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2015 APTA Individual Award Winners

This year's recipients, include Jerry Premo, Elonzo Hill, Angela Iannuzziello, John S. Spychalski and Jeff Morales.  

October 5, 2015
2015 APTA Individual Award Winners

Morales

2 min to read


A look at this year's individual APTA Award Winners announced at this week's Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Premo

Jerome “Jerry” Premo, principal, Premo Partnerships, and former Metra board member and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) executive Elonzo “Lonnie” Hill are the newest inductees into APTA’s Hall of Fame. Premo was with AECOM for 20-plus years of his nearly 50-year career and was among the first employees of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration, the predecessor organization to the FTA.

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Hill

Meanwhile, Hill, who passed away in 2009, began his career as a bus operator in 1961 and served the CTA for 37 years. As a member of Metra’s board of directors, one of Hill’s greatest accomplishments was providing leadership to secure funding to replace the entire fleet of Highliner cars on the Metra Electric Line.

Iannuzziello

Angela Iannuzziello, VP, Canada transit market sector lead, at AECOM, has been named APTA’s Outstanding Public Transportation Business Member. Iannuzziello has close to 30 years of experience in the transportation field, holding several private and public sector senior positions. Iannuzziello also served as chair of APTA’s Business Members Board of Governors from 2012 to 2014.

Spychalski

State College, Pa.’s Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) board member John S. Spychalski was named APTA’s Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member. Spychalski has been a member of the CATA board since 1980 and chairman since 2002 as the appointed representative for Ferguson Township.

Morales

Jeff  Morales, CEO, for the California High-Speed Rail Authority, received the State Distinguished Service Award. Morales has a distinguished record for managing large and complex transportation issues and projects. Previous to his work with the High-Speed Rail Authority, Morales served as director of the California Department of Transportation, and most recently, was sr. VP of Parsons Brinckerhoff.


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