About the speakers:

Darrell Johnson is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Orange County Transportation Authority, the 12^th largest transit agency in the U.S. with 1,600 employees and an annual budget of $1.2 billion.  

Under the leadership of OCTA’s Board of Directors and the CEO, Johnson assists in the planning, development and delivery of freeway and road projects, bus services, regional rail services, paratransit services, and the operation and maintenance of the 91 Express Lanes, the most successful toll facility in California.  

Prior to joining OCTA, Johnson worked at Amtrak for 12 years, where he held positions in operations, planning, and finance and contributed to the development of passenger rail corridors in California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.

Justin Fornelli is the Chief Rail Engineer for the North County Transit District in San Diego County.  His primary duties include managing NCTD's rail capital program and coordination with SANDAG on efforts to increase rail capacity and ridership on the Los Angeles to San Diego Rail Corridor in San Diego County.  Previously, Mr. Fornelli was a consultant working for clients such as OCTA on the Metrolink Service Expansion Project, a highlight of which was spearheading efforts to install wayside horns at pedestrian crossings along the San Clemente Beach Trail.  Mr. Fornelli also has extensive experience working as a consultant for Union Pacific Railroad, overseeing the construction of double track along the Sunset Corridor, multiple intermodal facilities, and coordination of the Alameda Corridor East grade separation and train diversion projects in Los Angeles County. 

Mr. Fornelli will speak about the capacity improvement projects currently underway on NCTD’s coastal rail corridor, which operates the Coaster, Amtrak, and Metrolink passenger trains and BNSF freight trains. 

Patricia Watkins has over twenty-five years of experience in project and construction management of multi-hundred-million-dollar rail-transportation projects.   Her experience spans all phases of engineering project management from planning to closeout, in several states and Puerto Rico.  Major rail projects in which she has played a lead role include South Florida Regional Transportation Authority 72-mile Double Track Corridor Improvement Program in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties, Central Florida Commuter Rail in Orlando, the Reno Transportation Rail Corridor in Nevada, Tren Urbano in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and LACMTA Redline Construction Segment 2 in Los Angeles.

Ms. Watkins is currently the Assistant Director of Public Projects for Southern California Regional Rail Authority where she manages, defines, and develops SCRRA’s Public Projects Program, whose goal is to protect Metrolink’s service lines while supporting projects that are funded and implemented by other Public Agencies, Utility Companies and Railroads who construct facilities on, adjacent, above, or below the SCRRA railroad right-of-way.

Ms. Watkins will speak on “Metrolink Safety Improvements”

Thank you to Bid Boldly for purchasing a display booth!

You can sponsor this event for $300.  Please contact Tapas Dutta at vicepresident@asceoc.org for details.

Display Booth Space is available for this event at cost of $100. For space bookings please call 714-258-8306 or Email: gstewart@associationplanet.com

You can pay for being a lunch sponsor and for a display booth by choosing the appropriate ticket option.

Here is a link to the Center Club's website:

http://www.clubcorp.com/Clubs/Center-Club