Shared functions now in one place: public transportation, pedestrian and bicycle travel, passenger rail 

June 10, 2020

I’m pleased to share the new structural organization of the Oregon Department of Transportation Public Transportation Division (formerly the Rail and Public Transit Division). This is part of ODOT’s overall shift to organize staff by shared functions, rather than by mode or user group, to improve our internal knowledge transfer, strategically align our priorities, and increase efficiency. Read more at this link: Shared Functions.

The new organization for the Public Transportation Division, or PTD, will help us more fully integrate public transportation, pedestrian and bicycle travel, and passenger rail into the department’s work to address our climate goals, infuse equity principles and equitable access to transportation throughout our work, and support congestion relief strategies that include multimodal transportation options.

PTD falls within ODOT’s Operations functional group, led by ODOT’s Assistant Director for Operations, Cooper Brown. Brown is one of four new assistant directors who oversee the entirety of the department with the intent of improving multimodal and cross-divisional integration.

Our Division’s Mission

PTD exercises statewide leadership and vision for public transportation, walking and biking, and passenger rail by promoting, developing, funding and managing multimodal statewide networks of transportation systems and facilities. These systems and facilities provide access to Oregon’s residents and visitors, provide efficient movement of commerce, support healthy sustainable travel choices, improve safety, and promote Oregon’s economy.

The New Structure

The new structure integrates our functions into four units. Read the more detailed organization chart at this link: PTD Organization Chart.

Policy and Strategic Investment Unit

• Develops strategies, prioritizes investments, and advances work efforts to create a more modern and integrated statewide multimodal system which includes pedestrian and bike facilities, freight rail operations, and public transportation, including passenger rail.
• Manages and develops program guidance and project selection criteria and maximizes the value of transportation investments locally, regionally, and statewide.
• Encourages consideration of multimodal options to meet our climate, equity, and congestion relief goals

Program Implementation Unit

• Implements PTD policies, goals, strategies, and programs.
• Implements investment strategies through regional transit coordinators, regional staff, and local agency partners.
• Manages delivery of internal and external stakeholder technical assistance and trainings.

Rail Operations and Statewide Multimodal Network Unit

• Manages contracted delivery of public transportation services, including passenger rail.
• Facilitates local partnerships to fill gaps in the statewide public transportation network.
• Coordinates with public transportation providers and local governments to better integrate all modes and communicate transportation options.
• Manages data and related systems to improve understanding of the multimodal transportation network and connections across modes for the traveling public and system managers.

Program Services Unit

• Manages federal, state, and grant recipient compliance, including reporting in the Oregon Public Transit Information System, the National Transit Database, and FTA TrAMS.
• Develops and oversees compliance review program in coordination with site review contractors.
• Creates guidance in collaboration with other PTD units to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations.
• Calculates formula program allocations; determines and administers distributions to partner agencies.

The Leadership Team and Modal Points of Contact

Division leadership includes staff members that represent multimodal perspectives.

• Karyn Criswell, Public Transportation Division Administrator
• Marsha Hoskins, Policy and Implementation Manager (Public Transportation)
• Susan Peithman, Policy and Strategic Investment Unit Lead (Pedestrian and Bicycle)
• Jennifer Sellers, Interim Rail Operations and Statewide Multimodal Network Manager (Rail Operations and Freight Rail)
• Rick Shankle, Program Services Manager
• Maile Boals, Grant Services Manager Lead

Next Steps

As we work towards full implementation we will keep you updated, with a commitment to continue providing excellent service. During the transition, please continue to reach out to your regular contacts and let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you for working with us to make Oregon a better place for all.

Sincerely,

Karyn C. Criswell, Administrator