CCRMC May Meeting

Time: 6:30 PM Social 7:00 PM Meeting
Date: 18 May 2017, Thursday
Where: Collin County GOP headquarters
8416 Stacy Rd.McKinney, TX 75070.

This month our guest speakers will be Gary Thomas and Gary Slagel of DART.

thomas2016 Gary Siagel
Gary C. ThomasPresident/Executive Director Gary SlagelDART Secretary
Gary C. Thomas is president/executive director of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). He is responsible for a 13-city transit system covering 700-square mile service area with bus, light rail, commuter rail, and paratransit services.

Under his leadership DART has doubled its light rail system – twice – to become the nation’s longest at 90 miles. The agency has been recognized for innovation in developing a progressive clean fuels program for its bus fleet, advancing new models for local bus and paratransit service and customer-facing communication technology and service. DART’s commitment to creative problem solving extends to capital project delivery approaches that bolster its record for completing some of the nation’s biggest construction projects on-time and on-budget. DART is making significant strides in customer service through its new 5 Star program designed to deliver a great experience with every ride. The agency also is building strategic alliances with local universities to foster rich staff development experiences which support the needs of a growing multi-modal network.

Thomas administers the goals and policies of the DART Board of Directors and directs the agency's top managers and approximately 3,700 employees, emphasizing a strong customer focus. He works closely with service area city governments and the public in developing short- and long-term transportation and mobility goals.

Thomas joined DART in November 1998. He was a consulting engineer for 19 years prior to that. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Bachelor of Architecture from Texas Tech University.

He is a past chair of the American Public Transportation Association and presently is chair of RailVolution.


Experience
President/Executive Director, Dallas Area Rapid Transit: 2001-present
Senior Vice President, Project Management, Dallas Area Rapid Transit: 1998-2001
Program Manager, DART General Engineering Consultants, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam: 1997-98
Engineering Manager, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, 1988-97
Project Manager, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, 1983-88
Project Engineer, Black & Veatch, 1980-83

Professional
Member, American Society of Civil Engineers
Registered Professional Engineer, Texas No. 57249

Education
B.S. in Civil Engineering, Texas Tech University
Bachelor of Architecture, Texas Tech University

Boards and Civic Memberships
Rail~Volution, Chair

SWTA, President
American Public Transportation Association
Texas Transportation Association

McKinney Avenue Transit Authority
North Texas Commission

Dallas Assembly

Dallas Friday Group

Regional Rail Right-of-Way Company

Downtown Dallas Board of Directors

Metroplex Mayors

AT&T Cotton Bowl Board of Directors

North Texas Lead

Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition

Gary Slagel is CEO of CapitalSoft, Inc., a construction program management software company. CapitalSoft develops and implements enterprise level Capital Program Management Software for the Public and Private sector construction markets. The company's product, CapEX Manager, provides the owner access to real-time, relevant information that accurately identifies progress and forecasts trends, thereby improving visibility and control over project schedules and expenditures.

His background is in technology development and management. In addition to CapitalSoft, Slagel has held technology and leadership positions with QuestMatch/GENI, WAM Communications, MobileWare, Texas Instruments and General Electric.

Slagel's public service interest has kept him very involved in the North Texas region. He was elected to the Richardson City Council in 1987, serves as the Mayor Pro Tem from 1989 to 1991, served as Mayor from 1991 to 2007, then again from 2009 to 2011. He also served on the Regional Transportation Council from many years starting in 1987 to 1991, then served on the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Executive Board from 1991 to 1996 and was President from 1994 to 1995. He was a member of the Metroplex Mayor's Association from 1991 to 2009 and served as president from 2005 to 2006. He also served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition from 1991 to 2006.

While Mayor, Slagel led several initiatives including the development of four DART station areas, a non-transit mixed uses development, several residential subdivision development areas, a visioning process for the redevelopment of older areas of the City, a comprehensive planning guide process, and a working document for the City Council’s Statement of Goals. Regionally, Slagel drove initiatives with the State of Texas Legislature to restructure the governance of DART and to identify an approach for the funding for regional rail.

Slagel currently serves as Secretary of the Board of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and is a member of the Texas A&M Transportation Institutes (TTI) Advisory Council and serves as DART’s representative to the Regional Transportation Council.

Slagel received the 2003 "William J. Pitstick Regional Excellence Award" from NCTCOG. He also received the "Tech Titans Award" in 2002 from the Metroplex Technology Business Council. In 2007, Slagel was selected as the Public Official Business Partner of the Year by Inside Collin County Business. In 2011, he was recognized by the Richardson Chamber of Commerce as Citizen of the Year, was the recipient of the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Leadership Award for Public Service and was recognized by the Collin County Business Press as Elected Official of the Year.

Slagel graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelor's degree in industrial technology, and received a master's degree in business administration from Amberton University in Dallas. He and his wife Pat have four daughters and four grandchildren.

Come join us for an update on DART along with DART's impact on N. Texas' economic development.

 

 


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