As I prepare to transition out of my role as Transform’s executive director later this month for personal reasons, it’s a good time to reflect on what the past three years have meant for me — and for Transform.

When I joined Transform three years ago as executive director, I already knew that this organization was special. I had long admired Transform’s bold, integrated vision for sustainable, just communities, and was blown away by its history of shaping the region’s transportation and housing to be more sustainable and equitable. But Transform had weathered some rough times after our founding E.D., Stuart Cohen, left, and I knew that it needed some nurturing to bring it back to health. Together with a passionate, talented staff, a collaborative and hardworking board, and a lot of love, we did it.

As Transform’s Policy Director for the past three years, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to help reshape housing and transportation decision-making in the Bay Area and statewide. We’ve passed a law to increase transparency at Caltrans, moved closer to a solution for funding Bay Area transit, and released groundbreaking reports on transit, housing, and equity.

Transform has a special place in my heart. Our long and successful history of housing and transportation wins has helped push the Bay Area toward a more equitable and sustainable future. And it’s helped nurture many planners and policy wonks along the way — including me. Interning at Transform while I was in grad school helped shape my vision for how advocates can change the status quo. 

We're excited to announce a webinar on our groundbreaking report, Carsharing and Mobility Hubs in Affordable Housing: Process, Results & Lessons Learned. Transform’s deputy director, Carrie Harvilla, and program director Jennifer Ledet will be joined by Krute Singa from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Colin Murphy from the Shared Use Mobility Center, and Mobility Hub site leads Edith Figueroa from First Community Housing and David Cota from East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation to talk about our findings from this pioneering project.

• When: Wednesday, September 24, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
• Where: Zoom
• Cost: Free; register here

The Clean Mobility Forum, funded by the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission, is a one-day in-person event focused on shared mobility and clean transportation where you can network and connect with like-minded peers, create partnerships, and problem-solve in a supportive, community environment. This year's event will take place on October 2 in Fresno and registration closes on September 25. While you're there, please say hi to Transform Program Director Jennifer Ledet and ask her about lessons learned from our newly released Mobility Hubs report.