Arthur Pazdan is leading the development and delivery of next-generation transit projects. Pazdan is the deputy engineering manager for the San Jose-to-Merced segment of the California high-speed rail project. He is also the deputy project manager for the AC Transit East Bay Bus Rapid Transit project. Stakeholders know him as an emotionally intelligent leader that always delivers, despite any hurdles. He's serviced more than 200 infrastructure projects of varying scope, size and discipline. From small local agency feasibility studies to major multi-modal corridors, Pazdan's always vested in a project's full life cycle success. Pazdan is the linchpin of most any project he gets involved in.
While he's passionate about delivering transit projects, Pazdan is keen to improve the abilities of others. He's been extremely lucky to have a full career's worth of great mentors in just more than a dozen years of progressively responsible professional practice.
Pazdan instills the importance of being a 'T-shaped' professional when mentoring younger staff, with the belief that T-shaped people can go deep and wide, like the shape of the letter "T," with a depth of skill that allows them to contribute as an expert in their field. Pazdan says T-shaped people are indispensable for their ability to see the big picture, as well as contribute at the micro level, and their width is the disposition for collaboration across disciplines, ensuring a seamless interaction between the human and mechanical elements.
Pazdan has been obsessed with transit since childhood and getting from A to B to C in the most efficient way possible. He memorized all the modes of the Chicago transit system and several years removed living in California can still recall which 'L' stops have the best Chicago-style hot dogs nearby and which Metra lines to take around the Tri-State area. On business and pleasure travel, Pazdan is happy to stick with transit and will take up to four modes to and from places (bus, light rail, people mover and airplane). He received his master's in engineering systems management from Texas A&M and his bachelor's in civil engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a focus on multi-modal transportation.
Creating Sustainable Systems
"I've benefitted tremendously by having lived and worked in cities well served by transit. What we today call transit-oriented development was common practice before driving became the main mode of transportation. Transit is inherently sustainable and encourages the most efficient use of our limited resources.
"It is my sincere hope that the next generation of transit systems like high-speed rail and bus rapid transit will provide transit access to more Americans than ever before. I want to be at the forefront of these projects and ensure that future generation's mobility is not compromised. With the convergence of big data, smarter infrastructure and greater public awareness, we can deliver world-class transit systems that benefit the masses."
"The best part of transit projects is changing the lives of commuters for the better. It's satisfying to free people from the need to drive.
"New public transit systems would benefit greatly from more stable and secure federal funding. Although everyone would like to see transit be revenue neutral, that is a very tall order for the first several years of a new operation."
