ARTBA announces key staff promotions

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has announced the promotion of some of the association’s key staff, including the following:

Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives: Rich Juliano
Juliano manages the activities of ARTBA’s Contractors Division, which includes more than 3,000 construction companies, and serves as principal liaison to ARTBA’s 35 affiliated state and regional contractor organizations and its Council of State Executives. He represents contractor interests before the executive branch and policy groups, staffs several association committees, works with the government relations team to advance the industry’s interests on Capitol Hill and is treasurer for ARTBA’s political action committee.
Prior to joining ARTBA in 2002, he served as the White House liaison at the U.S. DOT under Secretary Norm Mineta. Juliano is a “Certified Association Executive” and a 2009 graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization

Senior Vice President, Safety & Education: Brad Sant
Sant leads the development and implementation of ARTBA’s safety, health, education and training He manages the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse project and several additional federal government contracts. He is the executive director of safety training for the ARTBA Foundation — a post he has held since 2002.  Sant is the managing director of ARTBA’s Traffic Safety Industry Division and is an accredited OSHA training instructor.  Sant also serves as chairman of the board of the Safety Equipment Institute.  Prior to joining ARTBA, he directed hazardous materials training for the International Association of Fire Fighters.  A graduate of Georgetown Law School, he’s been with ARTBA since 1998.

Chief Economist: Alison Premo Black
Black, who joined ARTBA in 2000 as a research economist, manages all staff activities in the association’s economics program and is responsible for numerous studies examining national and state transportation funding and investment patterns, including a landmark economic profile of the transportation construction industry. She also serves as ARTBA vice president of policy, executive director of the Council of University Transportation Centers, director of the Local Technical Assistance Program Clearinghouse, and managing director of ARTBA’s Research & Education Division.  Black will also be receiving her doctorate in economics from The George Washington University.

Vice President, Meetings & Events: Ed Tarrant
Tarrant has been ARTBA director of meetings since 2005. He manages the program development, research, sponsor outreach, logistics and site selection for all the association’s major meetings and events. A graduate of St. John’s University in New York, he joined ARTBA in January 2000, after spending 11 years working for New York Life Insurance Company, where he twice received the “Be the Best” award for his skillful management of corporate events.

Vice President, Operations: Mike Sakata
Sakata manages ARTBA’s information technology systems solutions and is responsible for the identification and integration of new technology solutions.  He manages all of the association’s building operations, and also serves as deputy director for the ARTBA’s Transportation Officials Division.  He is pursuing a master’s degree in cyber-security/management information systems and is a Microsoft “Certified Systems Engineer.”  Previously, Sakata worked in the private sector in a variety of capacities in the information technology field.  He joined ARTBA in 2002.

Vice President, Development & Field Operations: Kenyon Gleason
Gleason, who joined ARTBA in 2008 as field director, leads all membership development, outreach and grassroots activities. He serves as executive director of ARTBA’s Ports and Waterways Advisory Council and managing director for its Planning and Design, and Transportation Officials Divisions. He also leads the association’s Young Executive Development Program (YEDP), which encourages and develops the next generation of transportation leaders. Gleason previously directed communications and public relations efforts for a prominent hospital provider in South Dakota, the University of South Dakota and a leading ethanol fuels company.

Director, Public Affairs & New Media: Beth McGinn
McGinn serves as an ARTBA spokesperson and directs press relations and social media outreach activities.  She manages the association’s award-winning “Transportation Makes America Work” advocacy communications campaign, which is aimed at building public and political support for significant increases in federal surface transportation investment.  Prior to joining ARTBA in 2011, she was communications director for the House Judiciary Committee and spent several years as spokesperson for its Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas).

Director, Transportation Policy Leadership Programs: Caitrin Reed
Reed works to develop the programs, meetings and activities of ARTBA councils, committees, regional and modal leadership teams and field staff.  She serves as a liaison to the association’s state affiliate chapters and plays a key role in communicating the transportation design and construction industry’s views on a variety of issues. Reed joined the ARTBA staff in 2010 as marketing and communications coordinator and was promoted in 2011 to marketing and communications manager.  Previously, she led the marketing and public relations efforts for a Washington D.C.-based hospitality firm.