Steven Frieson, Chief Operating Officer, Alta Planning Los Angeles Office

Steven Frieson is the Chief Operating Officer for Alta Planning + Design, a multi-national A&E firm specializing in active transportation and mobility. A graduate of Stanford University (’82), licensed Civil Engineer and certified cycling instructor, Steven has over 38 years of extensive experience in managing active mobility and transportation projects throughout California and across the U.S., ranging from bicycle master plans to freeway interchanges.

His technical expertise includes the planning, design, and construction management of site as well as transportation facilities. He?augments his technical skills with strong administrative abilities in the oversight and direction of technical professionals, client relations, quality control, public outreach, and strategic planning.

Download Presentation from Steven Frieson (PDF)

Vignesh Swaminathan, Principal in Charge and Project Manager, Crossroad Lab

Vignesh Swaminathan is Principal in Charge and Project Manager at Crossroad Lab and has over 10 years in municipal and transportation engineering. He has worked with municipalities, resource agencies and Caltrans to plan, design, and deliver much needed bridge, roadway and infrastructure improvements throughout California. Vignesh is the president of the firm and specializes in all aspects of transportation projects ranging from transportation studies to construction documents. He has formed a reputation in the industry for developing complex intersection geometrics to solve difficult transportation challenges. Vignesh’s career focuses on designing transportation projects such as bike paths, protected intersections, bridges, corridors and interchanges. He maintains a thorough understanding of the transportation project delivery process, planning and capital improvement projects.

Over the past few years Crossroad Lab has focused on Quick-Build solutions for Complete Street delivery and Community Outreach. This has proven to reduce costs, reduce Time for Design/Construction, and Improve community relations. Vignesh has been using Demonstration projects, pilot projects, Interim projects, and Social media to successfully build community consensus.

Vignesh Sits as the Chair of the Cupertino Sustainability Commission and as the Chair of the Valley Transportation Agency Citizen Advisory/Watchdog Committees. He also runs multiple Social Media Channels under the name Mr. Barricade, where he communicates to a general Audience about changes to our infrastructure and Built environment.

Download Presentation from Vignesh Swaminathan (PDF)

Nicole Ferrara, Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Advisor, City of Oakland

Nicole believes that all people deserve to live in communities that promote their health and wellness, regardless of race, wealth, age or ability. Nicole has worked on the intersection of public health and urban planning for over a decade, and is responsible for developing and realizing OakDOT’s policy and intergovernmental affairs priorities at the local, regional, state and federal levels. Nicole’s most recent positions include managing OakDOT’s Planning and Project Development team where she spearheaded the City’s first rapid response traffic safety project at Harrison and 23rd Streets and managed the redesign of Telegraph Avenue in Temescal. Prior to joining OakDOT, Nicole served as the Executive Director of Walk San Francisco, a non-profit advocacy organization that launched the City of San Francisco’s Vision Zero efforts (to eliminate severe and fatal traffic crashes) and successfully advocated for transportation funding to achieve safe streets goals. Nicole holds a Masters in City and Regional Planning and a Masters in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelors of the Arts in Psychology from the University of Southern California. In her spare time, Nicole enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children, and roping friends into joining her on running or yoga adventures around Oakland.

Download Presentation from Nicole Ferrara (PDF)