Eno Hosts Nation's Top Graduate Students in Transportation

The 2007 Eno Leadership Development Conference, held May 14-18 in Washington, DC, brought together twenty "Eno Fellows," outstanding graduate students representing 14 states, 17 campuses, nine Ph.D. programs and 11 masters programs. The week-long Conference, now in its 15th year, offers top graduate students in transportation an exceptional opportunity to learn how U.S. transportation policy is shaped, enacted, and funded.

"The Leadership Development Conference represents the Eno Foundation's commitment to helping the next generation of transportation leadership master the landscape that is today's transportation, a complex mix of logistics and public policy," said Tom Downs, president of the Eno Transportation Foundation. "Through their experiences in Washington - by attending the meetings and the lectures, and by building personal and professional bonds - the Eno Fellows add new and valuable tools to their skills as transportation leaders of the 21st Century. And with those tools, our Fellows will help assure the vitality of America's, if not the world's, air, sea, and land transportation systems."

The Fellows' week this spring included meetings with high-level policy makers and discussions on topics critical to the future of transportation. Thirty-six speakers from government agencies, industry associations, transportation authorities, corporations, and non-profit organization gave their time to brief the students on the most pressing issues facing transportation leaders. Topics included the reauthorization of SAFTEA-LU, the federal budget and appropriations process, the global nature of transportation systems, and the future of transportation research.

Among the speakers were: Jim Simpson, Federal Transit Administrator; Clifford Eby, Deputy Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA); John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO); Bill Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA); Peter Rogoff, Staff Director, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, Senate Committee on Appropriations; John Catoe, General Manager, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA); and Mort Downey, Chair, PB Consult, and former Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Transportation (USDOT).

Whether exploring the development of private / public partnerships to fund transportation needs or learning about efforts to break down "stovepipes" that have traditionally divided transport modes, the Eno Fellows engaged the experts in positive and productive discussions. A recurring theme expressed by many of the speakers was the need for the Fellows to take on serious leadership roles in the future. The students also participated in a mock Congressional hearing at the National Press Club.

Norman Y. Mineta, Former Secretary of Transportation and current Vice Chairman of Hill & Knowlton, Inc., delivered the keynote address at a banquet held in honor of the Fellows. With references to the increasing pressures on America's air traffic control system and the country's goods movement infrastructure, he stressed the global nature of the world the Fellows would be entering as managers, researchers, and teachers. Himself a former member of the Eno Foundation Board of Directors, Sec. Mineta presented the 20 members of the Class of 2007 their award certificates.

In assessing their whirlwind week in Washington, a number of the 2007 Fellows commented on the genuine commitment demonstrated by the leaders who served as Conference faculty. One student wrote: "The consistency of excellent speakers was incredible, and their interest in fostering the Fellows was / is remarkable."

The Eno Leadership Development Conference is made possible by the Eno Transportation Foundation, with the support of universities, the GAR Foundation, PB Consult, and other organizations with a commitment to helping develop transportation leaders.

The Fellows are nominated by their universities early in the year, and the Eno Foundation Board of Regents, a panel of academic leaders, selects 19 graduate students to be part of the spring Conference. The 20th seat is given to an early-career professional chosen by the Women's Transportation Seminar and is funded by the PB Consult / WTS endowed scholarship.

(Posted 5/2007)