Meet our 2023 Fellows

Angelica Gutierrez is a training and performance manager with over 15 years of experience in transportation. With a demonstrated history of working in customer service, employee training, regulatory compliance, and CDL instruction; she is skilled in leadership, operations, crisis management, and event planning. Driven by the desire to see people find success in a new environment, she takes pride in providing the best instruction and support for the development of new skills. In addition to her primary job functions,

Angelica has been recognized with the 2022 Spotlight Award for Leadership for her contributions to the agency and training department.

My name is Julyla Deatherage, and I am the Manager of Customer Experience at C-TRAN. My main professional goals are to continue to grow as a leader and introduce new ways to improve our current processes, such as ride booking, workflow, and travel training opportunities.

One of my biggest professional achievements at C-TRAN has been restoring an on-street team within the agency. We went about ten years without a consistent on-street presence, which is essential to maintaining a relationship with the public we serve.

My name is Tammy Meyer, and my current role is the Manager of Accounting at C-TRAN in Vancouver, Washington. I have been in this position for one year and four months and I have been with the transit agency since July of 2018. I have been in the accounting field for 20 years with most of that time in the healthcare field. I graduated from Washington State University with my bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Management Information Systems in 2006 Since I have started my career at C-TRAN, I understand the importance of public transit in our community and strive to grow in my current role as well as prepare for higher-level roles within the growing transit industry.

My position at C-TRAN afforded the opportunity to take part in a mentorship program that included leadership training and job shadowing fellow employees in different departments to gain additional understanding and knowledge of the agency. This experience contributed greatly to the biggest achievement of my career to date, my current role as the Manager of Accounting. I also take pride in being part of the transit agency that won the APTA 2019 & 2022 Transit System of the year award.

Cherie Huxtable is the finance administrator at Clallam Transit System (CTS). She started her career in accounting as a bookkeeper in the private sector and came to CTS in 2021 as a fiscal coordinator. She was quickly promoted to interim finance supervisor, and six months later promoted to finance administrator.
She is working towards her Master of Accounting degree to reach her goal of obtaining her Certified Public Accountant license.

Within her short time as finance administrator, she has updated and created company policies to meet state auditor guidelines, created new financial reports for board members that are more user-friendly, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting.

My name is Megan Schmidt. I have been the Lead Dispatcher/Administrative Assistant at Columbia County Public Transportation for five years. Throughout these five years I have taken on many roles, such as Public Records officer, Rideshare coordinator, and most recently a transit vehicle operator. Working at such a small agency, the majority of CCPT employees wear many hats, creating an environment that is heavily supportive of learning new skills. My professional goal is to work my way up towards a leadership and management position and have a sense of confidence in my ability to properly manage these positions and employees.

A large achievement I have worked hard towards is developing a strong work ethic and career at a young age, while simultaneously balancing a healthy personal life with my twin children.

Meadow Berkley is currently an Assistant Operations Manager at Grays Harbor Transit, I supervise 65 employees and conduct discipline. My goal is to become an influential leader in the Transit industry.

My most significant achievement thus far is being promoted to assistant operations manager.

Dan MacMillan Fleet Maintenace Supervisor Intercity Transit. My professional goal is to help lead transit into the future, mentor our staff to grow, and help them reach team and individual goals.

My best achievement is a career change into transit, moving to a new city, and most importantly helping raise my 3 kids through their teenage years.

I, Katie Cunningham, am a Procurement Coordinator at Intercity Transit. During my sixteen-year tenure in the procurement field, I have worked to develop proficiency through the acquisition of various commodities and project support. Over the next few years, my goal is to expand and enhance my professional aptitude to include leadership skills and competencies to continue advancement in the procurement field and transit industry.

To date, my biggest achievement in the transit industry is being named a State of Washington Excellence in Transit honoree in 2018 as part of the procurement team.

Kiera Maryott is an Accounting professional with over a decade of experience. Kiera has been with Intercity Transit since 2018 and is currently serving the role of Finance Supervisor. Known for her ability to transform complex problems into simple solutions and her unparalleled work ethic, Kiera has helped guide her agency through a period of change growth. Kiera aspires to cultivate a culture of growth and leadership at Intercity Transit.

My name is Jayme Brooke, and I am the Grants and Procurement Coordinator at Jefferson Transit Authority. I strive to continuously improve myself professionally, and want to move into a department head position, should the opportunity arise. My biggest achievement would be graduating the Kitsap Credit Union Leadership Development Program as part of the 2018 cohort, and taking the skills I learned as part of that program to transition into my current position at Jefferson Transit.

Aaron Julyan is a proud member of the team at King County Metro and currently serves as the Training Manager for the Safety, Security, and Quality Assurance division in Seattle, WA. In this role, he works closely with leadership and subject matter experts to enhance the quality of curriculum and effectiveness of instruction. Empowering and connecting with others is at the heart of what drives him.

Aaron comes from the field of public education, teaching at the high school level for 10 years. While as an educator, he held several leadership roles: Head of the Fine Arts Department, Professional Learning Community leader, and mentor teacher. In 2022, he began working with Metro’s Safety, Security and Quality Assurance division.

At Metro, the primary work he is involved with is the construction of the Transit Safety and Security Academy. The Academy is a 52-week course and will be a career pathways and skills-building program. Subject matter experts will work with front-line employees, helping them to understand the “how” and the “why” behind industrial safety, security, emergency preparedness, operational safety, and risk. The focus will be providing participants real-world experience in Safety and Security and creating opportunities for employee success and growth.

Aaron earned his Bachelor’s in Education and Master’s in Music Performance from Central Washington University. In his free time, he enjoys listening to podcasts, playing music with friends, and spending time with his family.

Tristan Cook is a senior community engagement planner at King County Metro Transit, the Puget Sound region’s largest public transportation agency. Tristan has been a strategic leader in many high priority agency initiatives including long-range planning and policies, safety and security reform, and major service restructures. As part of the LGBTQ community, Tristan finds personal reward in his work to meaningfully include historically underrepresented communities to influence decisions about services, programs, and policies that will impact them.

King County Metro Transit is values driven and data informed. Tristan aspires to bring his unique perspective and learning from direct engagement with many King County communities to deliver services and programs that align with the priorities of communities where mobility needs are greatest and to use data to show tangible benefits.

My professional goals are focused on person and professional growth within public transportation while continuing in a crucial role supporting King County Metro’s transition to Zero Emissions Fleets. The knowledge I’ve attained during my career, via multiple positions within public transportation, and via WSTA TNLI further my ability to support King County Metro, industry and the emission reduction goals of our region. My biggest achievements at this point in my career are the successful Procurement and Delivery of 40 Battery Electric Buses and the addition of 5 full time Bus Assembly Inspectors to my team.

I serve as the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Clerk of the Board at Pierce Transit. Having worked in higher education and at a state agency prior to joining Pierce Transit in 2020, I am passionate about the ability of government to help improve people’s lives. My accomplishments include achieving a Master of Public Administration from the Evergreen State College and being accepted as a Legislative Intern while pursuing my bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. My goal is to advance my career in the transit industry and attain a management-level position that will allow me to bring my experience to bear in service to the community.

I have always taken any job that I have worked extremely seriously and strive to do my best to improve productivity and efficiency. As a teenager I secured an entry level job at a local restaurant. After a year I was asked to take a “Management test’ by my employer. The test was comprised of three parts, a personality test, an intelligence test, and a morality test. When the results came in, I was informed I had scored higher than anyone else in the company ever had. I was offered the position of Assistant Manager and became the youngest Assistant Manager in company history. During my time as Assistant Manager I received several awards for saving the company money by eliminating unnecessary and redundant contracts and lowering inventory losses. I was promoted to General Manager, covered shifts, as District Manager and received the Manager of the year award for my work.

In 2013 I was approached by the owner of a small startup business to run his company. I accepted and within a week had built a website, online store, inventory control system, and point of sales system for the company. Within a year I was able to expand one location into three locations, an online store, and a wholesale contractor. In 2019 the owner decided to dissolve the company for personal reasons. I decided to apply for Pierce Transit as a Transit Operator with plans of becoming a Service Supervisor when I had enough time with the company. I applied for the position as soon as I qualified and was fortunate to secure the position on my first attempt. As a Supervisor I have found that I enjoy working with the public, solving issues with the public, routing, and transit operations. I have learned much about public transit and aspire to continue moving up in transit during my career.

S. Earl Fowlkes II has been in the transit industry for 33 years. He began his transportation career as a coach operator in 1989 and was promoted after 4 years to a Service Support Supervisor responsible for scheduling operators, dispatching field units, and addressing incidents in the service area.

Earl was then promoted to Transportation Services Assistant Manager in 2001 serving 80 to 120 direct reports, before making a lateral move to manage the Dispatch/Scheduling Office where he supervised a small staff responsible for the scheduling of all transit operators. In 2014, Earl took over the position of Communication Center Assistant Manager, supervising 13 full-time Radio Communication Controllers in a 24/7 operation. Earl is currently the operational lead on a project team to replace Pierce Transit’s aging computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system with a new $12 million CAD update.

Along Earl’s career path, he attended the University of Washington, Tacoma and acquired his undergraduate degree in Business Administration in 2001. Earl has a certification from the Tacoma-Pierce County Ambassadors Leadership Program, as well as the Transit & Community Transportation Management Certificate Program at the Atkins Graduate School of Management, Willamette University. Earl’s lifelong passion for education led him to enroll at Brandman University (Chatman University system) and acquire his MBA in 2015.

Earl’s pride and joy are his two teenaged children, who are attending Bellarmine Preparatory High School as Juniors and Seniors, and readying themselves for college. They all enjoy participating in a variety of community volunteer activities (e.g., L’Arche Farm & Garden, Save Our Dog Areas [S.O.D.A.], Distributive Education Clubs of America [D.E.C.A.] Competition Judging, etc.). They also enjoy snow skiing and vacationing with extended family.

Jennea Jones is an Assistant Manager of Transportation at TriMet in Portland, OR. Jennea joined the team at TriMet in May 2022 and assists in managing the daily operation of a transportation bus garage, ensuring the successful implementation of strategies that produce cost effective and high-quality service. She is also responsible for leading bus operators to fulfill agency expectations to ensure optimum service delivery, customer service, safety, and security.
Jennea’s goal is to increase upon her existing skills and become a stronger, more inspiring Assistant Manager of Transportation.
With 20 years of transit experience with her previous employer, First Transit, Jennea brings a wealth of knowledge. As the Driver Development & Safety Manager at First Transit, Jennea developed and monitored content for classroom training and onboarded over 100 employees, which is one of her greatest achievements.
In her free time, Jennea enjoys soul line dancing, reading and spending time with family and her dogs.

Matthew Springer is an Assistant Manager of bus and rail transportation in the Operations Command Center at TriMet in Portland, Oregon. In this role he supervises Light Rail Controllers and Bus Dispatchers, as well as overseeing daily operations of the OCC which is the nerve center of TriMet’s day to day operations. Additionally he is responsible for coordinating various responses to incidents that occur throughout TriMet’s service area including accident response and service restoration following disruptions. He manages employee performance, as well as coordinates with Maintenance of Way for approval of emergency track access permits.

When not at work, Matt enjoys spending time with his family. He and his wife Ashley have two beautiful children. They enjoy traveling together, family camping trips, and BBQ’s with neighbors and friends. Prior to TriMet, Matthew spent six years in Minor League Baseball as an umpire, which gave him the opportunity to travel the USA from coast to coast as he tried to earn a spot on the Major League Umpire roster. His biggest career achievement thus far was being promoted to his current role of Assistant Manager in the OCC. He has worked very hard the past 7 years to learn as much as he could about public transportation, including the inner workings of TriMet. He was very humbled when both co-workers and managers encouraged him to apply for the position. This position has pushed him to step outside of his comfort zone and learn new skills in a fast paced and dynamic environment.

Jonathan Bogle has 15 years of being a transit operator and has just been promoted to be the Safety and Training coordinator at Valley transit in Walla Walla, WA. He is currently being trained in his new position and is looking forward to his new role with the company. During his career he has spent time as a Part-Time Road Supervisor and went to a weeklong supervisor training for that position. He has also received multiple yearly safe driving awards. His top values are communication, team work, honesty, and trust. His hobbies include playing card and board games with his family, walks in nature, going to the Oregon coast, and watching football. He enjoys spending time with family and friends. He has a great sense of humor and has a laid back personality. He enjoys meeting new people and learning new knowledge and skills.

My name is Shannon Swanson and I am currently the Department Administrative Assistant II to Finance. I started with Whatcom Transportation Authority in 2021 as an Operator and have since moved into the Administrative side of Transportation. I hope to one day move into a position where I can make positive changes in our morale and work structure. I am most proud of moving into Finance and being the helping hand to every aspect of the Department.

Genevieve Carrillo (she/her) joined Whatcom Transportation Authority in 2022 as the Community Relations and Marketing Manager. Previously, she worked as a communications specialist at Western Washington University. Genevieve values working with people from diverse backgrounds and believes that diversity fosters creativity, innovation, and both personal and organizational growth. She strives to promote equity and advocate for people of color in the transportation industry. Her proudest accomplishments at WTA are the promotion of the agency’s Youth Ride Free initiative and working towards enhancing the accessibility of public transportation in Whatcom County.

Outside of the office, Genevieve's passion is rowing.

Jenn Franks is the HRIS & Benefits Specialist for Whatcom Transportation Authority. She has over five years combined experience in benefits and payroll administration and nine years professional experience in system implementation and maintenance. In addition to being responsible for the benefits administration for WTA, Jenn specializes in process and system development. She is continually expanding her knowledge in Human Resources, benefits and compensation administration, and leadership. Jenn’s biggest achievement is creating and implementing systems that make complex or complicated processes simple, understandable, and accessible.

Colin Pippin-Timco is a community engagement and communications supervisor with the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Public Transportation Division. He works with a team of professionals to transform dusty, unreadable, bureaucratic jargon into engaging, accessible narrative and ensure the public and stakeholders see themselves in the products created by state government.

Colin firmly believes in government’s power to act as an organizing force for communities, elevating often unheard and ignored voices in the development of public policy. In all his government roles, he’s used community and organizational engagement techniques to ensure the public and stakeholders see themselves in the products agencies create.

His proudest achievements include the annual publication of the Public Transportation Mobility Report. For Colin, the Public Transportation Mobility Report isn’t just visually striking; it represents an annual collaboration through all levels of the public transportation space to deliver a cohesive vision of how public transportation improves accessibility for everyone in Washington.

Colin is based in Olympia, WA and has been using community and organizational engagement techniques in state government since 2013. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from The Evergreen State College.