Summary
Jim has over fifteen
years of experience in managing the planning
and design of large-scale technology projects
and complex intelligent transportation systems
(ITS). Through this experience he has acquired
a background in needs analysis, project
management, technology planning, team building,
technical writing, functional requirements,
network planning, and research. Perhaps
the most important necessity of his work
with transportation technology is the requirement
to quickly learn new systems and keep pace
with rapidly developing technology. With
David Evans and Associates, he worked on
a wide variety of planning and technology
projects for both the public and private
sectors throughout the US, including investigations
of technologies moving to market. The state
of the field has moved from initially investigating
the feasibility of emergent technologies
to, more recently, wide-scale implementation.
Areas of Expertise:
- Project Management
- Technology Planning
- Needs Analysis
Current Positions
Chief Operations Officer
Gray Hill Solutions,
Inc.
November, 2000 to
Present
Jim created Gray Hill
Solutions in 2000 with William
Rowden. He and William founded the company
with a definite
corporate philosophy. Jim leads the
business development efforts of Gray Hill
Solutions. This has included inking deals
with major multi-national engineering firms,
government agencies, strategic partners
and equipment manufacturers.
Jim is also the lead
technology planner at Gray Hill. He guides
initial project scope development, project
documentation processes, team creation,
and the “shape” of the general
solution. Jim remains very involved in all
projects throughout their lifecycle, ensuring
that communication between all partners
is maintained and that schedules are adhered
to. In short, he keeps everyone happy.
Jim has been involved
in every project
/ product
at Gray Hill from its founding.
Founder - Sound Designer
December, 1999 to
Present
Created a startup that
provides sounds, advice and tutorials for
bringing audio of all types to the Web.
We have provided sound consulting and sound
/ music provision both through the site
and directly to private clients worldwide.
Have also provided sound and music to major
recording artists, advertising, and film.
Experience: Pre-GHS
Senior Planner - Technology
and Transportation Planning
DAVID EVANS AND ASSOCIATES,
Inc.
March 1995 to November, 2000
At David Evans and
Associates (DEA), Jim participated in planning
for transportation technology including
parking, multi-modal transportation, transit,
event traffic / pedestrians, and institutional
projects, and was responsible for coordinating
all marketing for ITS projects firm-wide.
DEA has 26 offices and approximately 800
employees in the US and Mexico. Key projects
Jim managed or collaborated on at DEA include:
| |
Transportation
Technology Projects:
Light
Lanes Fiber Optic Network ITS Implementation
Plan
Client: Washington State Department
of Transportation
Managed the ITS Implementation Planning
effort for the Washington Department
of Transportation's Light Lanes project
- a public/private venture which allows
a private interest to use WSDOT right-of-way
to build a statewide fiber optic communications
network. When completed, the 700 mile
system will stretch from Oregon to
Canada and from Idaho to the Puget
Sound. Key components of the plan
included an inventory of statewide
ITS and communications infrastructure;
research assistance; access point
location; coordination with the design
team; phasing plans; an operations
plan; typical specs; and identification
of critical risks.
Downtown
Event Management Plan
Client: City of Phoenix, Arizona
Managed creation of an event parking
and traffic information system in
Phoenix. The system provides real-time
information to event travelers via
the web, commercial radio, highway
advisory radio, and variable message
signs (on the freeway and surface
streets). After many months of negative
press, the opening of Bank One Ballpark
received an A- from the Arizona Republic.
This project won an International
Parking Award of Excellence.
Seattle
Model Deployment Initiative Project
(Smart Trek)
Client: Washington State Department
of Transportation, Smart Trek Consortium
As part of this public-private partnership,
Jim was principle author of the Smart
Trek Operations Plan, which defined
the operational strategy for Smart
Trek and the migration of the 100%
publicly funded venture to a privatized
business model. He also participated
in the process that defined project
evaluation and operational elements.
These elements involved extensive
interviews with Smart Trek partners,
a firm understanding of the issues
involved in providing public and private
data, stakeholder needs and the technologies
implemented. (www.smarttrek.org)
Seattle
ITS Master Plan
Client: City of Seattle, Washington
Authored an ITS Master Plan for the
City of Seattle. Interviewed regional
stakeholders, conducted a needs analysis,
and devised one of the first plans
consistent with version 2.0 of the
National ITS System Architecture.
EPIC
- Border Crossing Initiative, Nogales,
Arizona
Client: Lockheed / Martin IMS
Studied the institutional relationships
involved in moving freight by truck
across the U.S./Mexico border. Interviewed
several agencies both in the U.S.
and in Mexico and provided the background
information for the implementation
of ITS technologies to expedite cargo
shipments across the border. Also
participated in the creation of conceptual
data transfer, ITS and roadway improvement
plans to expedite cargo.
Puget
Sound Help Me (PuSHMe)
Client: US Department of Transportation
/ Washington State Department of Transportation
Managed the testing process for this
large scale field operational test
of in-vehicle mayday technologies.
Wrote the testing plan, scheduled
tests, supervised volunteers and staff,
and wrote documents on institutional
issues, methodologies and test results.
Non-ITS Projects
Jim's role as
a Senior Transportation Planner involved
several projects that were not primarily
technology-oriented. These projects
include:
Corridor
Needs for East King County (CONEKC)
/ I-405 Corridor Project
Principal planner for two
large-scale companion planning studies
of East King County. Created a Geographic
Information System(GIS) driven by
a database that stores planning information
and creates large, detailed maps and
statistical analyses. Also created
20 year ITS plans for the 405 corridor.
Kirkland
HOV Direct Access Project / Sound
Transit
Provided transit planning
and web site development services
for this project.
Washington
State Ferries Automated Fare Collection
Study
Helped create a vehicle and
pedestrian queuing computer model.
Downtown
Auburn Parking Study
Principle planner for an
urban parking study. Created a shared
parking computer model to analyze
the characteristics of parking in
the city.
Transportation
Systems Plans
Plans covered all major modes
of transportation for about 20 Oregon
jurisdictions. |
Associate Planner: Growth
Management and Transportation Planning
Metro, Regional Government
for Portland, OR
August 1993 to October 1994
Participated in the
creation and implementation of the Region
2040 growth management plan. Specific projects
undertaken were the creation of the Metro
Mainstreets Program - a study designed to
investigate the interactions between pedestrians
and motorized transportation. Also developed
a program to inventory and analyze all parking
within the Metro boundaries. Participated
in a multi-jurisdictional panel to develop
policies to help implement the Transportation
Planning Rule, a landmark law passed by
the Oregon State Legislature that radically
changed the way that development and transportation
interact.
Transit Planner
ICF Kaiser Engineers,
Inc.
March 1991 to June 1993
Planning for several
potential transit technologies and alignments
that could be applied within the Puget Sound
region. Technologies included light rail,
heavy rail, express bus, personal rapid
transit, monorail, R2B2, automated guideway
transit, and concatenated bus systems. Participated
in the writing of over 60 reports, culminating
in the project's environmental impact statement.
Prior Work
- Worked as a contract
planner for several Puget Sound planning
and engineering firms including Entranco,
Arai / Jackson and H. W. Lochner.
- Worked for
two years (1988-1990) as a transit planner
with the Capital Area Transportation Authority
in Lansing, Michigan. Helped evaluate
and implement new technology to collect
and process ridership data.
Education
- B.S., Urban Planning
1990, Michigan State University
- Transit Development
and Housing Density Program
1989, Mekai University, Tokyo, Japan
- Training Program
for Major Investment Studies (MIS)
1995, National Transit Institute (NTSI)
- Intelligent Transportation
Systems (ITS) Architecture for the Private
Sector
1997
- Fiber Optic Systems
Planning and Design
2000
Registrations
- American Institute
of Certified Planners, 1998
- National ITS Architecture
Certification, 1998
Professional Affiliations
- ITS America
- ITS Washington -
Communications Chair (www.itswashington.com)
- Women's Transportation
Seminar (WTS)
- American Planning
Association, Information Technology and
Transportation Divisions
Papers and Presentations
- "Rural Applications
of Mayday Technologies", Rural ITS
Conference, 1996.
- "Applying The
National ITS Architecture in Rural Planning",
ITS Washington / Oregon Joint
Meeting, 1998.
- "Creating a
National ITS Architecture Compliant Plan
in Seattle", with Karen Freund, ITS
World Congress, 1999.
- "Intelligent
Transportation Systems: Transit Tools
not Toys", with Catherine Bradshaw
and Toby Rickman, Washington State Transit
Conference, 1999.
Back
to GHS Staff |
