The American Public Transportation Association has named Michael I. Schneider its Outstanding Public Transportation Business Member for 2016. The award is given to a public transportation business member who has made outstanding lifetime contributions to the public transportation industry. Schneider, based in Los Angeles, is senior vice president and a member of the executive leadership team at HDR.
Schneider's four decades in the transportation industry began with Los Angeles DOT and included more than 30 years with Parsons Brinckerhoff, where he served as executive vice president and a member of the Board of Directors. He joined HDR in 2012, when the company he cofounded in 2006, InfraConsult LLC, was acquired by HDR. Mike currently serves HDR as global director of professional services and a leader of the firm's strategic advisory practice. His career in infrastructure development and transportation has spanned urban and intercity transit and rail, highway and toll road development, innovative financing programs, public-private partnerships, and strategic planning for infrastructure investment. Schneider is recognized as an industry leader in private sector participation in infrastructure development and operation, having served throughout his career as a developer, owner and advisor on numerous public-private partnership programs around the world.
Richard White, president of APTA, said, "I've had the great pleasure and honor of knowing and admiring Mike for many years. Mike is a true visionary, a shrewd and successful business leader, and a great champion and advocate for the transit industry and the people who make it their profession."
Schneider is a longtime member of the APTA board of directors and founder and immediate past chair of the Committee on Public-Private Partnerships. He recently received a lifetime achievement award from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association for his contributions to furthering the practice and utilization of public-private partnerships in delivery of transportation projects, and previously was honored as an outstanding private sector entrepreneur in the utilization of innovative project finance and delivery for infrastructure project development.
Schneider has been committed for decades to nurturing young professionals and promoting diversity in the transportation industry. He currently serves on the board of directors of WTS International, a global organization dedicated to advancing women in transportation, and has been involved with numerous professional and industry organizations and spoken and lectured around the world on program management, business development, and leadership in the infrastructure field.
