Panel 1: Project Delivery Lessons Learned from Emergency Response Following an Infrastructure Catastrophe
Panel Details
Opening Remarks
Stephanie Pollack, Coordinator for Project Delivery, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT)
Panelists
Hari Kalla, Associate Administrator, Office of Infrastructure, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Donna Berry, Deputy Director for Project Delivery, Chief Engineer, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
Moderator
Anne Aylward, Director, U.S. DOT Volpe Center
About the Speakers
Over a lengthy leadership career in the public, private, academic and non-profit sectors, Stephanie Pollack has built a reputation for building consensus and crafting and implementing pragmatic solutions to public policy and infrastructure challenges at the local, state, and federal levels. She currently serves as a senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and delivery of projects funded by BIL competitive grants. Prior to that, she applied her skills, orientation to finding workable solutions, and philosophy of ruthless pragmatism in two senior transportation leadership positions, first for 6 years as Secretary and CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and then for 2 years as Deputy (and Acting) Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. Throughout her career she has applied an equity- and people-focused and data-driven approach to a variety of issues including transportation and transportation equity programs and policy, energy and climate, environmental sustainability and justice, lead poisoning prevention and affordable housing, smart growth, and transit-oriented development.
Before her government service, she spent many years in the advocacy and consulting world. She also conducted research at and helped to design and teach in a newly created School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University.
Anne D. Aylward has served as director of the U.S. DOT Volpe Center in Cambridge, MA since 2016. As director, she steers the work of more than 580 engineers, scientists, and analysts engaged in a portfolio of projects carried out on behalf of all U.S. DOT modal administrations, numerous other federal agencies such as the Departments of Defense and Interior, state and local governments, as well as international, academic, private, and non-profit organizations facing transportation challenges.
Prior to serving in this role, Aylward was the U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s deputy director for Research and Technology. She has more than 30 years of experience in transportation planning, operations, and program management, and she is a nationally recognized expert in freight and intermodal transportation planning, policy analysis, and operations.
Aylward began her career in public service with the Massachusetts Port Authority and served for 10 years as director of the Port of Boston. She began her federal career in 2006 as the U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s chief of Transportation Planning.
Hari Kalla has been the Associate Administrator for Infrastructure with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) since July 2019. Hari serves as a member of FHWA's leadership team and participates in developing strategic initiatives that have broad national impact on the agency and the nation's transportation system.
Prior to this position, Hari served as the Associate Administrator for Research, Development, and Technology, where he provided executive oversight to FHWA's national highway research and technology programs. Prior to his most recent appointment, Hari served as Director, Office of Preconstruction, Construction, and Pavements within the Office of Infrastructure. He provided national leadership in pavement technology and construction engineering to FHWA Headquarters and field offices, state and local governments, industry, and academia.
Hari joined FHWA in 2001 as a Transportation Specialist within the Office of Safety and has held a variety of progressively responsible roles, including Team Leader in the Office of Safety, Team Leader in the Office of Operations, and Director of the Center for Accelerating Innovation. Hari holds a master's degree in civil engineering from the State University of New York and a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Jodhpur.
Donna Berry has been the Deputy Director for Project Delivery and Chief Engineer at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) since 2022. In this position, she is responsible for all guidance and policy for the delivery of Caltrans' statewide transportation projects. She manages 6 headquarters divisions and leads over 11,000 project delivery employees statewide responsible for delivering the annual Capital Improvement Project program valued at over $5 billion annually.
Donna joined Caltrans after graduating from the University of California at Davis with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. She has nearly 30 years of experience working on a wide variety of transportation projects and delivering collaborative solutions with internal and external stakeholders. She is a subject matter expert for Caltrans and for California in efficient asset management and effective project delivery using limited transportation funding.
Donna has a broad range of experience in delivering collaborative solutions with stakeholders, including California State Transportation Agency, California Transportation Commission, FHWA, California Department of Finance, California Department of Technology, and American Council of Engineering Companies.
Donna has been active in professional organizations since college, where she became a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and continues to work with NSBE to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). She is also a member of the Women in Transportation Sacramento chapter, where she was recognized as “Woman of the Year 2020” for her advocacy and support for women in leadership roles and her support for diversity and inclusion in the transportation profession. Most recently, Donna was honored by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials “2024 Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation” Award in recognition of her professional achievements and exemplary leadership. Donna was also recognized by the National Association of Black Women in Construction “Woman in the Spotlight” at their 2024 Billion Dollar luncheon.