2024 SPEAKERS
Tuesday, May 7, 2023 (7 a.m. - 12 p.m.)
TERESA WELBORN
Chief Operating Officer / Deputy Director - ADOT
Teresa Welborn serves as chief operating officer/deputy director for the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Teresa has more than 30 years in the non-profit and government sectors, most recently at Maricopa County Department of Transportation serving as the Administrator from 2014 – 2020. In this role Teresa led the Communications, Administrative Services, Information Technology and Finance divisions. Teresa also served ADOT from 2006 – 2014 as Statewide Public Involvement Director, Assistant Communication Director and Partnering Administrator.
Teresa holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in Finance from The University of Arizona and a Masters of Education in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University.
JAMIE BLAKEMAN
Founder & CEO - Lōkahi, LLC
Jamie Blakeman, PE, PTOE, (CEO) founded Lōkahi, LLC, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Small Business Enterprise in 2019, based on the following five principles: teamwork, collaboration, cooperation, harmony and unity. A graduate from the University of Hawaii in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, Jamie began her traffic engineering career 25 years ago. Her vision of shaping a collaborative environment that integrates creativity and outside-the-box thinking within her field of transportation and traffic engineering ignited her dream to forge her own path and launch Lōkahi. She innovatively creates solutions to increase mobility, provide equality between all users and all modes of transportation, and improve safety. Her work contributes to safer communities, increased efficiencies and supports economic development. Her unique ability to balance technical analysis with human scale elements positions her as a unique, recognizable and reputable leader.
GREG BYRES
Deputy Director/State Engineer - Arizona Department of Transportation
Greg Byres currently serves as state engineer and deputy director for transportation. As leader of the Infrastructure Delivery and Operations Division (IDO), Transportation Systems Management and Operations Division (TSMO), and the Multimodal Transportation Division (MPD), he oversees development and delivery of the ADOT construction program, including environmental studies, engineering design, land acquisition and construction. He also supports the maintenance and operation of more than 6,000 miles of interstate and state highways in Arizona.
Markus Coleman
Light Rail Administrator - City of Phoenix
Markus Coleman has more than 28 years working for the City of Phoenix, where he currently serves as the Light Rail Administrator, spearheading efforts to advance light rail consistent with City of Phoenix Council Action and in coordination with the region’s transit agency, Valley Metro. In addition to several projects in planning, this includes more than $2 billion in infrastructure in the recently completed Northwest Phase II light rail extension connecting to the former MetroCenter Mall to the northwest, the South Central Extension/Downtown Hub currently under construction to bring light rail to South Phoenix, and the Capitol Extension, the next light rail project in line to begin construction. Coleman also oversees the Transit Oriented Development federal grants associated with these projects. Coleman has strong ties to the South Phoenix community and knows how important these generational investments are for citizens who depend on public transit as their main mode of transportation.
JESSE GUTIERREZ
Director - MCDOT
Jesse Gutierrez serves as the Deputy Director of the Maricopa County Department of Transportation. As Deputy Director he works with the Director and supports all the operations of MCDOT. He has over 30 years of experience in transportation, prior to joining MCDOT in 2020, he had served as a District Engineer, Deputy State Engineer with Arizona Department of Transportation. He is a graduate of U of A with a master’s in engineering.
CANDACE HUFF
Deputy Aviation Director - City of Phoenix Aviation Department
Candace Huff is a professional engineer who has been working with the City of Phoenix Aviation Department for over twenty-four years. She is currently the Deputy Aviation Director for the Design and Services Division. She oversees and manages the implementation of the Capital Improvement Program and the Airport Capital Improvement Program which encompasses grant funded projects, Job Order Contracting and Tenant Improvement efforts for the division, and Terminal 4 S1 Concourse ensuring thorough and effective execution for the Aviation Department as well as the overall management of the division. She has worked on several key airport development projects for Sky Harbor (PHX), Goodyear (GYR) and Deer Valley (DVT) Airports and has managed projects such as the reconstruction of the north and center runways as well as the new construction of the south runway for PHX.