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Conference Workshops
TAM is proud to bring world-class trainers to our members. Our training team is still filling out the conference schedule, and we will be posting session times in the coming weeks.
Keynote Speaker - Mentalist Brian Curry
TAM is proud to bring our keynote speaker to our members to kick off the conference right. Brian Curry is a mentalist, magician, and professional liar—though he’d prefer you call him The Good Liar. Based in Washington, DC, he’s spent years dazzling audiences with mind-reading stunts, impossible predictions, and just the right amount of snark. He’s performed at hundreds of corporate events, and been named Washington City Paper’s Performing Artist of the Year. He also claims to have won the prestigious Milbourne Christopher Award for Mentalism—but given his profession, you’ll have to decide for yourself. For TAM, he'll be giving an informative, entertaining, and participatory experience on the value of honesty, the difficulty of detecting it, and the subtle ways our minds can trick us behind our backs.
Introducing: Transit 101 On Wednesday, September 23, TAM is introducing a new element to our annual conference: Transit 101. Intended for:
Transit 101 is a series of 60-90 minute workshops running all day. These workshops will cover the building blocks of understanding transit, including but not limited to:
There is no special registration necessary or charge to attend. Those attendees who attend a full day of Transit 101 courses will receive a special certificate. MTA Workshops The Maryland Transit Administration will be hosting workshops during the conference to cover critical areas for those agencies receiving state and federal funding. Topics will certainly include grant application for nonprofits and proper compliance. Roundtable Discussions TAM will host moderated roundtable discussions in which free-flowing discussion of topics critical to success in the modern community transportation world will be covered. We will be hosting two separate sessions - one for transit agencies, and one for our nonprofit members. Member Presented Sessions TAM is calling on our members to submit proposals for sessions to be presented at our annual conference. Workshops should be:
Vendors are welcome to participate if they can present a session in partnership with a transit or nonprofit agency. Presentations are due to TAM by the end of July. You can submit your proposals at: https://www.taminc.org/membersessions Beyond Inspiration: Vision that Works Presented by Dioane Gates of Cornerman Consulting
Transit leaders are often asked to guide people through uncertainty, workforce pressure, competing priorities, and public This session is designed to be practical, reflective, and immediately applicable. Mr. Gates will use a facilitated learning The workshop will connect vision casting to the leadership realities facing transit professionals, including uncertainty, workforce
Practical AI in Transit: Building Clearer Goals, Better Training, and Safer Outcomes This 90-minute session is designed for transit professionals who want a practical, non-technical introduction to using AI responsibly in safety, training, supervision, HR, and program development work. The focus is not on coding, advanced technology, or replacing professional judgment. The focus is on helping transportation professionals understand how AI can support clearer goals, better training materials, stronger safety communication, and more efficient program development. During the session, participants will see how AI can be used to:
The session will include a live interactive demonstration using an index card activity where participants provide both transit-related terms and unrelated words. Those inputs are used to show how AI can work with imperfect, real-world information and still help create useful training concepts. This keeps the session engaging while reinforcing the core message: AI does not require perfect prompts; it requires clear direction, human review, and responsible use. Meaningful Public Engagement in a Changing Landscape Public engagement services many purposes at once: It enhances the rider experience, serves as a marketing tool for the agency, allows your community to contribute knowledge and resources to your system, and helps build crucial public support that no system can survive without. Well-timed, meaningful engagement also helps to surface risk before it turns into delays, litigation, or political blowback. Panelists will discuss critical moments for engagement, how to encourage a culture of engagement among your employees, and how use engagement to enhance agency operations. Skills for the Next Generation of Transit Leaders This exploratory session examines how transit agencies can better prepare emerging managers and directors to grow into future leadership roles while excelling in their current responsibilities. The discussion highlights common professional development gaps in areas such as public speaking and board presentations, navigating transit funding, negotiation and conflict management, media and public communication, and strategic thinking. Participants will explore why these gaps often occur and identify practical strategies agencies can use to strengthen leadership development pipelines. The session is designed for executive leaders and HR teams responsible for cultivating the next generation of industry leadership, as well as early- to mid-career transit professionals. Building a Safety Culture Strengthening fleet safety can help protect your workforce, mitigate vehicular accidents, and ensure safe, timely, and cost-efficient transportation of passenger. Developing a strong safety culture requires a multifaceted approach that engages all levels of the organization, beginning at the top with senior leaders. This workshop will cover several strategies that risk managers may consider to improve their organization’s broader approach to safety and risk management: Strategies and Solutions for Attracting and Retaining Talented Frontline Workers Many transit agencies face ongoing challenges in attracting and retaining frontline employees, with the greatest need often related to bus operators. How do we get the best possible candidates in the door and support them in ways that help ensure they stay and are successful in their work? In this presentation, team members from the Transit Workforce Center, FTA’s national technical assistance center for workforce development, will share innovative recruitment and retention initiatives gathered from local-level experience and national-level research, highlighting a range of potential solutions for agencies of all sizes. First, presenters will discuss innovative messaging and recruitment strategies used in various transit settings to convey the benefits of working in public transportation and how agencies have used partnerships to recruit from untapped employee populations. Next, the team will introduce best practices from recent research on methods for streamlining bus operator hiring practices. Presenters will then explore with the audience two particular strategies used across the country that can positively impact retention, absenteeism rates, and morale: structured transit mentorship programs, and ongoing experiments with work schedules. The session will end with time for audience questions and share experiences in these areas. Foundations of Successful Training Many transit supervisors find themselves in the position of lead trainer for their agencies. However, technical skill is not enough to make sure training is not only comprehensive but effective. This workshop will go over scientific principles of adult learning, the dos-and-don'ts of presentations, cover best practices for creating a training program, and deliver an example of a short, effective presentation style that you can take back to your agency.
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