Transit California sat down with Dr. Karen Philbrick, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University.
Transit California: You have served as the Executive Director of MTI for over a decade. What MTI research or accomplishments are you proudest of during this time?
What a difficult question! We lead three competitively selected multi-university consortia, collaborating with researchers and professionals across the country and even internationally. In 2024 alone, we published 54 reports from more than 70 researchers and in doing so provided real world paid research opportunities to 76 California State University students.
Our researchers have developed policy recommendations at the local, state, and federal levels. For instance, the Mineta Consortium for Transportation Mobility developed recommendations to address the once-in-a-generation opportunities and accompanying challenges of electrifying the nation’s vehicle fleet and re-establishing a stable source of federal and state revenue for transportation, including options such as mileage fees, carbon taxes, higher vehicle registration fees, or a shift entirely away from user-generated revenue. We expanded our workforce development programs to address the workforce shortage, including our newest education program for pre-kindergarten children that gets the littlest learners excited about how we move people and goods. We collaborated with more than 65 public and private partners in 2024 to make mobility safer and more accessible and effective for everyone.
It is nearly impossible to pin down accomplishments over the past decade. Instead, I am proud of both the grand and incremental change we have made—of the collective good we have done for so many. I see the faces of our master’s students, of the high schoolers and middle schoolers in our summer programs, of my colleagues at conferences, and I take immense pride in envisioning with confidence the ripple effect of everything we do to carry on the profound legacy of our founder and namesake Norman Y. Mineta, to make transportation—and our lives—better now and in the years to come.
Transit California: What are some of MTI’s priorities and expected challenges in the coming years?
Public transit—including high-speed rail—is a necessity for a connected, prosperous future for all Americans and I am cautiously optimistic for its future in the next four years.
Despite promises to improve infrastructure, in 2019, the Trump administration cut a $929 million grant to the California High-Speed Rail project. Although the Biden administration restored the funding—and its tens of thousands of jobs and billions in economic impact—if Trump again cuts vital funding, Americans will lose jobs, income, and progress on sustainability goals that protect us and our future.
No matter what, at MTI, we will continue to support our nation’s vital infrastructure that keeps America moving. To live full, rich, and meaningful lives, we need roads, tunnels, and tracks to get us where we need to be. We will focus on advancing factual, scientific research and putting it to use to help our communities. We will continue to work toward building the workforce pipeline, taking action to protect transit workers and riders, push for safer, more sustainable mobility options, and use emerging technologies for the greater good.
Transit California: At MTI, you lead the California State University Transportation Consortium (CSUTC), which unifies the surface transportation research and workforce development efforts of the 23-campus California State University system. How can interested California transit agencies best work with CSUTC and benefit from CSUTC research?
CSUTC supports our state’s efforts to overcome challenges to improve safety, efficiency, accessibility, and convenience for everyone. Rigorous, applied research is key to achieving transformative solutions, and this consortium unites the CSU system to advance important research and workforce development to enhance mobility and empower our communities.
CSUTC research benefits people in California and beyond. Recent research has provided insights into methods to design and maintain high quality infrastructure crucial for ensuring safety and efficiency in our nation's transportation systems, innovative solutions to build the workforce pipeline such as apprenticeship pathways and all-ages workforce development, and more.
We truly value the power of collaboration and to that end annually we conduct a thorough needs assessment to ensure that the Consortium’s research and workforce development activities focus on usable solutions to improve the mobility of people and goods within California and develop the transportation workforce of the future. Specific research projects align with CSUTC objectives and we work closely with a robust set of key stakeholders including the California State Legislature, California Department of Transportation. regional modal administrators, and other transportation leaders to solicit additional research needs statements aligned with SB 1 goals and priorities. We encourage anyone interested in collaborating with us to submit a research need to be incorporated into our competitive CSU-wide requests for proposals (mineta-institute@sjsu.edu). This provides an opportunity for agencies to directly benefit. (Please note that the submission of a research need does not guarantee funding.)
Transit California: You have served as a longtime Secretary-appointee of the USDOT Transit Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS) across several federal Administrations. With the return of the Trump Administration, where do you anticipate the TRACS focus to be in the coming years?
The future focus of TRACS under the returning Trump Administration remains uncertain, particularly given a previous executive order requiring agencies to evaluate and potentially reduce their advisory committees. Priorities will likely depend on agency evaluations and decisions by the Office of Management and Budget, making it too early at this point to predict the committee’s direction in the coming years.
Transit California: You’ve made one of your career priorities “seamless and equitable transportation for all.” What are the top actions that policy decisionmakers should take to reach this goal?
I think first it’s important to understand that transportation is not just getting from A to B—it is the ability to move purposefully, to access opportunities, to connect with others, to contribute to our economy and society and to live freely and fully wherever and whoever you are.
Once policymakers understand this, making decisions comes down to using evidence-based, peer-reviewed research to take action—both on the grand scale and in smaller, perhaps less tangible ways.
For example, a recent MTI project developed an end-to-end system using advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and computer vision to automatically monitor, detect, track, and count pedestrians and bicyclists. By applying AI-powered systems in existing traffic cameras, this project improved safety for vulnerable road users. Results from the study demonstrated high accuracy and effectiveness on the system’s pilot in Los Angeles. Using existing cameras already operated by Caltrans makes this project cost effective while making significant strides toward safer streets for everyone.
Policymakers must also recognize that equitable transportation is inherently tied to systemic issues like housing, healthcare, and education access. Transportation policies should be crafted in coordination with other sectors to address broader societal issues. For example, investing in transit-oriented developments that include affordable housing ensures that communities have proximity to reliable transit, reducing barriers to mobility and economic opportunity.
Decisionmakers must take action to prioritize safety for everyone, and that means implementing policies that support equity, accessibility, and sustainability to benefit and strengthen communities while protecting the environment and our futures.
Transit California: As a member of the Transportation Research Board, you co-chair the TCRP panel “Mental Health, Wellness, and Resilience for Transit System Workers”. What are some of the findings that surprised you the most in this area?
In recent years, I believe many of us are in greater need of support, belonging, and community. The COVID-19 pandemic, the political climate here and abroad, so many climate-driven disasters—these challenges have contributed to a widespread mental health crisis, including in the transit industry. Research from 2022 revealed that over half of American employees experienced feelings of isolation, and 51% of people who left their jobs that year did so in search of connection and a sense of belonging. Global data from the World Health Organization also highlights a concerning trend, significant increases in anxiety and depression, particularly among young people and women.
For transit workers, this situation has been exacerbated by the realities of a workforce shortage crisis stemming from the current workforce retiring (forty-three percent of transit workers are over age 55), struggles to attract and retain diverse talent, and burnout. A 2022 American Public Transportation Association (APTA) survey of 117 transit agencies of all sizes, revealed that 71% reported that they have either had to cut service or delay service increases because of worker shortfalls. APTA also found that 16% of transit employees cite physical or mental health concerns as a primary reason for leaving their jobs.
Transit workers, particularly those in frontline roles like bus operators, face immense challenges. Frontline workers are vulnerable to harassment and in recent years have even faced violence while on the job. According to statistics from the National Transit Database, assaults on transit workers have tripled since 2008. Bus operators, for example, report alarming incidents of physical and verbal abuse, including stabbings, spitting, kicking, and even more egregious acts like being threatened at gunpoint or shot at. The impact of such experiences on mental health and overall well-being cannot be overstated (perspective with more details).
All of us are working—through research, policy, and everyday action—to protect vulnerable workers and to improve the ways we care for each other’s physical and mental health.
Transit California: In 2024, you helped develop – and served on – one of 20 educational Concurrent Session panels at the Association’s Annual Fall Conference & Expo. What was that experience like? Do you have recommendations for others interested in developing a panel?
Serving on that panel was such a rewarding experience! I am grateful for the opportunities it presented to collaborate and engage with other thoughtful leaders and industry professionals. It was a privilege to bring together such a diverse group of experts with unique backgrounds representing the best in the industry to discuss a multi-pronged approach to addressing recruitment and retention. The insights that arose from this panel were remarkable, stemming in part from the combination of our various backgrounds—my background as a psychologist, Jeff’s early background as a biologist, and Shannon’s experience as a frontline worker and advocate, for example—which meant that each of us approached these pressing issues from a distinct angle that enabled a new holistic view.
As for recommendations, developing a panel for any event starts with choosing a topic that resonates with current challenges or opportunities in the field and ensuring it’s relevant to your specific audience. I recommend approaching a problem, and the panel addressing it, from a multi-faceted point of view in order to assure the whole of the issue is being understood, and therefore addressed. An effective panel requires representation of diverse perspectives, with an abundance of voices representing views on the issue’s geography, mode, and impacts on people of different classes, races, and genders. Without that multitude of voices, we only hear one side. Unique perspectives empower effective collaboration and problem-solving to the benefit of everyone.
Transit California: You have testified at state legislative committee hearings, and you have made presentations at federal congressional hearings. What have you learned about effectively providing transit information to high-level policymakers?
Policymakers need to have accurate, up-to-date data presented in a straightforward, digestible format. Using the rule of three—that is, presenting information in three key points—encourages information retention while helping avoid miscommunication.
Paying attention to vocal variety and body language—things like voice pitch and volume, posture and eye contact—also significantly enhance your delivery and ensure the message has impact. Taking the time to intentionally select the individual words you use—for example, choosing strong action verbs infused with emotion—makes a difference in what people hear, how they are affected, and, thus what action they take as a result. Don’t hesitate to plan, rehearse, and warm-up what you are going to say, especially when it really matters.
Without research and data, none of us can have a thorough understanding of the current state of our mobility systems and where we need to take them. The other side of this, though, is how the current state of mobility affects communities. Policymakers also need the story behind the data, a fellow human to connect to in order to grasp the true impact of any policy action they might take. Policymakers at the state and federal levels may not have the opportunity to be here on the ground with us, but they absolutely have the opportunity to shape what is happening on the ground. By connecting data to people, we can empower policymakers to create tangible solutions that resonate within our communities. Policies influence real lives everyday, and this is what we have to convey to drive change.
Transit California: You’ve received numerous prestigious acknowledgements and awards that recognize your contributions to the transit policy field, particularly for your work as a woman leader. Can you talk about why you are so passionate about women entering the transportation sector? Any advice for those currently in the field who’re looking to advance?
A 2023 global analysis of gender equity in the transport sector showed that women continue to face significant barriers within the transportation industry. For those looking to move up in the field, I would simply say: Your perspective is unique and important—use your voice, say yes to opportunity, collaborate, seek a mentor, learn from those above and below you, and keep going. Mobility is for everyone, and that includes you.
Research shows that—regardless of industry—organizations with more women on their executive boards outperform those with fewer, and women’s leadership is associated with profitability, increased collaboration, and fairer treatment in the workplace.
But that is research, what about me?
As a woman, I bring my whole self to every opportunity and every challenge. I am a mother, a daughter, a wife, a sister, a friend, a colleague, a community member, and so much more. I am a thoughtful, powerful, human that cares for others truly and authentically. But when you look at me you do not see the vulnerable experiences that have defined me and my passion for this industry. I was the child who watched her parents bear the unimaginable pain of burying a daughter who was killed in a traffic crash, I was the teen and young adult who struggled to live life for two daughters, excelling so as to never cause grief again. I am now the professional who can save lives through research and innovation.
I see the many women whose diverse perspectives, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution skills, and open hearts will create safer, more seamless systems for all.
I see you. I celebrate you. I am passionate about your leadership!