How can electric vehicle innovations and the advancement of our mobility systems contribute to healthy, thriving, and equitable communities? Where do air quality, transit options, and social equity intersect? In the Pittsburgh region, our transportation systems have evolved from trolleys and inclines to a center of autonomous vehicle research and a hub of electric vehicle growth. Around the country, car companies, utilities, and communities are working to make electric vehicles and charging stations more affordable and more accessible. It will be essential to prioritize low-income communities and communities of color to ensure that these residents have increased access to clean, quality transit options while also experiencing reductions in exposure to vehicle-related air pollution.
At this event, we’ll learn more about the local context of Pittsburgh’s mobility evolution and its future, and participants. We’ll also hear about projects happening herein our region and in other parts of the country to address the multi-faceted issue of clean transportation.
About our Speakers
Keynote Speaker: Hana Creger, The Greenlining Institute
Hana Creger, Environmental Equity Program Manager at The Greenlining Institute, works on the development and implementation of policies leading to clean transportation and mobility investments that will benefit low-income communities of color. She was the lead author of the Mobility Equity Framework, a tool that can be used to maximize equity outcomes and community engagement in transportation planning and decision-making. Hana was also the lead author of Autonomous Vehicle Heaven or Hell? Creating a Transportation Revolution that Benefits All, a report outlining policy recommendations to ensure mobility, health, and economic benefits to marginalized communities. She serves on a number of advisory committees for cities, agencies, universities, and nonprofits for projects relating to shared mobility, public transit, electric mobility and autonomous vehicles. Hana holds a B.A. in sustainability from San Diego State University.
Sarah Olexsak, Duquesne Light Company
For more than 15 years, Sarah has worked to reduce emissions from the transportation sector. At Duquesne Light, she strives to make the benefits of electric mobility accessible to all. Prior to boomeranging to her hometown of Pittsburgh in 2018, she led advanced transportation projects at the U.S. Department of Energy and President Obama’s White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Vincent Valdes, Executive Director of the SPC
As the Executive Director of the SPC, Vincent Valdes leads a team of planners, program managers, transportation specialists and engineers who work on creating a common regional vision and implementation program for the communities of southwestern Pennsylvania. Prior to the SPC, Vincent was the Associate Administrator for Research, Innovation and Demonstration at the Federal Transit Administration which provides a national forum for transit research and promotes the development and adoption of innovative transit practices and technologies in public transportation.
Thanks to Duquesne Light for their support of this event
