L.A. mayor, transit execs honored by APTA

L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa honored for “Distinguished Service”
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, three-time chairman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and a member of the Board since 2005, is the recipient of APTA’s “2012 Distinguished Service Award.”

He transformed innovative local transportation funding programs into America Fast Forward (AFF), the financial centerpiece of MAP-21. AFF is a model program that gives transportation agencies a financial tool to accelerate projects by using committed funds accumulating from local streams of revenue as collateral for upfront federal loans.

Jackson named top Transportation Manager
Laurence (Larry) W. Jackson, in his 40th year as a leader and innovator at Calif.-based Long Beach Transit and in the public transportation industry on a local, regional, national and international level, was named the “Outstanding Public Transportation Manager” by APTA.

Jackson has brought innovation and major advancements to the industry and the Long Beach community, including the introduction of hybrid gasoline-electric buses and CNG buses to the fleet, as well as a CNG fueling station.

Hall of Fame inducts Cipolla
Peter Cipolla, sr. VP and business development director, rail and transit, at Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM), will be inducted into APTA’s Hall of Fame. He has served on several APTA committees, been a member of the board of directors and served on the executive committee for eight years. Prior to joining HMM, he led several key transit agencies in North America.

Board members Evans, Kemp honored
Gregory A. (Greg) Evans (top photo), board member for the Eugene, Ore.-based Lane Transit District (LTD) and Lee Kemp, board member of Denver ‘s Regional Transportation District (RTD) were each named “Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member.”

Evans has served LTD in leadership roles on a number of key board positions, committees and special assignments. After serving for four years as board VP, he was elected board president in June 2012.

Serving in his unprecedented fifth consecutive term as RTD Chair, Kemp has embodied leadership, service and dedication to RTD and the transit industry as a whole. Under his leadership, RTD received a Federal Full Funding Grant Agreement for $1.03 billion for the Eagle P3 project.

Henke is Business Member of the Year

Clifford (Cliff) Henke, an active member of APTA’s business member government affairs committee since 2002, was named “Outstanding Business Member.” He also served as chair or co-chair of the committee and as a member of APTA’s legislative steering committee since 2009. He played a central role in the formation of the Center for Transportation Excellence, as well as being a key supporter of the development of industry standards and the promotion of bus rapid transit.

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