FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 CONTACT:

Anne Canby, President, STPP (202) 974.5135
Judith Espinosa, Director, ATRI (505) 246.6432 

Surface Transportation Policy Project Names New Board Chair

Judith M. Espinosa, Former Secretary of New Mexico’s Transportation and Environment Departments Elected Chair of National Transportation Reform Coalition

WASHINGTON D.C., November 17, 2004 -- The Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) announced the election of Judith M. Espinosa, Director of the University of New Mexico’s Alliance for Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), as the Chair of their national Board of Directors.

“I am honored to serve as Chair of the Surface Transportation Policy Project, an organization with a strong focus on providing environmentally sustainable transportation choices for Americans.” said Espinosa.  “For fifteen years, STPP membership has spearheaded progressive policies to achieve balanced transportation choices which have given their communities better mobility and changed the way transportation serves our citizenry.   I am eager to collaborate with our national partners to accelerate and replicate the successful transportation policies and services they have implemented within their regional and local areas.” 

The Surface Transportation Policy Project, a national non-profit advocacy organization founded in 1991, is a diverse, nationwide coalition working to ensure safer communities and smarter transportation choices that enhance the economy, improve public health, promote social equity, and protect the environment. 

Outgoing STPP Board Chair Sarah Campbell, President of TransManagement, Inc., located in Bethesda, MD, added, “After fourteen years and much personal gratification over the enormous successes STPP and its coalition have achieved, it is time for me to step aside and make way for new leadership at STPP and in the reform movement.  We have accomplished a great deal that will strengthen our communities and enable their citizens to live fuller lives.”

STPP President Anne Canby added, “Judith Espinosa will provide the right leadership for STPP and its many coalition partners as we focus on the next phase of transportation reform.  I am delighted that she is willing to assume this leadership position in the reform movement at this time.  I appreciate that Judith has worked both as Secretary of Transportation and Environment in a Southwestern state with fast growing urban centers and significant local transportation needs.”

Judith M. Espinosa, STPP Board Member since 1995, has her Doctor of Jurisprudence (University of New Mexico), a Masters in Public Health Administration (UCLA), and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (University of New Mexico).  Espinosa, a former Secretary of the New Mexico Departments of Transportation and the Environment, is widely known for her advocacy and public interest work in the areas of transportation and the environment and has been recognized for her dedication both locally and nationally.  Espinosa is a former Board member of the National Wildlife Federation and the Energy Foundation.  She served as a member of the President Clinton’s Council for Sustainable Development.  Espinosa is also currently a member of the National Research Council/Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Transit Research Advisory Committee (TRAC).