ACT: Transportation management associations have been a vital segment of ACT's membership for many years. The TMA Council has expanded and contracted since its original founding. What's in store this year?

Maureen Farrell: The reinvigorated TMA Council is turning one year old this summer! I am very excited about the momentum we have built since we held our reorganizing meeting last July at the ACT International Conference in San Francisco.

ACT: What are the council's goals and activities?

MF: One of our main goals is to re-engage members, as well as grow the council. During our bi-monthly calls, we launched a speaker series in which presenters showcased their successful programs and best practices. We are surveying our members and asking for their feedback on the TMA Council meetings and communications, as well as creating a national database to categorize their interests, such as advocacy/policy issues and best practices.

ACT: Why were you interested in becoming TMA Council chair? 

MF: I've been at GVF close to seven years and I'm always looking for new opportunities to challenge myself. Serving as the TMA Council chair is an incredible opportunity to learn about innovative programs being implemented around the country, as well as ensure that TDM components, which we are all working hard to implement, are integrated into federal policies.

ACT: You have a great leadership team helping you with the council, too.

MF: I am lucky to have the opportunity to develop professional relationships and work alongside our vice chair, Lauren Grymek from Seaport TMA, and our secretary, Peter Paz from UrbanTrans. Other volunteers include Erika Kampe (Steer Davies Gleave/Go Glendale), Stacey King (CommuteWorks), Becky Heieck (North Natomas TMA), and our Public Policy Committee liaison Dan Callas (TransOptions).

ACT: Anything else you would like people to know about the council?

MF: The TMA Council is a valuable resource and network! I look forward to meeting other interested participants in person at ACT's 2015 International Conference in Baltimore this July.

ACT: How can other ACT members get involved?

MF: I encourage everyone to reach out to me via Twitter (@Maureen_Farrell) or email (mfarrell@gvftma.com) for more information, and visit our page on actweb.org.

The Federal Transit Administration invites participation in a webinar to discuss the Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new National Public Transportation/TOD Technical Assistance Initiative, which supports the Ladders of Opportunity initiative of the President and the Secretary of Transportation by providing technical assistance for transit-oriented development activities around public transportation stations, including technical assistance to economically distressed communities across the country.
 

The webinar will be held on Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 2:00 PM EDT. Participants will have an opportunity to submit questions electronically through the web interface. Panelists will respond to as many questions as possible during the webinar.
 

The webinar can be accessed here: https://connectdot.connectsolutions.com/fta-tod-projects/

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week announced the creation of its new online Sustainable Communities Initiative Resource Library, formed to house the products of HUD's Sustainable Community Initiative Grantees. The library includes a new HUD report--Green Infrastructure and the Sustainable Communities Initiative--which showcases the climate and economic resilience benefits of green infrastructure in 30 grantee communities.

The library also catalogues dozens of local and regional comprehensive plans, model codes, and reports, and will be expanded with additional plans, tools, reports, and fact sheets that take users inside the innovations of HUD's grantee communities. Collectively, these resources showcase the range of activities that grantee cities, counties, and regions have taken since the first grant was awarded in 2010.

Learn more at https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/sci/.

The ACT Board of Directors revived and/or created a number of committees during its January meeting and your participation is eagerly sought. If you have fresh ideas and a willingness to invest a little time, please consider serving on any of the following committees:

• Communications (Maureen Farrell, chair)
• Events (Katie Sihler, chair)
• Membership (Connie McGee, chair)
• Professional Development (Jim Barr, chair)
• Sponsorship (David Judd, chair)
• Strategic Planning (Luanna Huber & Rob Henry, co-chairs)

To volunteer, email your committee choice and contact information to info@actweb.org and include "Committee Participation" in the subject line.