Transportation Leadership Policy Forum

Transportation Leadership Policy Forum

8:00 a.m. - 2:30 a.m.

Friday, March 14, 2025

Location: DoubleTree by Hilton Ontario Airport -- 222 North Vineyard Avenue, Ontario, CA

Event Program

Synopsis

The inaugural Transportation Leadership Policy Forum brought together leaders from federal, state, regional, and local levels to address critical issues at the intersection of housing affordability and transportation accessibility in the Inland Empire.

The discussions were insightful, solutions-focused, and enriched by the expertise of our distinguished speakers, including:
Federal Leaders: Representative Norma Torres
State Leaders: Senator Susan Rubio
Regional Leaders: Kome Ajise, Atif E., Jeff Montejano, Dr. Vanessa Y. Thomas
Local Leaders: Mayor Mario Saucedo, Kristine D. Scott, William Bill Ruh, Ed Reece, FCPC(c), Mike Futrell, and Scott Ochoa

Collaboration is key to shaping a more sustainable and accessible future. The connections made and ideas exchanged during this event will help drive meaningful change in addressing the Inland Empire’s transportation and housing challenges

Speakers 

Congresswoman Norma J. Torres, a lifelong resident of Pomona, is deeply committed to the Inland Empire. She lives there with her husband, Louis, and their two sons, Robert and Matthew. Her third son, Christopher, is a distinguished Air Force veteran and current law enforcement officer. Her family's support and her personal dedication to the community have been the driving force behind her career. She has consistently advocated for funding for community projects, public safety and introduced legislation to address the needs of Inland Empire residents.

Now serving her fifth term in Congress, Congresswoman Torres has delivered billions of dollars in federal investments in the region. As a senior member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development senior member, she is committed to ensuring federal resources are wisely spent and addressing her constituents' concerns—from affordable housing to transportation. She secured $73 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and passed over $863 million for bipartisan appropriation projects. Torres' priority is always meeting the needs of the people she serves, making every constituent feel valued and important.

Senator Susan Rubio represents and advocates for over one million residents in the State Legislature.  She was elected to the State Senate in 2018 to represent District 22, and was reelected with overwhelming support in 2022. Previously, she served as a public school teacher for 20 years at Baldwin Park and Monrovia school districts, and was an elected official for 13 years in the City of Baldwin Park.

Senator Rubio is a member of the Senate Committees on Energy, Utilities, and Communications; Health; Governmental Organization and Joint Committee on Arts; In addition, she is a Member of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education, a member of First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s Domestic Violence Advisory Council and was the first Latina Chair of the Senate Insurance Committee. 

Atif serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Ontario International Airport, where he oversees day-to-day operations, a major capital development program, revenue management, marketing, communications, and IT. With over 17 years of senior-level experience in the aviation industry, Atif has led efforts to drive passenger and revenue growth through innovative strategies.

Before becoming CEO, Atif served as Deputy CEO and Senior Director of Marketing at Ontario. His career includes key roles at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dubai International Airport, where he developed communication strategies, managed public relations, and led social media and customer service initiatives.

Atif holds a Master's in Communication Management from the University of Southern California, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor's in Journalism from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Kome Ajise is the Executive Director of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). He has three decades of experience in regional planning and transportation, most recently as the Director of Planning at SCAG. Prior to working at SCAG, Kome was the Chief Deputy Director at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), where he was responsible for internal operations, overseeing more than 18,000 employees and a budget in excess of $1.1 billion. Previously, he was Caltrans’ Deputy Director of Planning and Modal Programs and oversaw the Aeronautics, Mass Transportation, Rail, Transportation Planning, Local Assistance, and Research Innovation and System Information Divisions. Kome has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography and Regional Planning from the University of Benin, Nigeria and a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from California State University, Fresno.

Jeff Montejano is currently the CEO of the Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIASC), which is considered one of the largest building associations in the United States. His tenure includes several advocacy victories for the region’s largest landowners, home builders, and contractors, based on his relentless instigation for game-changing advocacy strategies.

With 25 years of experience as a strategic adviser to Fortune 500 companies, governmental agencies, and elected officials, Jeff helped create numerous high-profile communications initiatives, specifically in advocacy, advertising, media, and crisis management.

Before serving as President and Vice President of two large public affairs firms specializing in transportation and land-use projects, Jeff was director of two major political action committees, the New Majority and GenNext, and worked on several political campaigns, including George W. Bush’s first election. Jeff also held the chief of staff and legislative positions in the California State Legislature, including working for the Senate and Assembly minority leaders.

Dr. Vanessa Thomas is the Dean of Applied Technology, Transportation, and Culinary Arts at San Bernardino Valley College. She is a seasoned community college educator with over 25 years of combined faculty and administrative experience in the community college system. She is passionate about students' academic and career success. Dr. Thomas works closely with other regional Career Education deans and directors, the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board, Community-Based organizations, and industry leaders to build educational programs that produce skilled workers to satisfy high-demand, high-wage workforce needs. Dr. Thomas is committed to supporting, creating, and maintaining programs that improve the socioeconomic upward mobility of students and the community.

Council Member Saucedo is a third generation Redlander whose family has a legacy of service to the community, beginning with his grandfather, who established a church on Lawton Street. After graduating from Redlands High School in 1975, Council Member Saucedo owned and ran a landscaping business. Later on he began working for the City of Redlands, including the departments of public works (formerly), landfill, and parks.  During his time with the City he worked with the community and initiated a revitalization strategy for the northern areas of Redlands. Under his organization, community members drafted the North Redlands Vision Plan, which identified needed improvements in infrastructure, beautification, youth programs, affordable housing, and the business environment. The document was a comprehensive strategic plan, and was accepted by the City Council.  The plan led to the receipt of a $3.5 million grant for property owners, within the plan’s boundaries, to revitalize their properties. The associated projects used all local contractors and vendors. He finished a 30-year career with the City in 2018, working last in water distribution to provide safe and reliable drinking water for Redlands residents and businesses.

Kristine D. Scott is a Senior Public Affairs Manager for the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas,) a Sempra Energy Utility. In this position, she supports field operations through its work with regional and local governments on issues regarding franchises, permitting, emergency preparedness and response. Prior to joining SoCalGas, Kristine served as Vice President of TMG Communications, an Inland Southern California strategic communications firm specializing in public relations, community outreach and government affairs. There she successfully managed dozens of community and public information campaigns for Fortune 500 clients, municipalities and agencies throughout California.

She serves as the point of contact for communities located in San Bernardino County, educating customers and stakeholders about SoCalGas activities, programs and services, responding to customer and local media inquiries and resolving customer complaints.

Kristine’s career includes an Account Executive position at O’Reilly Public Relations, the Inland Empire’s leading Public Relations firm, where she specialized in media relations, public affairs and public information programs for land use and commercial clients.

William “Bill” Ruh was elected to the City Council in November 1998. Bill also serves on several City Council Committees including the Education, Human Services, Legislative/Intergovernmental, Personnel, and Tri-City Gold Line Committees, as well as the Community Activities Commission Interview Panel. In addition, he is the Council liaison to the Montclair Chamber of Commerce and the Community Activities Commission. He served as Mayor Pro Tem from 2012 through 2014, and again from 2020 through 2022. Bill was appointed by the City to the Oversight Board for the Successor Agency to the City of Montclair Redevelopment Agency and was Chair of the Board during its existence from 2012 through 2018.

Prior to his election to the City Council, Bill was a member of the Planning Commission for 10 years, from 1988 to 1998. In 1991, Bill was the youngest member to be elected to the Monte Vista Water District (MVWD) in its then 70-year history. He served as MVWD Board Auditor from 1996 until his resignation in November 1998. He currently serves as Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, Santa Ana Region.

Councilmember Reece is Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of ISN Global Enterprises, an international technology firm that he founded out of his father’s home over 28 years ago.  In recognition of his work with the business community, Mr. Reece was awarded the Claremont Chamber of Commerce’s Claremont Business of the Year and Claremont Businessperson of the Year.  The United States Congress, California State Legislature, and County of Los Angeles have also recognized his business achievements.

Councilmember Reece began his involvement in civic affairs in the late 90’s but more recently as a member of the City of Claremont’s Police Commission and served as the Commission’s Chairperson. Experiencing firsthand the conditions of the police station and the need to mobilize the community he took on a significant leadership role as the Co-Chair of Partners for a Safe Claremont. As President of the Claremont Crime Prevention Coalition (CCPC), he facilitated connections between the business community and the Claremont Police Department through a series of crime prevention workshops.

Mike Futrell began his service to Riverside as its new City Manager on January 9, 2023. Mike brings to Riverside extensive executive management experience in local, state, and federal government, as well as in private industry. As City Manager in South San Francisco for nearly nine years, he managed a full-service city and led the city to achieve its first AAA credit rating, while improving the quality of life for a diverse residential community and supporting local businesses in a rejuvenated downtown and growing the city to become the Biotechnology Capital of the World with over 250 biotechnology research companies. He previously served as Chief Administrative Officer for the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, leading 4,600 city employees and managing a budget of $3 billion, and is a former elected member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and the Baton Rouge City Council. He has also served as a senior staff member in the United States Senate and is a retired United States Navy Captain with 26 years of active duty and reserve service. In private industry, Futrell served as Executive Vice President of a utility company in Hawaii and practiced corporate law for over a decade.

Mike holds a Bachelor's degree in Business/Public Administration and a Juris Doctorate degree from Louisiana State University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and is a Ph.D. scholar in Management of Complex Systems in the Department of Engineering at University of California, Merced. 

Scott Ochoa began his career in local government as an intern with the City of Monrovia in 1993 while in his senior year at Claremont McKenna College.  In 1996, Ochoa earned his Master’s in Public Administration from USC with an emphasis on public-sector entrepreneurship.  By 2004, he had risen through the organization and was appointed City Manager by the Monrovia City Council.  During his tenure as City Manager, Monrovia continued its aggressive economic development program, dealt with the impacts of the Great Recession, and worked to balance development pressure while maintaining the community’s quality of life.

In January 2012, Scott moved to the City of Glendale to serve as their City Manager for nearly six years. During his time in Glendale, Scott evaluated and streamlined City operations and forged community partnerships to keep Glendale on a trajectory toward sound financial management, innovative and resourceful leadership, and outstanding public services. He was keenly focused on utilizing economic development and leveraging private investment to create place value and new revenue for City services. This success was seen throughout the community with the development of over 4,100 new multi-family units, the influx of new and exciting businesses in the Downtown area, and the reinvestment in public infrastructure and quality-of-life amenities.  During Scott’s tenure, Glendale emerged from the Great Recession trim, efficient, and balanced.  

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