By Steve Hymon, September 28, 2015
As some of you know, Metro CEO Phil Washington announced over the summer that he was creating an Office of Extraordinary Innovation. Dr. Joshua L. Schank will lead that new initiative. Here is the news release from Metro:
L.A. Metro announces First Chief Innovation Officer
Metro CEO Phillip Washington Taps Nationally Recognized Transportation Expert
Dr. Joshua L. Schank to Head Newly Created Office of Extraordinary Innovation
Los Angeles – The Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority announced today the selection of Dr. Joshua L.
Schank as the first-ever head of Metro’s newly created Office of
Extraordinary Innovation. Dr. Schank’s hire reflects L.A. Metro’s
commitment to innovation, accessibility and accountability in
transportation for all Angelenos.
Dr. Joshua L. Schank.
Dr. Schank currently serves as President and CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation
in Washington, D.C., an influential, nonpartisan transportation policy
think tank. At Eno, Dr. Schank successfully sought innovative solutions
to pressing national transportation concerns through consensus and
coalition building among industry leaders, elected officials and
academics. In this role, Dr. Schank also directed Eno’s highly visible
working groups on public-private partnerships (P3s), freight, aviation
and transportation finance.
Dr. Schank started his career at the New York Metropolitan
Transportation Authority as a transportation planner and went on to
work as a Congressional Transportation Fellow and Legislative Assistant
in the United States Senate. He also worked as a senior associate for
two major international transportation consulting firms, specializing in
public transit and federal transportation policy. He also served as
Director of Transportation Research for the Bipartisan Policy Center
based in Washington, D.C., where he directed a large panel of former
elected officials, policy experts, business executives and civic leaders
overseeing a national study of federal transportation policy that
resulted in recommendations for accountable, performance-based
transportation programs.
“Dr. Schank is highly regarded across the transportation
industry as a collaborator and an innovator,” said L.A. Metro CEO
Phillip Washington. “He is a leader in transportation policy and driving
mobility solutions through his own unique vision.”
In July, just two months after taking the helm as Metro’s
new CEO, Washington announced the creation of an Office of Extraordinary
Innovation. The intent of this office is to champion new ideas to
improve mobility in L.A. County. The responsibilities are threefold: 1)
Inform the high-level vision for L.A. Metro through exposure to
innovative people, organizations and industries; 2) Support Metro
departments in piloting and implementing new and experimental programs
and policy and 3) Serve as the primary liaison for new ideas relevant to
L.A. Metro coming from entrepreneurs, private sector entities, academia
or individuals.
“This office will be responsible for mining and
implementing the most out of the box and innovative strategies the
transportation industry has ever seen in this country,” said Washington.
“This will be our Innovative Strike Force Team in areas such as
public-private partnerships, value capture opportunities, high
technology and autonomous vehicle impact on transit, as well as leading
the agency’s strategic planning efforts.”
Dr. Schank earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Urban
Studies – Political Science from Columbia University. He earned a Master
of Arts Degree in City Planning – City Design and Development from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Ph.D. in Urban
Planning with a Transportation Specialization from Columbia University,
New York, N.Y.
Dr. Schank will begin his new role as Chief Innovation Officer on Oct. 5, 2015.