Setting National Goals for Transportation Policy
A new vision for transportation policy is needed based on national goals, accountability for results, and investing in programs with the highest returns. The national goals that NTPP identifies recognize that transportation is a means to an end, and that a new approach should help move the country toward sustainable prosperity.
National Goal
Federal Role
Economic Growth
A high-performance transportation network is a vital enabler of economic prosperity, and is of such national importance that it cannot be left to states and localities alone.
National Connectivity
Only the federal government has the ability to ensure a union of states connected by strong transportation links.
Metropolitan Accessibility
Metropolitan regions are the engines of our national economy and there is a federal interest in assuring their continued growth and prosperity.
Environmental Protection and Energy Security
Transportation affects these issues in a way that demands a national solution.
Safety
Only the federal government is capable of ensuring that uniform safety standards and incentives are in place nationwide.
NTPP STAFF
Emil H. Frankel
Director of Transportation Policy
Emil is an independent consultant on transportation policy and public management issues. He serves as Director of Transportation Policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center. Mr. Frankel was Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy of the United States Department of Transportation from 2002 to 2005. Appointed by President George W. Bush, Mr. Frankel played a key role in the coordination and development of the Administration's proposal to reauthorize the federal highway, transit, and highway safety programs. From 1991 to 1995, he was Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Between state and federal service, Mr. Frankel was Of Counsel to Day, Berry & Howard in the law firm's Stamford, Connecticut office. During that time he was also a Management Fellow at Yale University's School of Management and a Senior Fellow at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, engaged in teaching and research on issues of transportation, energy and environmental policy and public management. Mr. Frankel has been a Visiting Lecturer at the Yale School of Management and Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies since 2008. From 1999 to 2001, he was a Selectman of the Town of Weston, Connecticut. Mr. Frankel received his Bachelor's Degree from Wesleyan University and his LL.B. from Harvard Law School, and was a Fulbright Scholar at Manchester University in the United Kingdom. From 1981 to 1997, he was a member of the Board of Trustees of Wesleyan University, where he is now a Trustee Emeritus.
Joshua Schank
Director of Transportation Research
Joshua joined the National Transportation Policy Project in 2007. He is an urban planner who has been working on federal and state transportation policy for the last ten years. Joshua previously worked as a consultant with Parsons Brinckerhoff, one of the world's largest transportation planning and engineering firms. He was also the Transportation Policy Advisor to Senator Hillary Clinton, working on the most recent reauthorization of the surface transportation bill (SAFETEA-LU). Joshua has also worked as an analyst at the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General, and as a transportation planner at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City. He currently serves as the President of the Washington, DC chapter of the Transportation Research Forum. Joshua has a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from Columbia University, a Master of City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.A. in Urban Studies from Columbia University. He has published numerous articles on transportation policy and planning, and his first book - All Roads Lead to Congress: The $300 Billion Fight over Highway Funding - was published in October 2007. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Lindsey, and his son, Max.
JayEtta Z. Hecker
Senior Advisor
After 40 years of federal public service in the legislative and executive branches, JayEtta is now working independently on national transportation policy reforms. She is currently working with the Bipartisan Policy Center's National Transportation Policy Project and RAND Corporation's Transportation, Space and Technology program. During her 25 years at GAO, she served for the last 8 years as a Director of Physical Infrastructure Issues, responsible for directing GAO work on widely diverse surface, aviation, and maritime transportation programs, and telecommunications issues. She is a recipient of GAO's Distinguished Service Award for excellence in leading GAO's transportation work, including significant reviews on the challenges and need for restructuring the federal approach to surface transportation policy, the future role of intercity passenger rail, and the condition and performance of the airline industry. She has directed work on hundreds of GAO reports and has served as GAO's lead witness before dozens of Congressional committees and subcommittees over the last 18 years. She serves on the Board of Advisors of the Eno Foundation.
Daniel Lewis
Policy Analyst
Daniel joined the Bipartisan Policy Center in July 2007. He graduated with honors and Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University, with a B.A. in International Studies and a minor in Economics. While an undergraduate, Daniel studied for a year at the Bologna, Italy campus of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. His past experience includes working for the Energy Program of the Natural Resources Defense Council, as well as for United States Senator Barbara Boxer.