One word to describe yourself: Curious
Alma Mater: McGeorge School of Law
Fast fact about yourself: I work in the wine industry—shout out to Bogle Family Vineyards in Clarksburg!
What’s your best experience on transit and what made it memorable? In 2016 while living in Oakland, I took Capital Corridor to meet a date at Sacramento Valley train station. We’re now planning a wedding!
Mat Olson, senior financial consultant, HDR, is a dedicated and driven senior financial professional within the transit industry. He began his transit career with WSP as embedded staff at the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Within his first year, he co-authored the 2019 Equivalent Capacity Report.
Since joining HDR in 2022, Olson has taken his role to the next level by launching the Northern California Infrastructure Finance Practice, an infrastructure funding and finance-focused consultant team on the West Coast. Olson recruits, develops and leads a cross-sector team that supports infrastructure clients across multiple transportation modes, including transit, intercity rail, high-speed rail and freight rail.
In 2023, he created a pipeline for graduate students to gain real-world experience, turning internships into full-time roles. In partnership with the public policy faculty at the McGeorge School of Law in his hometown of Sacramento, Calif., this internship program combined academic and practical experiences.
Currently, he serves as both a task and project manager for clients in Sacramento and supports projects across the country. One of his standout achievements was helping support BNSF Railway by building relationships with local communities and transit agencies to secure infrastructure funding. This work resulted in millions of dollars awarded in state and federal discretionary funds that would directly benefit the surrounding communities. Olson supports leveraging both state and federal funds towards safety critical projects like grade crossing improvement projects. This work was the focus of a joint presentation with senior BNSF staff at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Rail Conference in 2024.
He completed APTA’s Emerging Leaders Program in the Class of 2024 and was unanimously selected by his peers to guide the next cohort as a mentor and committee member this past year. Olson has spoken at major conferences, including Utah's Urban & Rural Specialized Transportation Association, APTA Mobility and APTA Rail.
Is there a specific experience that led you to where you are today?
Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate enough to have supervisors, mentors and advocates to guide my professional development. When I joined HDR in 2022, I argued there was an opportunity to develop an infrastructure finance team based in California with knowledge and appreciation of innovative state policies and funding programs. I’ve been very fortunate that HDR’s local leadership teams in Northern and Southern California, as well as national leadership, recognize the unique position of our team being able to successfully leverage our policy background to advocate for funding projects within our communities.
As my team has continued to grow, I’m incredibly grateful to have had mentors such as Jim Allison with Capital Corridor Joint Powers Authority. While a member of APTA Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) in 2023, Jim agreed to be my local mentor. Jim helped further develop my understanding of strategically engaging with federal and state funding/policy makers to advance projects, as well as dynamic leadership with internal and external teams to deliver projects.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
What I enjoy the most about my job are the people I get to work with daily and the dynamic challenges. Not one day is the same between working on funding strategies and grant applications to building financial models to address capital/operating expenditures and revenues and long-term planning needs. While working from a financial or funding lens with executive leadership, our teams get to interact with all parts of an agency—from safety and operations to the environmental and capital delivery teams.
A great example is our work with the Sacramento Council of Governments to engage with transit operators on meeting the financial planning requirements of California’s Senate Bill 125. It’s exciting being able to bring all parts of an agency and community to advocate for one or multiple projects with effective data-driven storytelling.
Special shout out to my team members Sia and Breanna who help put the ‘fun’ in funding!
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
From a policy perspective, one of the most challenging aspects is working with clients and communities facing years of inequity or safety concerns due to lack of infrastructure investment. While the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided a generational opportunity for infrastructure, we need continued uninterrupted investments for operations, as well as capital program delivery to support agencies across the country.
What is the accomplishment you’re most proud of and why?
One of my proudest accomplishments is being accepted into and completing the APTA ELP. When I went into the program, I wanted it to provide a golden ticket towards career growth and external opportunities. Instead, the program graciously gave me a transit community who consistently challenged me personally and professionally, as well as being present in opportunities and experiences.
Throughout the program, I gained a deeper appreciation for the diverse talents and perspectives within our industry. The experience humbled me in the best way—it showed me how much I still must learn and how important it is to lead with curiosity. I carry a daily reminder of the program with an alarm that goes off at 5.30 p.m. every day that tells me to take a deep breath and smile. I am continuously reinvigorated and inspired by the alumni and current cohort of participants who are helping push this industry to evolve for the better.
What is an accomplishment you would like to work towards in your career?
Prior to APTA ELP, I thought a career accomplishment would be a high-level executive appointment at a transit agency or state/federal department. After reflection, I’d like my career to focus on two points:
- Demystifying the funding/finance processes by sharing best practices on collaboration with funding agencies to streamline the application and obligation processes.
- Furthering collaborative conversations with Class 1 Railroads and public transportation agencies to address safety issues facing our communities.
It’s been an honor mediating strategic conversations with BNSF that have helped some communities advance long-awaited projects and potentially close a gap in funding a local match required for federal or state discretionary programs.
What is your best advice/tip/best practice you can share from your area of expertise?
Using graphics and data to convey funding/finance themes to executive leadership, elected officials and the public. While I may get excited discussing a benefit cost analysis or debt service coverage ratio, strategic communications and public engagement/outreach teams are incredible partners to make sure information is digestible to all audiences.
About the Author
Brandon Lewis
Associate Editor
Brandon Lewis is a recent graduate of Kent State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lewis is a former freelance editorial assistant at Vehicle Service Pros in Endeavor Business Media’s Vehicle Repair Group. Lewis brings his knowledge of web managing, copyediting and SEO practices to Mass Transit Magazine as an associate editor. He is also a co-host of the Infrastructure Technology Podcast.