Our Leadership

Dr. Beverly A. Cigler is a Professor of Public Policy and Administration at Penn State Harrisburg. She has written more than 150 articles and book chapters, co-authored 9 books, and presented 190 speeches to municipal and state officials across the United States. Bev has received numerous national, state, and regional awards for her scholarship and service and is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Her areas of expertise include multicommunity collaboration, intermunicipal and state-local relations, and emergency management. She serves on boards of directors and advisory committees for a number of research and municipal and county associations in Pennsylvania and nationally and is a research associate at the Pennsylvania legislature.

Steve was local chairperson and legislative representative for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Local 276.

Philip Mortimer provides OnTrackNorthAmerica with experienced international expertise. Philip is the lead partner and Director of Truck Train Brokerage, a project sponsored by the UK Technology Strategy Board, to examine the business systems and IT involved in the modal split of intermodal traffic between UK ports and inland destinations. Since 1997, Philip has been project director for TruckTrain Industries, a family of innovative vehicle concepts designed to move seamlessly between road and rail systems. In his recent PhD program, Philip was a research associate on various projects, including an assessment of the design resilience to blast damage and the survivability of stations and passenger rolling stock; European Commission-sponsored rail development projects for new services; urban freight logistics (Bestufs & Freightwise); and the development of new rail freight services between Rotterdam & Constanza involving a review of regulatory frameworks and compliance with European Union rail reform packages. Philip has written extensively for a wide variety of industry and academic publications.

Dr. Jin is the Director of the The Logistics, Transportation, and Supply Chain Engineering Laboratory (LTS) at University of Tennessee. The LTS applies operations research, simulation, traffic modeling, statistical analyses, cost/benefit analyses, and other engineering techniques to address issues in logistics, transportation, and the supply chain. Dr. Jin has completed about 40 projects in those areas with total funding for more than $8 million. His sponsors include the USDOT, the Department of Homeland Security, NASA, three state DOTs, American trucking associations, several university transportation centers, and various companies. Dr. Jin is currently the president of the Engineering Economy Division of the Institute for Industrial Engineers and the board director of the Logistics and Supply Chain Division. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journals of Engineering Economists and the International Journal of Production Economics, and is the guest editor of the Journal of Cleaner Production.

Brian Rademacher has 10 years of experience in economic development. He began as Director of Economic Development with Ormond Beach in June 2018. Prior to this he was the economic development manager for the City of Hollywood, Florida, where he was responsible for the overall management of the Economic Development Division. He facilitated redevelopment opportunities for mixed-use development along the city’s major commercial corridors, and worked with local partners to develop programs to support entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Prior to his work in Florida, Brian held numerous positions with regional, state, and private positions, building expertise in strategic planning, site selection and business development. Brian is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), a designation earned through the International Economic Development Council.

Karen Risa Robbins is a lawyer, entrepreneur, and business consultant with deep experience in collaboration and change initiatives. Founder and CEO of the AmTech Center for Collaboration in Silicon Valley, she led a team that won accolades for orchestrating public–private partnerships and change initiatives for top-tier government, industry, and academic clients. Her personal credits include leading governance and partner relations for the $18 billion NextGen Air Traffic Control Modernization initiative, and brokering the $150 million NASA project that developed the Predator drone. A legal innovator, she was the policy and legal architect of an unprecedented federal contracting model that enables public–private ventures. She negotiated large-dollar R&D deals and initiated numerous industry alliances and nonprofit organizations. She presently serves on the board of advisors for the Doug Engelbart Institute (celebrated computer/internet pioneer) and as advisor to the California Department of Water Resources on the use of drones for precision agriculture. Today she applies her extensive knowledge of collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and organizational structures, to further public policy enterprises.

Peter Schwartzman is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Studies at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. He is a trained climatologist with interests in a wide variety of environmental areas. He has written more than 100 articles for local media as well as for peer-reviewed journals. He is also cofounder of The Center (www.thecenteringalesburg.org), a community place for learning and connecting. Peter and his wife serve as coaches for the Silas Willard Elementary School’s Geography Bowl team in Galesburg, Illinois, and also run the school’s Scrabble Club. Peter is a tournament-level Scrabble player, a basketballasaurus (a creature constantly found dribbling and shooting), an activist for peace and justice, and a fun-loving spirit. Peter’s academic degrees include a bachelor of science in physics from Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, a master of science in science and technology studies from Virginia Tech, and a PhD in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia.

Dr. Joseph Schwieterman is the director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development and a professor of public services management at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. He has published extensively on air, rail, and urban-planning issues, and is a long-standing contributor to the Transportation Research Board. He holds a doctorate in public policy from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in transportation from Northwestern University in Chicago. His article, “Abandoned Corridors,” was a finalist for the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society’s 2003 David P. Morgan Award for excellence in railroad history.