Cynthia Ann Weatherby

Weatherby, Cinde

Director, Center for Strategic Transportation Solutions

Strategic Transportation Solutions
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
505 East Huntland Drive, Suite 455
Austin, TX 78752
ph. (512) 467-0946 Ext. 12117 · fax (512) 467-8971
c-weatherby@ttimail.tamu.edu

Short Biography

Ms. Weatherby joined the Texas A&M Transportation Institute in September 2009 to lead the new Strategic Transportation Solutions Center established by the Texas Legislature that same year. She had previously served TTI from June 1995 to March 2002 as an Associate Research Scientist in the Systems Planning Program. The center will address transportation system dilemmas that have long-term implications; "big picture" challenges that are statewide or global in nature; and problems that are well beyond the scope of traditional state research agendas. It will be responding to specific legislative requests for data, analysis, and projected impacts related to those items. Ms. Weatherby will coordinate these activities calling upon the many transportation, finance, and policy experts within TTI, from elsewhere in the A&M System, from other Texas universities, and from the private sector.

Just prior to moving to Austin to head the center, Ms. Weatherby was the regional transportation coordinator in the City of Fort Worth's City Manager's Office. She coordinated the city's relationships and activities with regional stakeholders and partners in the development of major transportation projects in and near city boundaries. She maintained the city's involvement with the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) and its programs and served on the regional Surface Transportation Technical Committee and supported the city's three members of the MPO policy advisory group, the Regional Transportation Council. She also served on a number of other state and regional advisory bodies, such as the Texas Department of Transportation's 35 Corridor Segment 1 and 2 Committees, the Outer Loop Advisory Group, and the Tower 55 Technical Advisory Group. Ms. Weatherby was also a member of The T's Southwest-to-Northeast Regional Rail Corridor's Project Management Team.

From March 2002 to February 2007, Ms. Weatherby was an executive with URS Corporation, the world's largest architectural, engineering, and planning firm. She was a vice president and senior project manager for transit and transportation planning in the Dallas and Fort Worth offices. In that role, she managed and supported transit and transportation planning projects. Among those was the day-to-day coordination of several regional rail projects including (1) the development of the Denton County Transportation Authority organization and service plan for a regional rail service between Denton and Carrollton; (2) the Regional Rail Corridor Study for the North Central Texas Council of Governments; and (3) the alternatives analysis planning for The T's Southwest-to-Northeast Regional Rail project. She also provided leadership in strategic plan development for transit authorities, municipal comprehensive plan development, and other highway and transit planning projects. Ms. Weatherby also led business development efforts in Texas and the southwest for the transit and transportation planning discipline.

In her previous tenure at TTI Ms. Weatherby began as an associate research scientist. Beginning October 1, 1996, she undertook additional duties as the Texas A&M University associate director of research for the Southwest University Transportation Center (SWUTC). In September 1997, she initiated the TTI Institutional Policies and Issues Program, serving as its program manager. Ms. Weatherby's research included directing the Texas Department of Transportation project "Improved Transportation Information and Application in the Non-Transportation Community: A Sourcebook for TxDOT's Institutional Partners."

Ms. Weatherby was principal investigator on two FY 1997 SWUTC projects — "Making Connections: An Evaluation of Air Carrier Airport Intermodal Wayfinding" and "Banking on the Future: Monitoring and Evaluation of Transportation State Infrastructure Banks." She was co-principal investigator for a FY 1996 SWUTC project developing a near-term procedure for analysis of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) applications in the project programming process. Ms. Weatherby provided major assistance in a project for the Federal Transit Administration that resulted in a series of national seminars on best practices in the development of transportation improvement programs by MPOs.

Ms. Weatherby was principal investigator for Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Project B-13, developing a "how-to" manual on low-cost, cost-effective marketing strategies for transit systems. She was co-principal investigator for TCRP Project A-12 developing model passenger information services (maps, schedules, signage). Ms. Weatherby was the principal investigator for an indefinite quantity multi-year contract with the National Highway Institute for development of curriculum and/or provision of training in the area of transportation planning.

For five years, Ms. Weatherby served as the executive director of the South West Transit Association, a seven-state public transit trade association focusing on professional development for public transit industry personnel. She coordinated an annual program of professional development seminars for personnel in transit operations and maintenance; law (for continuing legal education credits); marketing; scheduling and planning; and rural operations; as well as an annual meeting program for the SWTA membership.

Ms. Weatherby has lengthy experience in the governmental and quasi-governmental arenas, concentrating in the field of transportation, especially in regional transportation planning and the development of regional transit authorities. She also has worked in local government, at the county and municipal levels, in positions supporting policy makers and carrying responsibilities for intergovernmental and legislative relations.

Ms. Weatherby has worked with elected officials, leaders and staff members on local transportation issues since 1975. She coordinated the development of the permissive legislation that eventually led to the establishment of the regional transit authorities in the Dallas and Fort Worth areas. She was the initial professional staff person of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), coordinating all administrative activities and being responsible for the initial service plan documentation. At DART she was responsible for board policy development, local and federal governmental liaison, and executive staff coordination. Ms. Weatherby also served in several other public positions in local government — at the Dallas-Fort Worth's regional planning organization supporting the MPO's policy structure, at the City of Fort Worth as the city's lobbyist and intergovernmental coordinator, and at Dallas County as the chief staff person to one of the county commissioners.

Education

  • M.A., Urban Affairs, University of Texas at Arlington, 1980.
  • B.A., Journalism, Texas Tech University, 1973.

Experience

  • Director, Center for Strategic Transportation Solutions, Strategic Transportation Solutions, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, September 2009 - Present.
  • Regional Transportation Coordinator, City Manager's Office, City of Fort Worth, February 2007 - September 2009.
  • Vice President / Senior Project Manager, Transit and Transportation Planning, URS Corporation, March 2002 - February 2007.
  • Program Manager, Institutional Policies and Issues, Texas Transportation Institute, September 1997 - April 2002.
  • Associate Research Scientist, System Planning, Texas Transportation Institute, June 1995 - August 1997.
  • Senior Associate / Southwest Business Development Manager, Barton-Aschman Associates, 1994 - January 1995.
  • Executive Director, South West Transit Association, 1990 - January 1995.
  • Managing Principal, Weatherby Consulting, 1986 - January 1994.
  • Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator, City of Fort Worth, 1988 - January 1990.
  • General Partner, Weatherby Information Services, 1986 - January 1988.
  • Assistant to the Executive Director, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), 1984 - January 1986.
  • Acting Director of Administrative Services, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), 1984 - December 1984.
  • Manager Of Governmental Relations, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), 1984 - December 1984.
  • Administrative Director, Pre- and Post- Referendum, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), 1981 - January 1983.
  • Administrative Assistant, Dallas County Commissioners Court, 1981 - December 1981.
  • Community Affair Coordinator, Transportation Department, North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), 1980 - January 1981.
  • Assistant Secretary, Lone Star Transportation Authority, 1979 - January 1980.
  • Intergovernmental Coordinator, Transportation Department, North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), 1978 - January 1979.
  • Intergovernmental Analyst, Transportation Department, North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), 1977 - January 1978.
  • Public Information Specialist, Transportation Department, North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), 1975 - January 1977.
  • Editor/Advertising Director/Public Relations Director, Retail Furniture Association of the Southwest, January 1974 - January 1975.
  • Reporter/Editor, The Lubbock Avalanche Journal, 1970 - January 1974.

Affiliations

  • Member, Leadership Texas, Class of 1997.
  • American Public Transportation Association, Class of 2000.
  • Honorary Member, Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS), Heart of Texas Chapter (Austin), 2010 - Present.
  • Member of the Board, South West Transit Association, 2004 - 2006.
  • Transportation Research Board (TRB), Strategic Management Committee, 2001 - 2006.
  • Member, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), ITE Transit Council Executive Committee, 2001 - 2006.
  • Former Member, Transportation Research Board (TRB), Metropolitan Planning and Policy Processes Committee, 2000 - 2009.
  • Secretary, Intelligent Transportation Systems-Texas, Founding Board of Directors, 1995 - December 1995.
  • Chair of Six Committees, Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS), Greater Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter, 1993 - 2009.
  • Member, Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS), National Scholarship Selection Committee, 1993 - 1995.

Honors & Awards

Woman of the Year, Greater Dallas-Fort Worth Women's Transportation Seminar, 2008.

Executive Director's Award, South West Transit Association, 2000.

Selected Publications

L. Sen, S. Majumdar, M.K. Highsmith, L.K. Cherrington, C.A. Weatherby. Determine Performance Measures for Public Transit Mobility Management. 0-6633-S. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. 2013.

L. Sen, S. Majumdar, M.K. Highsmith, L.K. Cherrington, Cinde. Performance Measures for Public Transit Mobility Management. 0-6633-1. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. December 2011.