Mass Transit

SEP-OCT 2014

Mass Transit magazine features agency profiles, industry trends, management tips and new product information.

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22 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 Henrika J. Buchanan J.D. Associate Administrator of Program Management Federal Transit Administration Kristina M. Brevard Vice President, Marketing & Communications, IT Denton County Transportation Authority HENRIKA BUCHANAN is the associate administrator of the ofce of Program Management at the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). In this role, she leads the FTA team provid- ing guidance to the public transportation industry for $8 billion annually in FTA formula programs, including the resources for urbanized areas; rural areas; seniors and persons with disabilities; state of good repair; and buses and bus facilities grant programs. She also manages more than $70 million annually in discre- tionary FTA funding programs. During the past two years, Buchanan led the ofce through an unprecedented period of pro- ductivity implementing MAP- 21. Tis includes developing the implementation guidance for FTA grant programs, including the new emergency relief program. Only a few months afer the program's creation in MAP-21, Hurricane Sandy caused the greatest destruction of public transportation assets in U.S. history. Buchan- an coordinated the FTA headquarters ofce work delivering $10.4 billion in Hurricane Sandy Relief public transportation funding. She coordinated the allocation of more than $5 billion in resources for disaster recovery eforts in record time and her ofce designed a discretion- ary program currently used to allocate an additional $3 billion dollars competitively for invest- ments to make the nation's tran- sit infrastructure more resilient to disasters. Tis competitive resilience program is the sec- ond largest discretionary grant program in the history of the department of transportation. Buchanan is also responsi- ble for managing FTA's capital project management oversight program, coordinating with regional ofces to manage ap- proximately 40 funded New Starts and Small Starts projects receiving more than $15 billion from FTA. Buchanan began her career in transportation in FTA's Ofce of Communications and Congres- sional Afairs as a presidential management fellow. www.MassTransitmag.com/11610340 KRISTINA BREVARD was hired at the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) in 2007 as the agency's mar- keting assistant and through her drive and commitment, moved up to marketing and communications manager, and then to her current position as vice president of marketing and communications. Brevard also heads up the in- formation technology (IT) and service planning departments. She built the agency's frst IT de- partment from the ground up and led a 6-month process of implementing IT services into the agency's newly constructed $8.2 million bus operations and maintenance facility. Brevard spearheaded a marketing campaign for DCTA's A-train commuter rail launch in 2011 which resulted in more than 8,000 passengers on opening day, more than 200 volunteers who pro- vided event support at fve rail stations, $75,000 raised in sponsorship, $100,000 in earned media and 14,000 passengers during the frst week of the train line's opening. Brevard has been instrumental in the development of DCTA's new real-time information passenger tool "Where's My Ride," which will provide real-time trav- el information to passengers. Te system will help passengers access DCTA more easily by allowing them to obtain predictive arrival information for the next bus or train at a particular stop location. Under Brevard's direction, DCTA's marketing communica- tions eforts have been recognized with regional ADDY awards, Southwest Transit Association Spotlight Awards and American Public Transportation Associa- tion AdWheel Awards and fea- tured in public transportation industry media outlets as best practice case studies. Brevard received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award-Gold Level for 2011 and 2013 from the American Red Cross for her volunteer work on their disaster public afairs team. She initially started volunteering with the American Red Cross during the Hurricane Katrina disaster response and has been involved since that time. www.MassTransitmag.com/11617625 "I was raised by a single mother who always taught me how to be independent and self- sufficient in life. The common threads of her teachings were to have courage, be ambitious and always strive for greatness. I … believe her guidance has helped me throughout my life and my career." "Whether it is through the construction of major capital projects or the development of workforce development programs that create employment opportunities and a skilled workforce, public transit projects are shaping communities and leading to economic growth and development."

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