Marilou has about 40 years of extensive project delivery experience both as a consultant and as public agency employee working on various types of projects including roadway projects- local streets and roads, complete streets/trails, freeways, interchanges and express lanes and transit-rail projects -intermodal station (BART) improvements, light-rail improvements, part-time transit lanes, mobility hub, and transit facilities. Also, she participated in work-loan programs at Caltrans, District 04 and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).

Marilou started her civil engineering career at Nolte Associates (7 years) in San Jose, followed by Mark Thomas & Associates (7 years) becoming the first women associate of the firm in 1996. She later returned to Mark Thomas (after serving as Principal Civil Engineer at Union City) working an additional 10 years where she served as project manager on various projects including Mountain View’s Steven Creek Trail extension, VTA’s I-880 HOV Lanes Extension, VTA SR 237 Express Lanes, Phase 2 and Seaside’ West Broadway Improvements. After Mark Thomas, Marilou worked at Mott MacDonald (3 years) serving as VTA’s Project Manager on Sunnyvale’s US 101/SR 237/Mathilda Interchange.

Marilou is currently Public Works Director for the City of Union City, Alameda County and oversees the Engineering Division, Maintenance Division and Union City Transit. She manages the Public Works’ Two-Year Operating Budget and the Five-Year CIP. One of the city’s major priority transportation projects is the Quarry Lake Parkway, a new four-lane multimodal corridor between Old Alameda Creek and Mission Boulevard (estimated over $300 million). This new local roadway is needed to support about 2,000 new housing units within the Station District Area surrounding the Union City BART Station.

Marilou grew up in Stockton, CA and graduated from University of Pacific in Civil Engineering. She is a recent widow with two adult sons, Matthew and Josef and currently lives in Alum Rock area of San Jose.

Joie Edles Yanez serves as a Senior Capital Projects Manager at Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC).

She was inspired to enter the field of engineering by her dad, a Transportation Engineer at Caltrans District 8. From there she took a manual drafting class as an elective in 8th grade and in high school she took engineering STEM curriculum. During college she was fortunate enough to hold several internships which include Caltrans, City of Riverside, WSP and her current employer RCTC.

Joie obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Cal Poly Pomona in 2013 and her Professional Engineering license in 2016. Prior to joining RCTC, Joie worked in the private sector where she spent most of her career in construction management. She is most proud of being a part of the $1.5 billion Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement design-build project in Long Beach while at WSP and her first ever construction project as Project Manager, an Amazon Prime Air facility in Ontario International Airport while at Jacobs. She and the project were featured in Airport Improvements Magazine. Joie joined the RCTC team in 2021 and currently manages eight projects valued at over $1B in total installed costs. The projects she manages varies in discipline from rail projects, trail projects, expressway and highway projects all in different stages ranging from Project Initiation Document to environmental, design and construction.

Joie believes in working hard and playing hard. During her time off she enjoys traveling internationally and exploring other cultures with her husband, Victor, 3-year-old baby daughter, Zara, and 1-year-old baby boy, Zen.

Katy Thorpe is an experienced Principal Engineer – Capital & Third-Party Construction for Southern California’s Metrolink system and brings to the agency her unique background in Class 1 railroad operations.

At Metrolink, Ms. Thorpe manages a multitude of projects of varying scopes and sizes. This has included serving as Deputy Project Manager for the Redlands Passenger Rail Project where she was responsible for safely delivering this construction project and overseeing San Bernardino County Transportation Authority’s handoff to Metrolink for operation of this entire 9-mile extension. She also served as Project Manager on the SCORE La Palma to Avery Signal Respacing project which added intermediate signals to create more line capacity and as Metrolink’s Project Manager on the Anaheim Canyon Station Expansion Project which included a new ½ mile siding track, second station platform, and multiple crossing upgrades.

Prior to her tenure at Metrolink, Ms. Thorpe worked at BNSF Railway in Transportation Operations managing day-to-day operations of a Class I Railroad. She started as a Trainmaster at one of the busiest intermodal terminals in North America and continued to serve as Terminal Manager managing over 200 craft employees and 6 front-line supervisors.

Born and raised in Seattle, Ms. Thorpe attended the University of Southern California, graduating with a B.S Civil Engineering in 2012 and a M.S. Civil Engineering (Transportation Engineering) in 2013.

Miranda Patton, P.E., is a seasoned engineering professional and Principal and Chief Business Development Officer at MNS Engineers, Inc., bringing more than 21 years of experience in public infrastructure delivery, advocacy, and civic leadership. Throughout her career, she has combined technical expertise with strategic insight to advance municipal infrastructure and strengthen the communities she serves across Ventura County and the State of California.

A dedicated advocate for public infrastructure and community well-being, Ms. Patton has played an influential role in shaping key legislation and public policy. Her extensive civic service includes over a decade of involvement with the Ventura County Transportation Commission’s Citizen’s Transportation Advisory Committee/Social Services Transportation Advisory Council (CTAC/SSTAC), where she represents the City of Camarillo and has served as Chair and Co-Chair. She has also held prominent leadership roles within the American Council of Engineering Companies, California (ACEC-CA), including serving as its President.

Currently, Ms. Patton chairs the Advocacy Committee for the American Public Works Association (APWA) Ventura County Chapter, where she continues to champion policies and initiatives that support public works and the engineering profession. Through her leadership in numerous professional organizations, she is committed to advancing a diverse, well-educated, and future-ready engineering workforce.

As a tenured engineer, Ms. Patton has delivered a wide range of public infrastructure projects, including roadway and streetscape improvements, park enhancements, infrastructure rehabilitation, and water, wastewater, and stormwater systems. Her experience also includes the preparation of technical studies, project specifications, and engineer’s estimates.

Ms. Patton considers herself a public servant at heart and has dedicated her career to improving the quality of life through thoughtful infrastructure planning, collaboration, and advocacy—making her a respected leader and effective moderator for today’s most important conversations in engineering.

Darren M. Kettle is Chief Executive Officer of Metrolink, Southern California’s regional passenger rail system serving six counties and a population of nearly 22 million. Since joining in 2021, he has spearheaded the agency’s transformation from a traditional commuter railroad to a modern regional mobility provider through his vision of Metrolink Reimagined, centered on expanded service and enhanced customer experience. Under his leadership, Metrolink has delivered numerous award-winning safety and infrastructure initiatives, including the Union Station Railyard Modernization project, and pioneering safety technologies, positioning the agency as a national model for equity, sustainability, and innovation.

Darren has dedicated his career to strengthening mobility and building connections across Southern California. For 14 years, he served as Executive Director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, where he oversaw multimodal improvements and forged strategic regional partnerships that laid the foundation for critical investments. He previously held senior roles at the San Bernardino Associated Governments and the Riverside County Transportation Commission. On the national level, Darren sits on the Boards of the Commuter Rail Coalition and Mobility 21 and has testified before Congress on the future of passenger rail.

Bill Panos is currently the Senior Vice President and Head of Transportation for LA28, the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. He grew up in the southern California aerospace business, led two state Departments of Transportation, and worked on the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. With over forty years of executive, operations, and policy leadership in the transportation, infrastructure, and technology sectors, Bill is a visionary leader and pragmatic strategist who delivers change and impactful results.

Edna Stanley is Deputy Chief Operations Officer of Transit Service Delivery at Los Angeles Metro, the second largest public transit agency in the United States. As DCOO she oversees all daily Bus and Rail transportation service to include 4,900 operations personnel, 6 rail lines and 118 bus routes, BOC, ROC, bus and rail training, track allocation, vehicle burn-in and testing, start-up for capital projects, and special event coordination.

Edna has over 25 years of experience working in the transportation industry. She has held almost every Bus and Rail operations position including Bus Operator, Station Manager, Train Operator, Customer Communications Specialist, Dispatch Supervisor, Central Control Supervisor, Roadway Worker Protection Instructor, and Chief Operations Supervisor. Prior to Metro, she held executive and management positions at Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT), Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), and University of Maryland Department of Transportation Service.

Outside of work, Edna devotes time to many organizations. She currently serves as President of the Southern California Regional Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO). She is also a member of WTS-LA, the League of Railway Women, and the California Transit Association Operations Committee. Edna is a mentor for the APTA Emerging Leaders Program and a member of the APTA Bus and Rail Operations Committees. She volunteers with Be My Eyes, Everyone In, and various food banks across the Los Angeles Region. Edna holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Mary Baldwin College and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from California Baptist University.

Gary Lee Moore worked 37 years in the City of Los Angeles until his retirement in 2022. As City Engineer for 19 years, he led the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, responsible for project delivery of public buildings, infrastructure, and open-space projects. Under Gary's leadership, the bureau completed more than 2,600 projects, totaling $7 billion. Since January 2023, Gary has been serving as a Senior Vice President at Psomas, focusing on strategic initiatives.

Mat Antonelli currently serves as a Deputy Chief Program Management Officer for LA Metro and has been working with the agency for 14 years. In his current role, Mat oversees about $40Billion in transportation projects including both highway and transit construction. The portfolio of projects includes Bid-Build, Design Build, Progressive Design Build, CMGC, and a PDA led contract. Prior to this role, Mat was the Project Manager for the Regional Connector project which opened for revenue service in 2023. The Regional Connector was a $1.8B, 2 mile tunnel through down town that connected 3 existing rail lines and included 3 underground stations.

Brandon Hays is the Director of Construction for the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA), where he oversees delivery of major transportation infrastructure projects across Contra Costa County, including more than $630 million in construction projects anticipated to begin over the next several years. He is currently leading a $180 million Progressive Design-Build freeway express lane project and closing out a CMGC bridge construction project in San Ramon. Brandon is advancing alternative delivery methods that emphasize collaboration, innovation, and effective risk management. Passionate about innovation and construction technology, Brandon is advancing CCTA’s forward-looking construction program that leverages drones for inspection, 3D modeling, and paperless job sites through e-Construction. With over 20 years of experience delivering complex roadway and bridge projects throughout California, and a background as both a contractor and a consultant, he brings a well-rounded, practical perspective to project delivery. Brandon is a licensed Professional Engineer and an active member of DBIA focused on improving outcomes for public agencies and the communities they serve.

Ural Yal is Chief Executive Officer for Shimmick. Mr. Yal brings over 26 years of experience in water and critical infrastructure construction in operations, sales and leadership roles.

Throughout his career, Mr. Yal has focused on infrastructure development across the full project lifecycle, from concept to operations. His expertise spans design, construction, permitting, contracts, right-of-way, and commissioning. He has managed project and business unit P&Ls, developed business strategies, and led multi-billion-dollar business development efforts.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Yal progressed from Field Engineer and Scheduler to Project and Area Manager, developing deep expertise in the California market. From 2017 to 2024, he held various senior roles at Flatiron Construction, most recently as Executive Vice President, where he led market expansion across North America and adoption of collaborative project delivery methods. He specializes in infrastructure solutions incorporating climate resiliency, clean water supply, autonomous transportation, energy transition, and AI technologies, while engaging in regulatory framework development.

Mr. Yal holds a Civil Engineering degree from Istanbul Technical University, an MBA from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and is a licensed civil engineer in California.

Steven Kats is a Vice President, Alternative Delivery Leader for HDR. Mr. Kats brings over 20 years of both Design and Construction experience in Transportation infrastructure, operations, and leadership roles.

Mr. Kats’ expertise spans design, construction, advisory services, and contracts. He has led Business Development nationally, and managed project design P&Ls .

Mr. Kats has held many different roles with both Design and construction firms in the industry. Before his time at HDR, he held two important roles at Kiewit, one being Alternative Delivery Director for the west in which he managed Alternative Delivery strategy and teaming agreements in the Western U.S. and the other was a National role as Mega Project Operations Director where he managed Mega projects across the United States design P&L’s. Mr. Kats has also been a recognized leader in the Transportation industry and has been heavily involved in supporting and communicating the adaptation of the collaborative delivery models (PDB and CMGC). He continues to be heavily involved in talking and presenting to Transportation agencies on collaborative delivery lessons learned and the delivery method selection process.