OmniTRAX
OmniTRAX recently announced via a LinkedIn post that Dallas Ramos has been promoted to Vice President – Central Division.
Ramos has been with the company since 2017 and has “consistently shows exceptional leadership, dedication, and a commitment to safety and operational excellence throughout his career,” OmniTRAX said.
Ramos started his railroad career in 2001, working for both short lines and Class I railroads. He began as a brakeman and advanced through various roles such as Conductor, Locomotive Engineer, Senior Trainmaster, and most recently, General Manager at Great Western Railway of Colorado.
In his new role, Ramos will oversee operations of the OmniTRAX Central Division, working alongside his team to “drive growth and operational excellence” across the company’s properties.
TRB
Former FTA Administrator and current Principal/CEO of AMDC Consulting, LLC, Nunia Fernandez has been named as the 2025 recipient of the TRB’s Frank Turner Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Transportation for her “significant contributions to the nation’s public transportation landscape during her more than 35-year career.” Fernandez was presented with the award on Jan. 8, during the Chair’s Plenary Session of the TRB Annual Meeting at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Fernandez’s numerous accomplishments were forged through her ability to “develop strategic partnerships, lead teams, and design value propositions which drove public policy and enhanced public transportation planning and operations,” TRB noted.
The Frank Turner Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Transportation is a biennial award established in 1998 by a group of friends, colleagues, and admirers of Frances C. (Frank) Turner to honor him and to commemorate his accomplishments in the development and construction of the U.S. transportation system. Turner was the initial recipient of the award in January 1999. The award recognizes lifetime achievement in transportation, demonstrated by a distinguished career in the field, professional prominence, and a distinctive, widely recognized contribution to transportation policy, administration, or research.
Fernandez, who retired in February 2024 as the 15th Administrator of the FTA, was named Deputy Administrator by President Biden on January 20, 2021, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Administrator in June 2021. She became the first woman of color to be confirmed to that position. During her three-year tenure at the helm of FTA, she led the agency in “making transformative investments and creating policies that made public transportation stronger and safer nationwide.” Shortly after rejoining FTA in 2021, Fernandez took over leadership of the federal transit response to the impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency on transit. This included a focus on maintaining safe travel for the transit workforce that moved frontline workers to and from their jobs; implementing transit practices that reduced COVID-19-related illness and fatalities; and coordinating the award of more than $70 billion in federal COVID-19 emergency recovery funds.
Immediately prior to her role with FTA she served as General Manager and CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in California where she was responsible for 2,100 employees and oversaw programs, projects, and services that provided mobility solutions to more than two million people residing and working in Silicon Valley. Among the highlights of her tenure was the completion of the first Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) heavy rail service into Silicon Valley, a ten-mile, $3 billion line that opened to passenger service in June 2020. She also received federal approval in 2018 to extend the heavy rail service for another six miles. When completed in 2026, the rail service will total 16 miles with six stations providing transit alternatives for thousands of daily commuters around Silicon Valley.
Fernandez was also responsible for the creation of VTA’s Innovation Center, “an incubator to encourage collaboration, test the latest technology, and imagine new ways to keep the valley moving forward by leveraging the expertise of Silicon Valley’s high-tech corporations and universities,” TRB noted.
Prior to joining VTA, Fernandez held senior positions with several public and private organizations. She was Chief Operating Officer of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Senior VP of Design and Construction for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Assistant General Manager at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). She also served as the Commissioner for the Chicago Department of Aviation, overseeing O’Hare and Midway Airports. In that position she launched interactive systems which helped travelers with disabilities find their way through the airports terminals and negotiated equitable licensing deals among retail concessions using terminal facility space. Fernandez has also worked in Latin America for CH2M-Hill, and Earth Tech (a Tyco International, Ltd company).
Fernandez first volunteered her service to TRB in 1996 serving on the Steering Committee for the Workshop on the Use of Turnkey Approaches in Public Transit Project. Later she served as both a member and ex officio member of the TRB Executive Committee, a member of the Executive Committee’s Subcommittee for the Transit Cooperative Research Program, and the Transit Cooperative Research Program Oversight and Project Selection Commission.
Fernandez served as Chair of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the Board of Trustees of the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTA) and the Transportation Learning Center. She has also been a member of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) and Airports Council International. An active member of WTS International, she is a key advocate for women’s leadership and equality in business.
A native of Panama, Fernandez holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from Bradley University (Peoria, Illinois) and an MBA from Roosevelt University (Chicago, Illinois).
STV
With more than 17 years of planning expertise, STV Senior Associate and Planning Department Manager Alexis Williams, AICP, PP, has been named as the President-Elect of the Philadelphia Chapter of WTS and is “well positioned to assist the 2025-2026 term President and executive board in advancing the chapter’s mission,” according to STV.
This executive board role, STV says, “not only reflects her commitment to leadership but also ensures her automatic transition to the presidency in the next term, where Williams will leverage her extensive experience and deep community roots to inspire and empower the next generation of female transportation leaders.”
Williams’ journey with WTS began more than a decade ago, when she first joined the Philadelphia chapter as an active member and volunteer. Over the years, she has held a variety of leadership roles, most recently serving as Vice President on the 2023-2024 Executive Board. Her steadfast commitment to the organization, STV says, did not go unnoticed as she was honored as the 2022 Member of the Year at the chapter’s Annual Awards Gala.
In her new position as President-Elect, Williams will “leverage her deep planning expertise to guide the chapter’s strategic vision and programming, according to STV. A certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and a licensed professional planner in the state of New Jersey, she has developed specialized knowledge across a range of disciplines including land use, community planning, transit, transportation, hazard mitigation, public outreach and environmental planning.
“I am honored to take on the role of Philadelphia Chapter President-Elect for WTS,” Williams said. “Throughout my career, I have seen firsthand the important work that WTS does to empower women in transportation and create more opportunities for their leadership. I look forward to building on this legacy and finding new ways to uplift our members and advance the industry as a whole.”
Williams’ commitment to the transportation field extends beyond her work with WTS, the firm noted. She currently holds board positions with the American Planning Association Pennsylvania Chapter and Southeast Section Council and serves as the chair of the Camden County Planning Board. In her day-to-day role at STV, she manages local and regional planning projects, leads business development efforts, and spearheads public and stakeholder engagement initiatives.
At STV, Williams is currently spearheading a General Planning Contract with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). In this role, she is guiding the agency in implementing key initiatives from its strategic plan, focused on revitalizing transit services and enhancing connections for communities across the Philadelphia region.
“Alexis’ appointment to President-Elect of [the] WTS Philadelphia Chapter is a testament to herself, her family and the firm,” said STV Principal and Northeast Planning Director John Manzoni, AICP. “Her combination of technical expertise, collaborative spirit, forward thinking and commitment to mentorship will guide WTS through their next chapter and well into the future.”
