Leonard Transportation Center Staff

LTC Staff

Kimberly Collins, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the William and Barbara Leonard Transportation Center (LTC) at California State University, San Bernardino. The LTC is a regional transportation center focused on improving innovation in transportation administration and policy through data driven decision making. In addition to her role at the LTC, Dr. Collins is a Professor of Public Administration at CSUSB. Kimberly's current research focuses on social equity, sustainability, networks, and democracy in communities, particularly borderlands. She was appointed to the Good Neighbor Environmental Board (a U.S. EPA Residential Advisory Commission) in 2018 and is the North American Regional Editor for the Journal of Borderlands Studies. From 1999 to 2009, Kimberly was the Founding Executive Director of the California Center for Border and Regional Economic Studies (CCBRES), located on the Imperial Valley Campus of San Diego State University. She also had an academic appointment from 2007 until 2009 at SDSU-Imperial Valley in the Public Administration Department.

Kimberly received her Ph.D. in 2006 from El Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Tijuana, Baja California. The title of her dissertation work (written in English and Spanish) was “Local Government Capacity and Quality of Life in the U.S.-Mexican Border: The Case of Calexico, California and Mexicali, Baja California / La capacidad del gobierno local y la calidad de vida en la frontera de los Estados Unidos y México: El caso de Calexico, California y Mexicali, Baja California”. She received her Masters of Arts in Political Science with a focus on International Relations from San Diego State University. Her Master’s thesis was titled “Direct Foreign Investment and Labor Conditions: Case Study of the Mexican Maquilas”. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in History from the University of California San Diego and a certificate in community economic development from Cornell University.

Dr. Yunfei Hou is an associate professor in the School of Computer Science and Engineering at California State University San Bernardino and associate director at Leonard Transportation Center. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo, SUNY in 2016. His current research interest includes applications in transportation cyber-physical systems, data and information analysis for transportation engineering, and STEM education. Recent projects span areas such as vehicular sensing in smart cities, traffic management with connected vehicle technologies, transportation cybersecurity, and data science education.

Dr. Ki Eun Kang is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration in the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration at California State University, San Bernardino and a faculty research fellow at Leonard Transportation Center. Her research interests include community and local economic development, resilience, environmental and urban policy, behavioral public policy, and conflict resolution. Currently, her research delves into the resilience policies and programs of the 101 largest cities in the U.S. Additionally, she explores public opinions on Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), collaboration, as well as climate and environmental health topics.

Leslie L. Trainor, M.B.A., is an advanced doctoral student in Organizational Behavior at Claremont Graduate University and a Research Associate at LeAD Labs. Leslie researches women’s unique barriers to leadership and the structural systems that harbor those barriers. As part of her dissertations, Leslie has developed a unified definition of organizational structure and taxonomy of its systems, and is testing an organizational equity audit to identify and mitigate structural impediments for women who are or aspire to become leaders. Leslie is a lecturer at California State University, San Bernardino’s Jack Brown College of Business. She currently works as an independent research, writing, and analytical consultant, supporting non-profits and government agencies in achieving their missions. She is concurrently a Maldonado Executive Leadership Institute Fellow as well as a Leonard Transportation Center Faculty Fellow. Leslie previously served as Deputy Director of Workforce Development for the County of Riverside where she oversaw a $26M + budget, a division of up to 80 staff, and employment-related services for the County’s 1M person labor force and 70k employers. Leslie’s personal mission is to help people who are disadvantaged become self-empowered.

Itzel Olguin is the Administrative Support Coordinator of the William and Barbara Leonard Transportation Center (LTC) at California State University, San Bernardino. Itzel completed her Bachelor of Arts in International Business from CSUSB in the Fall of 2017. From the very beginning of her academic journey, Itzel possessed a strong desire to contribute to the vibrant campus community. In 2015, she embarked on her campus career as a Student Assistant at the CSUSB Santos Manuel Student Union, specifically serving the Cross Cultural Center. This invaluable experience laid the foundation for her subsequent professional endeavors. Upon graduating, Itzel's commitment to excellence led her to a position at CSUSB, where she joined Phi Beta Delta International Honor Society's Headquarters as an Administrative Assistant. In this role, she demonstrated unwavering dedication and proved herself to be an invaluable asset. As of May 2023, Itzel has transitioned into her current role at Leonard Transportation Center (LTC) marking a significant milestone in her career journey. Filled with enthusiasm and anticipation, she looks forward to embarking on new challenges and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

LTC Student Researchers 

Hello! I am Ahmed Sahlem Burgos Nagi, a proud American of Colombian descent. I lived and grew up in Colombia for 15 years before returning to my home country. During my time there, I witnessed the workings of all social classes and gained an understanding of certain realities of the world. Moreover, I discovered one of the most impactful aspects of my life – a profound love for humanity as a whole.

While Colombia was a wonderful chapter in my life, it now resides in the past. I am currently residing here and plan to do so for the rest of my life. I harbor a deep love for this country and am excited about the future, especially now that I have mastered English and have the opportunity to broaden my horizons across diverse cultures.

I am pursuing a major in Philosophy with minors in Management & Social Change. As a person with big dreams and lots of ambition, my ultimate life goal is to positively change the world, and I aim to achieve this with a genuine love for humanity. Presently, I am working on a startup named WeilAI, an AI research company. I envision it growing to the scale of the current top businesses.

Consider me a welcoming person, and if you ever spot me around, please feel free to say hi. I am dedicated to advocating and serving others.

My true ambition to be a force for improvement in the community inspires me to devote myself wholly to political science. My ultimate objective is to use my education and experiences to improve the lives of those I intend to serve and the political landscape overall.