Officer at QueensLink, a project he helped launch, reimagining the abandoned Rockaway Beach Branch as a co-transit and park corridor through central Queens. Join Lynch as he takes you on a tour of lost futures from the past and places we still may travel.
Learn more about Andrew Lynch’s work here.
Click here to register.
YPT-NYC UPCOMING EVENTS
The Future of NYC Transportation System, a Conversation with Dick Ravitch
Wednesday, June 9 at 12:30 p.m.
Image credit: William E. Sauro/The New York Times
Dick Ravitch has earned a reputation for his political savvy, business skill, and commitment to social responsibility throughout his decades-long career in government and business. He is renowned for his work to fix numerous fiscal crises in the public sector. He served as New York’s Lieutenant Governor from 2009-2010 in the midst of the Great Recession. However, our community may know him best for his work as Chairman and CEO of the MTA from 1979 to 1983. Ravitch successfully transformed a system struggling with disinvestment and disrepair by reorganizing its management structure (including establishing Metro-North Railroad) and developing a long-term capital plan for systemwide rehabilitation. With the MTA undergoing another transformation amidst a global pandemic and fiscal uncertainty, there are parallel challenges today. He remains an outspoken proponent of investing in our cities, infrastructure, and public sector workforce in the wake of the pandemic. Please join us for a conversation with Dick Ravitch to learn valuable lessons from his experience in navigating politics (including in his autobiography So Much to Do), the merits of careers in public service, and his outlook on the future of New York.
Click here to register.
RECENT YPT-NYC EVENTS
Game Night
Thank you to everyone who joined our Game Night on
Backyard.co. We had a blast playing pictionary and cards against humanity!
Dubary Brea, Deputy Director of Federal Transit Administration Grant Programs, NYC Department of Transportation
Bio
Dubary Brea manages a team that oversees the financial and programmatic management of over $500M in federal and state funding for infrastructure projects across NYC at NYC DOT. Previously, Dubary spent five years at the Port Authority of NY & NJ and PATH in various roles encompassing operating and capital budgeting, financial reporting, and grants management, along with two years as a rotational leadership fellow serving in multiple departments across the agency. Mr. Brea has experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, which has shaped his unique policy perspectives. His prior experiences include the Congressional Budget Office, KeySpan Energy (now National Grid), Congressman José E. Serrano’s Washington D.C. office, and Groundwork, Inc. He received a Master of Public Administration from the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA), focusing on government, politics, and policy studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and economics from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Q&A
What is your favorite YPT-NYC event and why?
The YPT-NYC Holiday Party is always a fun occasion and I enjoy catching up with friends in the transportation sector.
If you could snap your fingers and make one change to regional transportation, what would it be?
I would consolidate all the regional transportation entities, such as the MTA, NJ Transit, PANYNJ, and NYCDOT, and their respective services and revenue streams under one regional entity. I’d grant the new entity the independence and authority for all regional planning, transit service decisions, and capital project construction. Imagine using just one fare media on any of these systems: more efficient and smoother service integration amongst all the various modes and routes.
What are you working on that you’re most excited by?
We are currently finalizing the construction and delivery of three new ferry boats for the Staten Island Ferry. The new storm-resilient vessels will be more capable of operating in a wide range of weather conditions and locations and can also be used in emergency evacuations. My team at NYCDOT manages the federal funding, reporting, and compliance for the project.
What career advice would you give to other YPT’ers interested in your career path?
If you see an opportunity that piques your interest, actively find out more information about it and network with your colleagues at work, school, or YPT.
What famous celebrity do you think should be given the opportunity to voice a NYCT Subway Announcement?
Definitely Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson.
YPT-NYC LINKEDIN
Use the YPT LinkedIn group if you are #OpenToWork!
Our LinkedIn group is a great way for members to share information about yourself as a job seeker, connect with others, or share job opportunities!
WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!
Young Professionals in Transportation – New York City (YPT-NYC) is an official 501(c)(6) non-profit organization that provides benefits to its members through professional development, fellowship, and networking. YPT-NYC’s members keep the Greater New York City region moving while providing a space for growing skills, sharing knowledge, and expanding professional networks. Check your membership status here, or join here. Being an active member is $20 for the year and allows us to provide our membership with impactful programming.
YPT-NYC 