Nominee's Background:
Shelley Poticha is the President and CEO of Reconnecting America, a national non-profit organization working to integrate transportation systems and the communities they serve, with the goals of generating lasting public and private returns, improving economic and environmental efficiency, and giving consumers greater choice. Reconnecting America has two major projects: The Center for Transit-Oriented Development (CTOD) which assists developers, transit agencies, communities and investors to use transit investments to spur a new wave of development that improves housing affordability and choice, revitalizes downtowns and urban and suburban neighborhoods, and creates lasting value and high quality urbanism; and Reconnecting Americas Transportation Networks (RATN) which is working to redefine national policies for intercity travel in order to integrate our separately functioning aviation, passenger rail and intercity bus systems into a more convenient, secure, financially viable and sustainable network.
Prior to this position, she was the Executive Director of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU). During her tenure, Ms. Poticha guided CNUs growth into a nationwide coalition with a prominent voice in national debates on urban revitalization, growth policy, and sprawl. She has authored several books, including the New Transit Town: Best Practices in Transit-Oriented Development, Charter of the New Urbanism, a CNU publication, and The Next American Metropolis, with Peter Calthorpe. She holds a Master of City Planning from the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She lives in Oakland, California with her husband and twin daughters.
Nominating Speech:
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Progressive Criteria:
The Transportation Department will
Initiate a comprehensive review of the nation's transportation system, looking into coordination of the various elements, comprehensiveness and efficiency;
Engage in long-term infrastructure planning with emphasis on sustainability and preservation of our environment;
Protect and promote Amtrak - particularly where it is a reasonable alternative to car or air transportation;
Enforce rigorous safety and fuel efficiency standards;
Work to even the playing field for public transportation.
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