San Francisco Bay Area Transportation Official Ann Flemer Replaces FAA Deputy Administrator-Nominee Michael Huerta As ITS America Board Chair

Washington, D.C. - Ann Flemer, Deputy Executive Director, Policy at the San Francisco Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), has been named Chair of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America's (ITS America) Board of Directors.

Flemer assumed the position following the resignation of Michael P. Huerta, who has been nominated by President Obama to serve as Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Abbas Mohaddes, President and CEO of Iteris, Inc., has been appointed to serve as Vice Chair of the ITS America Board.

"Ann Flemer has been influential in improving transportation systems and services in the Bay Area through performance-based planning and investment in smart technology solutions to improve system management and create safer, more livable and sustainable communities," said Scott F. Belcher, President and CEO of ITS America.

"Ann combines the heart of a public servant and the innovative spirit of an entrepreneur, and we are thrilled to have someone with her experience, thoughtfulness, and energy to lead ITS America's Board of Directors as we work to advance technology solutions to our nation's transportation, economic and environmental challenges."

Belcher also congratulated Michael Huerta on his nomination to become Deputy Administrator of the FAA. "We are excited that Michael Huerta has been nominated to re-enter public service as one of the top aviation officials in the Obama Administration. I would like to thank Michael on behalf of ITS America for his steady leadership and many contributions to the transportation community. His extensive transportation and technology experience will serve our nation well as the FAA works to improve aviation safety and accelerate deployment of the NextGen air traffic control system.

"I'm looking forward to continuing and expanding ITS America's role in increasing our nation's use of the best technologies and innovations to address our serious congestion, safety and environmental issues," Flemer said.

MTC is the metropolitan planning organization for the San Francisco Bay Area. With a combined population of 7.3 million people residing in 101 cities and 9 counties, the Bay Area ranks as the 6th-largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Flemer has worked in public transportation planning, policy and finance at MTC since 1982. She served from 2001 until July 2009 as MTC's Deputy Executive Director, Operations, overseeing the TransLink® smart card universal fare collection system for transit, the 511 traveler information system, the Take Transit regional online transit trip planning system, freeway and arterial system management and operations, and incident management activities in partnership with the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans. In her current position, Flemer oversees strategic financial planning and MTC's management of federal, state and regional fund sources for transit, highways, roadways and other modes; state and federal legislative advocacy, public affairs and community outreach; and regional planning, including the region's long range plan, transportation/land use coordination, and air quality and climate change planning.

She received her bachelor's degree in Urban Studies from UCLA and her master's degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of California- Berkeley.

Abbas Mohaddes was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Iteris in March 2007 after having served as Executive Vice President and General Manager for three years. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Transportation Systems at Iteris. Mohaddes is a founding member of ITS America and a nationally recognized expert in ITS. He is a published author and has presented over 50 articles at ITS/Transportation engineering professional organizations.

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America represents more than 400 member organizations including public agencies, private corporations, and academic institutions involved in the research, development, and deployment of technologies that improve safety, increase mobility, and sustain the environment.