Concentrate Speaker Event: Regional Transit

From the Woodward Avenue Corridor to Downtown Detroit to DTW Airport to U of M's campus, how we connect our communities via mass transit is vital to Michigan's future growth and prosperity. Concentrate has invited Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United, and County Commissioner Conan Smith to talk about the development of regional transportation and what it means for both Metro Detroit and Washtenaw County. Sign up now for Thursday's event!

Conversations about regional transportation in SE Michigan have been many many years in the making. Compared to similar metro communities around the country, forward momentum here has been frustratingly slow.

For some the issue is clear: if Michigan hopes to grow and prosper it must offer the citizens of its densest region more transportation options than just the automobile. Creating an effective and effcient transit system that services our entire region rather than just a few wealthy communities is a social and economic necessity.

So, how do we break through political and public stagnantion?

Concentrate has invited Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United and Washtenaw County Commissioner Conan Smith to talk about metro Detroit’s efforts to establish a tri-county transportation system, and how Wahstenaw County can not only grow its own system but best integrate with the rest of the region. We’ll also have a member of the AATA to join Conan and Megan for questions.

We expect an informartive and spirited conversation and look forward to your participation.

SIGN UP BELOW!

WHEN :    Thursday, August 23rd, 2012, 5:00-6:30pm
WHERE:    Conor O’Neill’s in downtown Ann Arbor (318 South Main Street)
WHO:         The event is free and open to Concentrate’s readers, but seating is limited so RSVP below.

Doors open at 4:45pm. Refreshments will be served and the speaker program will begin at 5:05pm.

Conversation and questions are welcome afterward.

Concentrate’s Speaker Series is sponsored by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:

MEGAN OWENS is the Executive Director of Transportation Riders United (TRU). TRU is Detroit’s non-profit transit advocate, dedicated to improving and promoting public transit throughout greater Detroit. Founded in 1999, TRU has a strong track record of doing the research, presenting the facts, involving the public, developing the coalitions and educating the leaders needed to achieve quality transit in Detroit.

Ms. Owens serves on Oakland County Public Transit Authority, which oversees SMART bus service in Oakland County, and on the Transportation Advisory Committee of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG). She is active with the statewide Trans4M and Let’s Get Moving coalitions. She has completed fellowships with Detroit Regional Chamber’s Leadership Detroit, the Michigan Non-Profit Association’s Executive Leadership Fellowship and the Center for Progressive Leadership.

Previously, Ms. Owens spent six years with PIRGIM (the Public Interest Research Group in Michigan) and presently serves on their Board of Directors. A lifelong Michigan resident, she graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment with a concentration in Environmental Policy.

CONAN SMITH has been an elected member of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners since 2005. Since 2010 has served as the chair of the Board. Since 2004, Conan has been the executive director of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, a Nonprofit organization that unites and strengthens metropolitan Detroit’s mature suburbs by elevating regional cooperation, reforming public policies and innovating redevelopment strategies.

An ardent environmentalist, Commissioner Smith is a nationally recognized leader on land use, transportation and energy issues. He advises the People and Land program of the W.K.Kellogg Foundation, serves on the board of directors of Michigan Saves and as an executive committee member at SEMCOG.

Conan was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he lives today with his wife, Michigan State Senator Rebekah Warren.Conan attended the Residential College at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where he earned a B.A. in Creative Writing and Literature.

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Concentrate Speaker Event: Regional Transit

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