Training the Transportation Workforce of the Future: Applied Techniques
Jan 28, 2022
Karen Philbrick
Training the Transportation Workforce of the Future: Applied Techniques

Karen Philbrick is the Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San José State University, a position she has held since 2014. MTI leads two competitively selected multi-university consortia: the California State University Transportation Consortium (CSUTC) and the Mineta Consortium for Transportation Mobility (MCTM). 

Dr. Philbrick has been appointed three times by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation (Secretaries LaHood, Foxx, and Chao, respectively) to sit on the USDOT Transit Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS) where she chaired the FTA Administrator’s Tasking 14-02 which identified key elements of a safety management system approach to fatigue management. She also has the privilege of serving as the President of the Research and Education Division (RED) of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), where she also sits on the ARTBA Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Dr. Philbrick is part of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on “Transit Safety and Security” and “Passenger Rail Transportation. 

With an eye toward seamless and equitable transportation for all, Karen also serves the industry through the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Board of Directors and has served on the Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS) Foundation Board as Secretary after having served two terms as a Director. 

A frequently invited keynote speaker, Dr. Philbrick has delivered federal congressional briefings and invited testimony to the California Senate Transportation Committee and the Assembly Transportation Committee. 
Dr. Philbrick has received many prestigious awards for her leadership excellence and outstanding contributions to her field. She is the recipient of the CUTC Administrative Leadership award, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) named Dr. Philbrick a “Woman Who Moves the Nation”, the Silicon Valley Business Journal named Dr. Philbrick 1 of the 100 Women of Influence in Silicon Valley, and she was recognized by the YWCA Silicon Valley with a Tribute to Women Award for her contributions to the field of transportation.

Dr. Philbrick holds a PhD from the University of Denver and an MA and EdM from Columbia University. She earned her undergraduate degree from California State University, Fresno.

About the Topic

Learn how the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University--a competitively selected university transportation center and the leading transportation center of the Silicon Valley--is leveraging its industry partnerships to train the transportation workforce of the future. See more here.