- One word to describe yourself: Moxie
- Alma Mater: University of Manitoba, Asper School of Business
- Favorite hobby(s): Spending time with my son, golf, cooking, exercising, biking, traveling
Stephanie Laubenstein began her public transit career with New Flyer in 2009 and, over the past decade, has progressively advanced from a customer program manager through to her current position of director, Sales and Business Development.
In her early roles, Laubenstein served as a liaison between transit agencies and New Flyer’s internal stakeholders, delivering exceptional customer experiences and supporting complex Request for Proposals processes for North America’s largest transit agencies. Laubenstein’s team spirit, ingenuity and enthusiasm for innovative transit programs made her a standout leadership candidate and, in 2013, she was promoted to manager of technical sales, where she leveraged industry knowledge to lead a team through procurement orders for municipal and private transit agencies.
In 2015, she became a business segment director (BSD) for New Flyer’s Municipal Transit and Private Operators market segment, later transitioning to the largest (metropolitan) segment representing the biggest cities in North America. As the Municipal BSD, she led the development of go-to-market strategies for joint venture partnerships. As the Metropolitan BSD, Laubenstein developed and launched the New Flyer Infrastructure Solutions™ service. She also developed the New Flyer and Transportation Diversity Council relationship to support workforce development and local jobs in Los Angeles, Calif., in addition to developing and deploying bus leasing programs for transit customers in the U.S.
In her current role, Laubenstein leads New Flyer’s internal and external business development initiatives, while also leading and coaching a team of nearly 20 to develop innovative technical and commercial mobility solutions to meet the demands of a rapidly changing public transit industry. She also supports implementation of zero-emission pilot programs, assisting customers with battery-electric buses, fuel cell-electric buses and infrastructure programs.
In 2017, Laubenstein graduated from the American Public Transportation Association’s Leadership APTA program and the following year, she was selected to participate in the APTA Study Mission to Canada, focusing on public-private-partnerships (P3s) and alternative funding and financing mechanisms for the transit industry.
Throughout her career, Laubenstein has maintained active engagement in the transit industry through committee and advocacy roles. Specifically, she worked to increase adoption of zero-emission, sustainable transit propulsion to help lower the environmental footprint of public transportation in North America. More importantly, over recent years she has become a dedicated advocate of and contributor to workforce development and diversity initiatives in transit.
She is a current member of the Transit Working Group for the U.S. Department of Labor Apprenticeship Powered by Industry (API) initiative, a member of the APTA Diversity and Inclusion Council, the APTA Workforce Development Committee and Business Member Board of Governors (BMBG) Workforce Development Committee member, and the APTA Workforce Advisory Group Member for eLearning. She is also a member of the Electric Bus Project Steering Committee with the Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC).
“I love leading people. There is nothing more rewarding than watching my team members succeed and helping them find their purpose and passion. Seeing others succeed and do well motivates me.”
“The best advice I could give to anyone, personally and professionally, is to just be you. Whether at work, home, around a boardroom table, attending an industry event, in the community or with family or friends, bring who you are naturally to those moments. Yes, you should develop through your weaknesses and be cognizant of surroundings and adapt accordingly, but no matter what situation you are in or pressure you may be facing, just be you. Anything else can come off as insincere and disingenuous.”
“I like being a part of public transportation because our industry provides an essential service to the public. Moving people enables them to work, socialize, love, adventure, explore and connect. Contributing to the quality of people’s lives is meaningful to me.”
