Working Together

The applied skills of our team give terms like "Strategic Visioning" and "Public Mobility" value and purpose. On balance, the work we do and the results we achieve are attributed to the dedication and focus of our staff. Each project we do makes demands on management and associate alike, leveraging the broad experience and expertise offered by our team.

Our team profile includes a broad spectrum of transit industry experience that spans the globe. Several in our senior management spent numerous years at transit agencies, bringing the value and equity of long-term commitment and hands-on experience into the mix. With first-hand knowledge transit systems across the United States, and of several abroad, the collective experience of our team adds value to our practice.

At TMD we screen our people carefully so that we can offer our clients the benefits of shared expertise, a fresh and innovative approach to our work, and a promise to expect nothing short of the best from our employees.

Russell Chisholm

President

Russell Chisholm has developed, implemented and operated urban transit services for over 30 years within a variety of international and domestic operating environments. He spent the first half of his career in senior management and technical positions at some of the transit industry's most innovative transit systems. Mr. Chisholm founded TMD and has built the company into an industry leader in innovative, sustainable transit service and efficient transit operations.

Strategic and Tactical Transit Planning

Mr. Chisholm has widespread experience leading both short and long range transit planning at transit systems including DART's suburban system in Dallas, Metro Moves Strategic Plan for Cincinnati's SORTA, SANDAG Transit First, as well as major Transit Redevelopment Plans for San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, Tampa, Minneapolis, Cleveland, St. Louis, Denver, San Jose, Tucson, Baltimore, Buffalo, Connecticut, and Saudi Arabia. With a focus on increasing transit, walking, and biking, both sustainable mobility and intermodalism remain a foundation of Mr. Chisholm's planning work.

Transit Service Redevelopment

Mr. Chisholm is a leading expert in the redevelopment and revitalization of transit networks and services through consumer market-based planning and a "top-down/bottom-up" transit service design approach that is effective, efficient, and sustainable. He has served as Project Manager and Principal for projects that range from large multi-modal, multi-operator systems to smaller bus operations. This work encompasses a variety of rail, bus, and small vehicle operations in both traditional fixed and innovative flexible modes. Highly successful redevelopment projects include systems in San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, Orange County, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Connecticut, St. Louis, Dallas, Reno, Tampa, Charlotte, Buffalo, Alexandria, Orlando, Bellingham, Lake Tahoe, Palm Springs, Spokane, Baltimore, Tucson, Nashville, Santa Fe, Denver, Cincinnati, Ventura County, and Saudi Arabia. He has a proven track record of project implementation success for clients.

Bus Rapid Transit Development and Implementation

Mr. Chisholm is a leader in the development of Bus Rapid Transit, including taking the acclaimed LA Metro Rapid from concept to implementation to a 29-line network, as well as developing BRT strategic plans in Detroit (SpeedLink), Vancouver, Edmonton, and San Diego (Transit First). He also provided BRT market, service, and operations planning in Los Angeles (Orange Line), Reno (Virginia Street), and San Diego (I-15 BRT/HOT).

Operations Optimization

Mr. Chisholm advanced efforts to retain and restore industry knowledge and capabilities in efficient and effective transit operations. This leadership involved the preparation of the industry best practice manual in bus and rail scheduling (TCRP Report 30), the development of techniques to improve operating speeds (delay reduction toolbox), maximize operator utilization, improve supervisor effectiveness, headway-based arterial bus services, and multi-hub timed transfer operations.

Full Resume

Jack Reilly, Ph.D.

Senior Manager

Dr. Reilly is the project manager for a number of transit studies, including development of a five year service plan for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), and a transit plan for the Ann Arbor (MI) Transportation Authority (AATA). He also manages TMD's involvement in Bus Rapid Transit planning for the Detroit-Ann Arbor corridor and the introduction of technology for senior citizen identification in Pennsylvania.

Professional Activities

Chair, Committee on Transit Capacity and Quality of Service, Transportation Research Board, 1998-2002. (Chair of editorial board for transit counterpart to the Highway Capacity Manual)

Panel Chair, Implementation Guidance for Bus Rapid Transit Systems, Transportation Research Board, currently chair of research study on applications of Bus Rapid Transit sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration. (1999-present)

Member, Selection Committee, Transit IDEA Program (Ideas Deserving Exploratory Analysis) 1992-2005. (grant program sponsored by Federal Transit Administration to identify promising technologies for transit applications)

Chair, Committee on Synthesis of Current Transit Practices, chaired editorial board for a series of reports documenting the state of the practice in a number of transportation management and analysis areas. 1989-1998.

Member Conference Committee, Critical Issues for the Future of Intercity Rail Transportation in the United States, 1998.

Advisory Panel Member, International Comparison of National Policies and Expectations Affecting Public Transit, research study sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration, conducted by the Transportation Research Board 1998-2001.

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Bruce Behncke

Senior Manager

Bruce Behncke, Senior Manager with TMD, has over 30 years of experience in transportation and public transit. He accumulated this experience through a hands-on role in key management positions with progressive transit systems. This has provided him with a solid basis of experience and understanding of all key phases of transit system planning, operations and maintenance as well as strategic planning and budgeting.

Service Planning & Scheduling

Participation in the development and implementation of short- and long-range planning has been an integral part of Mr. Behncke's career. Early in his career he served as Director of Planning and Scheduling for Queen City Metro (QCM) in Cincinnati, Ohio where he initiated service expansion, the development of a new maintenance facility, and worked on two voter initiatives to expand QCM's funding base. Mr. Behncke worked for SunTran in Tucson, AZ for twelve years as General Manager and Assistant General Manager. During his tenure the system grew in ridership and infrastructure. Mr. Behncke was SunTran's Project Manager for the planning and development of three transit centers. The centers were built in succession and successfully facilitated SunTran's efforts to expand the system and increase ridership. He served as President of the Arizona Transit Association and is well aware of the challenges associated with operating transit in the southwest. The development and implementation of short- and long-range transit planning and the optimization of transit operations has been an integral part of Mr. Behncke's career. While at Indianapolis, Mr. Behncke was responsible revitalizing the system's facilities and for restructuring service in response to a major funding shortfall.

Finance & Community Support

Mr. Behncke has participated in transit funding initiatives ranging from fare increases to voter initiatives. He worked on two funding initiatives while with SORTA and one with SunTran. SunTran successfully passed a municipal bond initiative which included funding for a second maintenance facility. He also assisted IndyGo the issuance of bonds to fund local projects. Assisting in generating support for the respective financing efforts and participating in the efforts has provided experience working with stakeholders and members of the community which are important components in any financing initiative.

Operations Management

Operations Management, including maintenance and operations, have been another focus of Mr. Behncke's career. He has over fifteen years of experience directly managing operations and maintenance functions, which range from 125-vehicle systems to a utility fleet with over 2400 units. While at IndyGo he was responsible for the managing the fixed route, and para-transit operations. As a result of these efforts he understands the dynamics of service delivery and the key elements of providing high quality transit service to the public. Mr. Behncke is sensitive to the respective roles played by those units which provide the service and the supporting units (finance, planning, marketing, human resources), which make the provision of service possible.

Facilities Development

Planning and implementing new facilities has been an important part of Mr. Behncke's efforts. These efforts range from re-signing system bus stop and installation of bus shelters to the development of transit centers, maintenance facilities and park-n-ride lots.

Mr. Behncke was SunTran's Project Manager for the planning and development of three transit centers. The centers were built in succession and successfully facilitated SunTran's efforts to expand the system and increase ridership. While at Indianapolis, Mr. Behncke was IndyGo's project manager for a downtown transit center study. The study successfully located a new operating site that would best serve the downtown as well as future rail plans. As a result of the study, grant funding was obtained for the first of the planned centers.

Maintenance facilities have also been a focus during his career. He has been involved in planning for new facilities or major renovations for existing facilities in Cincinnati, Tucson and Indianapolis. As Project Manager for a utility fleet management project, Mr. Behncke represented the Fleet Services group in a facilities consolidation effort, which reduced the number of operating facilities by 15% in a fleet that contained 2,400 units operating in two states. One new maintenance facility was built during a second consolidation phase of this effort.

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Marie Lewis

Senior Manager

Marie Lewis has a strong professional and academic background in transportation planning and operations. She joined TMD in 2007 and has worked on transit service redevelopment, market demand analysis, and transit policy development.She graduated with a B.A. in geography from UCLA and received a Masters of City and Regional Planning with a concentration in Transportation from the University of Pennsylvania.

Transportation Planning & Operations

Ms. Lewis has technical and supervisory roles in numerous projects at TMD, including most recently:

• SamTrans Comprehensive Operational Analysis
  –Project Manager
• Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Line-by-LineAnalysis
  –Project Manager
• Broward County Comprehensive Operational Analysis
  –Deputy Project Manager
• San Joaquin RTD Comprehensive Operational Analysis
  –Deputy Project Manager
• Denver RTD On-Call Service Planning
  –Project Manager
• San Francisco MTA Transit Effectiveness Project
  –Project Coordinator

For these efforts, Ms. Lewis directed project progress and played a part in almost every aspect of the planning process, from data collection and analysis to the preparation and presentation of final reports.

As a transit planner and project leader for several systems across the country, Ms. Lewis has had roles in collecting and analyzing transit performance data, researching market demand, developing transit service standards, and recommending industry best practices. Her efforts aim at improving service for current and future transit customers, along with providing financial stability and larger market share for agencies.

Relevant Experience

Previous experience at Kittelson and Associates, Inc., a civil engineering firm, introduced Ms. Lewis to in-depth traffic operations, parking studies, and highway design projects. Ms. Lewis' tenure at Shapouri and Associates, a land use consulting firm, also provided opportunity to expand her skills in the areas of land use planning, public outreach, and the land development approval process. While attending the University of Pennsylvania, Ms. Lewis studied transit planning and engineering with renowned professor Dr. Vukan Vuchic, and gained knowledge of transit modes and technologies, operations, and scheduling.

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China Dungfelder

Senior Associate

Ms. Dungfelder leads TMD's data collection and service analysis (SAS) practice area in addition to her project management, task supervision, and client relations responsibilities at TMD. She graduated from the University of California San Diego in Urban Studies and Planning.

Transportation Planning & Operations

Ms. Dungfelder has served in management, supervisory, and senior technical roles on the following projects:

• DART (Des Moines, IA) Comprehensive Operational Analysis – Deputy Project Manager
• OCTA Systemwide Transit Study – Deputy Project Manager
• OCTA Go Local Project S & V (Subregion 3) – Project Manager
• IndyGo Comprehensive Operational Analysis – Deputy Project Manager
• Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (Buffalo) COA – Deputy Project Manager
• Norwalk Transit Line-by-Line Analysis – Deputy Project Manager
• Santa Clarita Commuter & School Day Service Analysis – Deputy Project Manager
• SunLine COA Update – Deputy Project Manager
• San Francisco MTA TEP – Service Analysis (motorcoach, trolleycoach, LRT, streetcar, cable car)
• LA Metro Rapid Review – Service and Operations Analysis
• Summit Stage SRTP – Field Data Collection

As a transit planner for multiple projects, Ms. Dungfelder has analyzed transit performance data, contributed to bus and rail service restructuring, as well as assisting in the preparation of the Market Assessment and Service Analysis reports. She regularly coordinates data analysis and mapping tasks, and helps design public presentations. Her efforts aim at improving service for current and future transit riders, along with providing financial stability.

Ms. Dungfelder has also managed multiple ridechecks and data collection efforts. Her efforts include preparation and organization for data collection, onsite management for field data collection, analysis of data through GIS and SAS programs, and the development of service restructuring options and service recommendations. Recently Ms. Dungfelder served as Project Manager for the OCTA Go Local Project S & V (Subregion 3) and as Deputy Project Manager for the OCTA Systemwide Transit Study as well as IndyGo COA and NFTA transit service restructuring projects.

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Greg Behrens

Senior Associate

Greg Behrens joined Transportation Management & Design, Inc. in June 2008. He graduated from the University of California, San Diego, where his studies focused on sustainable planning strategies, particularly those related to transportation.

Mr. Behrens also studied in Berlin and Freiburg, Germany, where he conducted comparative research on German and American public transportation systems. Prior to his arrival at TMD, Mr. Behrens worked at the Caltrans District 11 Planning Division, assisting with park and ride operations and management. Since joining TMD, Mr. Behrens has been responsible for day-to-day transit restructuring work at TMD, including service performance analysis, market assessment, consumer research, sustainable mobility, and financial analysis.

Relevant Experience

Mr. Behrens has managed major TMD project task work on several projects:

• OCTA Go Local Service Development- Developed service concepts for first- and last-mile Metrolink connections and community circulators; conducted detailed transit market assessment.
• Denver RTD On-Call Service Planning- Conducted performance evaluations and service development for various projects including the Service Standards Review, the Shuttle and Circulator Performance Summary, the Southeast Corridor Review, the Downtown Denver Distributor Study, and the FastConnects Service Development.
• SANDAG Mid-Range Transit Plan- Ridership and revenue estimates for future transit projects; peer review of light rail station parking; recommendations for proposed BRT station park and rides; park and ride demand estimates.
  
• IndyGo Comprehensive Operational Analysis- Conducted detailed transit market assessment and service analysis; developed future service plan.

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Kelly Helming

Communications Manager

Ms. Helming is a multi-disciplined communications, marketing and graphic design professional who comes to TMD with almost two decades of experience in her chosen field. She understands the principles of compositional layout, color theory and typography and her intuitive grasp of the governing dynamics behind public perception of brand and subsequent receptivity to outreach fuels her accomplishments. Her specialities include brand development, project management, client continuance and strategic implementation of marketing and the development and execution of visual communications.

While a member of the Preferred Vendor Program at Microsoft® Corporation, Ms. Helming gained the knowledge of and skill in presenting the Microsoft® brand through the creation and implementation of quarterly marketing efforts to raise the organization's visibility to IT professionals throughout the region.
As a communications and design specialist, Ms. Helming oversaw results-oriented advertising outreach efforts for the Center for Surgery of Encinitas and Darton Sleeves USA, where she also implemented successful brand invigoration strategies. In addition, her retail packaging designs for AquaLung® US Divers brought excellent reviews from staff and dealers. Her communications and branding approach is a wholistic one that addresses paper and digital deliveries alike and in a cohesive manner.

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Tim Baker

Senior Scheduler

Scheduler/Software Developer Tim Baker has over 20 years of experience in scheduling urban transit services, and in the development of transit-related information support systems. Mr. Baker has extensive experience in the development of vehicle and crew schedules, in both manual and computerized environments. He has developed a number of information systems and applications to support the scheduling and service planning functions. He is also skilled in database design and software development.

Transit Planning, Operations, and Scheduling

Mr. Baker has over 20 years experience as a scheduler of trams & buses at the Public Transport Corporation, Yarra Trams, & TMD. During his tenure at the PTC, he participated in the implementation of computerized scheduling (HASTUS™). He has also worked extensively on run-time setting methodologies, including implementation of operationally viable run-times at Yarra Trams, which led to significant punctuality improvements.

Transportation Information Systems

Mr. Baker developed various systems to achieve the following goals: streamline scheduling & service planning processes; produce reports; and interface with computerized scheduling systems. He has produced an application to generate optimal in-service running times using AVL data. Other accomplishments include the development of a program to take data directly from HASTUS™ systems and use that data produce timetables for stop poles. He has also developed a system for importing patronage data, & producing proposed service levels.

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Gary Ward

Senior Scheduler

Gary Ward recently concluded a 30-year career at AC Transit and joined TMD as a Senior Scheduler in April 2008. His tenure at AC Transit is filled with years of hands-on scheduling practice as well as project and staff management experience.

Project Management

Early in his career at AC Transit, Mr. Ward assisted in the conversion from a fully manual scheduling process to the then State of the Art, computer assisted, "Teleride-Sage Mini Scheduler" application. He subsequently managed conversions to, and upgrades of, both the Trapeze and HASTUS™ systems. Working with the developers, Mr. Ward assisted with installing, customizing and testing the "Ramcutter" crew scheduling software. He also became a principal user of the software, producing optimal, cost effective runcut solutions. In 1998, Mr. Ward managed the "Blockbuster" installation project which replaced the "Ramcutter" with a micro-computer based runcutter. AC Transit became the beta site for this new software allowing Mr. Ward to be involved with and influence software design and development.

Vehicle & Crew Scheduling Experience

While serving as AC Transit's Manager of Scheduling, Mr. Ward directed the daily activities of department staff which required a "hands-on", functional knowledge of scheduling concepts, practices and technologies. As Superintendent of Scheduling and Manager of Scheduling, Mr. Ward became familiar with several platforms of computer aided scheduling, blocking and runcutting. AC Transit recently proposed a 132 hour increase to "In-Service" hours designed to improve reliability and "On-Time" operation. With assistance from TMD, Mr. Ward incorporated blocking and runcutting strategies allowing these changes to be implemented with an added cost of 85 daily platform hours, and 115 pay hours. Overall driver requirements were decreased by 9 and peak vehicles by 3.

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Dolores "Dee" Brehm

Senior Scheduler

Dolores Brehm has over 35 years experience in public transportation with an emphasis on bus scheduling, and project management. Ms. Brehm entered the public transit industry in 1969 upon joining the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. She held progressively responsible positions in the Schedule/ Transportation Department which led to her promotion to Superintendent of Schedules. She also served as KCATA's Siemens' Radio/ITS Project Manager and System Administrator. As the 'budget specialist' for the Transportation/Schedule Department, Ms. Brehm was responsible for coordinating and preparing the annual Transportation Operating Budget. She also served on the KCATA labor management committee, and participated in several labor contract negotiations and arbitrations during her career.

Vehicle & Crew Scheduling

As Superintendent of KCATA's scheduling department, Ms. Brehm led the effort to improve efficiency in schedules and crew scheduling by reviewing the schedules and runcuts for the agency's 235 peak vehicles and 400 operators. Ms. Brehm used data obtained from KCATA's first AVL system to analyze run times and reschedule several of their routes which resulted in a savings of 5% in operating expense on seven major routes without reducing service or effecting system reliability. This was a savings of $1.4 million in operating expense. In addition, this also enabled the KCATA to remove eight peak vehicles from service. Ms. Brehm also instituted an ongoing program of systematically analyzing a number of route and crew schedules on a quarterly basis to optimize efficiencies in scheduling operators without impacting service on the street. Ms. Brehm has nine years experience in using GIRO's HASTUS™ Vehicle and Crew modules. She was responsible for creating and maintaining the HASTUS™ databases and setting up HASTUS™ AVL data for the Siemens' AVL/Radio Project at KCATA.

Project Management

Ms. Brehm was the project manager and administrator for the GIRO HASTUS™ software project. She was responsible for writing the scope of services for the RFP acquiring scheduling, and operations software for KCATA. She also was assigned the task of project manager and administrator of the Siemens Radio/AVL Project during its three year implementation.

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