Mickey Rowley is the Deputy Secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. He oversees the daily administration and operations of the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, which promotes Pennsylvania as a state in which to tour and travel, as well as to hold meetings and other conventions. Tourism is the state’s second largest industry and economic generator, which is estimated at $26 billion.

Senator Bob Wonderling was elected to his first term in the Pennsylvania Senate in November 2002 and was re-elected to his second term in 2006. Senator Wonderling is currently Chairman of the Communications and Technology Committee. He was the former Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary of Transportation and was responsible for improving the operation and efficiency of PennDOT’s 5000-employee highway maintenance workforce. He also held the position of Chief Operation Officer of the Team Pennsylvania Economic Development Organization. In this role, he worked closely with Governor Ridge and business and community leaders throughout the Commonwealth on matters related to workforce development, tourism, job retention, infrastructure and transportation improvements, and attracting new industries to Pennsylvania.

Dennis Yablonsky is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Community and Economic Development. Secretary Yablonsky has 30 years of management and leadership experience. He was founding CEO of the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse, a revolutionary model for focused technology economic development. When the same successful business model was applied to developing the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth, Mr. Yablonsky was called upon to lead the newly formed Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse.

Greg Cohen is President of the American Highway Users Alliance. Mr. Cohen serves motorists and highway supporters as their chief advocate – pursuing federal policies that improve highway safety and reduce congestion. Members of the Highway Users include 270 diverse businesses and non-profit associations that rely on safe and efficient roads to transport their families, employees, customers, and products. Prior to joining the Highway Users, Greg served as a professional staff member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on the Highways and Transit Subcommittee where he was responsible for oversight of the Federal Highway Administration’s implementation of the 1998 highway bill, TEA 21. He also worked on legislation to eliminate highway funding cuts and streamline environmental reviews and coordinated oversight hearings that laid the policy and groundwork for the 2005 highway bill, “SAFETEA-LU”.

Bill Owens served two terms as Governor of Colorado (1999-2007), winning re-election by the largest margin in Colorado history. He also served as Colorado State Treasurer where he managed a $5 billion investment portfolio. Mr. Owens’ two terms as Governor were marked by commitment to improving Colorado’s infrastructure and utilizing the private sector to meet public needs. Owens pushed through the legislature and took to the voters the largest road/rail project in US history – the $1.7 billion T-Rex project, which rebuilt and widened 22 miles of the Interstate 25 corridor through Denver, while adding 19 miles of new light rail. The project was completed 22 months ahead of schedule and on-budget.

Jim Ritzman is the Deputy Secretary for Planning at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. He directs the activities associated with the Center for Program Development and Management, the Bureau of Municipal Services, and the Bureau of Planning and Research. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing Pennsylvania’s planning and programming functions, such as the Mobility Plan (PennDOT’s long range plan), Twelve Year Program development, the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), and managing approximately $1.6 billion federal each year.

John Zarsky, PE, is an Associate Vice President and Regional Technology Principal at Pennoni Associates, a multi-disciplinary firm with over 835 personnel in 20 offices throughout the Northeastern United States.  He is a graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University with dual degrees in Engineering and Public Policy and Civil Engineering. John has more than 20 years of progressive design and project management experience on the transportation infrastructure system in South Eastern Pennsylvania.  Most of this work has been in relation to improving the Highway System while integrating the needs and concerns of this densely populated area of Pennsylvania.  As a Regional Technology Principal, John is responsible for Pennoni’s transportation practice in Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey including working with our many and varied clients in order to integrate proposed highway system improvements into the existing infrastructure that will continue to serve the traveling public as well as the economic and industrial development in the region.  John is a former president of the Delaware Valley Section of ASHE, and was the 2000 Young Civil Engineer of the Year as well as the Delaware Valley Young Engineer of the Year.

Dan Cupper is a historian and author on railroad, highway, and Pennsylvania history topics who is enjoying a second career as a Norfolk Southern freight-train conductor. He has written ten books, including histories of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Horseshoe Curve, and Rockville Bridge. His book on the Pennsylvania Railroad Calendar Art of Grif Teller won the 1993 book award from the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, the nation’s oldest railroad history organization.

State Representative Rick Geist ranks as one of the most senior members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. As Republican Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, he continues to play a leading role in making policy that benefits Pennsylvania’s motorists and the state’s roads and highways. Representative Geist is now in his 15th consecutive two-year term and holds the distinction of being the longest-serving Majority Transportation Chairman in House history (six terms, before Republicans lost the Majority just prior to the current legislative session). Geist is also a voting member of the State Transportation Commission and he serves as the House of Representatives’ representative to the Sate Rail Freight Advisory Committee.

Steve Hall currently serves as the Vice President of Government Affairs for the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). He is a 14-year veteran on Capitol Hill, most recently as Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for Congresswoman Sue Kelly (R-NY). Prior to joining the Kelly office in 1995, Steve served for two years as Senior Legislative Assistant on the staff of Congressman Bill Zeliff (R-NH), where he handled the Congressman’s work on the Transportation and Infrastructure and Government Operations Committees. He also handled transportation and infrastructure issues for Congressman Matthew Rinaldo through congressional consideration and passage of ISTEA in 1991.

Brad Mallory is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Michael Baker Corporation. Mr. Mallory has more than 20 years of experience in transportation and related fields with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, most recently serving as the Department Secretary from 1995 until his retirement in early 2003. Mr. Mallory is past President of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. He also served on the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board and as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. In 2002, he received the Environmental Statesmanship Award from the Federal Highway Administration.

Joe Markosek was first elected to the Pennsylvania House in 1982. Mr. Markosek’s extensive ties to transportation issues make him well qualified for his position as majority chairman of the House Transportation Committee. As chairman, he serves on several statewide boards including the State Transportation Commission, which is responsible for evaluating the condition performance of the Commonwealth’s transportation system and assessing the resources required to preserve, restore and expand transportation facilities in the Commonwealth.

Mr. Owens biography can be read in Session F1.

Congressman Bud Shuster was a fifteen term member of the Congress of the United States during which time he served as Chairman of the Committee of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure from January 4, 1995 until his retirement in 2001. This Committee is the largest in the history of the US Congress, with jurisdiction over the four major modes of transportation – surface, rail, aviation and maritime – as well as Coast Guard, economic development, water resources and federal buildings and grounds.

Joe was born and raised in Pittsburgh and graduated from North Catholic High School. He earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Youngstown State University, Ohio. He has more than 30 years of government experience at the local, state and federal levels. He held numerous positions with Allegheny County and served as Municipal Manger of Monroeville, Pa. On the state and federal levels, Joe was Deputy Auditor General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Chief of Staff for U.S. Congressman Ron Klink. Joe was named Chief Executive of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission on Feb. 4, 2003. So far, he successfully implemented a 2004 Turnpike toll increase (the first since 1991), navigated through a 2004 union strike (the first in the Turnpike’s history), and launched an ambitious program to totally rebuild “America’s First Superhighway” from the ground up.