By Jason M. Jones
During the last year, the New York State Parking Association (NYSPA) has been working on a rebranding campaign, complete with a new website, enhanced social media pages, and a name change. As the parking industry continues to evolve, we needed to be sure we were not the last coin-operated meter left standing. We conducted surveys, made phone calls, reached out through emails, and discussed in-person with association members to determine the best path to take. We also reached out to founding members, past presidents, and other associations that recently transitioned away from just having parking in their names and added either transportation or mobility. These decisions cannot be made in isolation and any association is only as strong as it members and the research they conduct.
Based on our thorough outreach and an overwhelming association member approval vote, we have become the New York State Parking & Transportation Association (NYSPTA). We are very excited to begin this new chapter after 25+ years as NYSPA and look forward to another 25 years. We have many events planned in 2019 including our Summer Retreat on June 25 in Syracuse and our annual conference/expo in historic Saratoga Springs, October 9-11.
Please visit our new website at nysparkingandtransportation.com or visit us on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
Jason M. Jones is director, parking & mass transit services at the University of Albany, and president of NYSPTA.
Tom Wunk, CAPP, is vice president of PARCS solutions for T2 Systems and has been in the parking control industry since 1973. He is a CAPP and a graduate of the State University of New York system. He has developed and provided training presentations for IPMI, ASIS, and the AAAE. He is a member of IPMI’s Technology Committee and the IPMI Education Development Committee, the Smart Card Alliance, and the EMV Migration Forum.
Arnold (Gabe) Mendez, CAPP, has been with ASU’s Parking and Transit Services since June 2008. He serves as assistant director of strategic support, and provides support and leadership in the areas of strategic planning, parking technology applications, reporting, and involvement with department initiatives including campus access master planning. He is an active member of the ASU PM Network leadership team and IPMI’s Education Development Committee and Conference Program Task Force.
Jeremy Rocha, PE, is a parking consultant with WGI with more than 20 years of experience in parking, project management, engineering and planning. His focus at WGI is planning and project management. He has led multiple projects as design team project manager nationwide. As a representative of the parking industry, he is committed to making parking friendly and understandable.
David Taxman, PE, is a parking and transportation engineer at Kimley-Horn. He has been a passionate advocate for reform in parking planning practices, spearheading efforts to include t
Brett Wood, CAPP, PE, is a parking and t
George Richardson is the manager for Transportation and Parking Services at the University of Florida Health. He’s been in this role for the last three years. Prior, he worked for SP+ in New Orleans, La. In addition, he has 10 years’ experience with parking and transportation services in university systems.
Roque Perez-Velez, PE, CSSBB, MEng, is Project Manager at UF Health, where he previously worked as coordinator of management engineering services, operational effectiveness, and director of management engineering consulting services. He is also adjunct faculty of the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at the University of Florida. He is a Professional Engineer (PE) and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB). He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial engineering.
Mark Vergenes is the president of MIRUS Consultants.
Tim Horstmann is a public finance and tax attorney at McNees Wallace & Nurick in Harrisburg, PA. Tim advises governmental entities on the structuring of taxable and tax-exempt revenue bond and general obligation bond financings for a variety of capital projects, including parking facilities, schools, and higher education institutions and water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure. He also represents clients in the monetization of publicly-owned assets through various arrangements such as sales, leases, sale/leasebacks, and lease/leasebacks.
Gary Means, CAPP, holds a BA in broadcasting from Eastern Kentucky University and is executive director of the Lexington, Ky., Parking Authority. He is secretary of the IPMI Board of Directors. Locally, he serves on several downtown-oriented boards/committees including the YMCA, Downtown Lexington Management District, and the Downtown Lexington Partnership. Gary has worked in the parking industry for more than 22 years in both the public and private sectors.
Debbie Hoffman, CAPP, is director of transportations services at Texas A&M University. She serves on the board for the Center for Transportation Demand Management, as treasurer for the Red River Chapter of the Association of Commuter Transportation, and on IPMI’s Parking Matters committee. She holds a master of science degree from Texas A&M University. Her passion is bringing people together to develop creative, high-functioning solutions.
Mike Drow, CAPP, is senior vice president, corporate development, at T2 Systems, where he establishes and manages technology partnerships and acquisitions to align with the company’s long-term strategic goals. He has led the development of mobility services, remote management operations, mobile payments, and interactive marketing services, and has worked with municipalities, universities, airports, and urban garages. He is co-chair of IPMI’s Technology Committee.
Charles Debow is a managing member of D&D Advisory Group, a parking and mobility consulting firm. He has extensive experience in the parking industry and is widely recognized as a technology and innovation leader. Prior to his current role, he served as SVP of sales and account management for Parkmobile, as director of municipal parking in State College, Pa., as well positions in private operations. He serves on the IPMI Parking Technology Committee and is a frequent contributor to the IPMI magazine as well as the Blog.