Ali grew up in Roseville, California and lived for a while in Eugene, Oregon for college at the University of Oregon where she obtained her Bachelors of Science degree in Planning, Public Policy and Management. She has worked at the Center for Appropriate Transport as a Valet Bicycle Parking Coordinator, at the City of Eugene Department of Public Works as a Transportation Options Intern, and currently is a Sustainability Transportation Planner at the Caltrans Headquarters, Sustainability Program.
"Growing up in the suburbs I never gave much thought to the way I traveled. Every trip I took was done by car, and I thought nothing of it. Once I moved away to college however, I decided to leave my car in California and was forced to explore other forms of transportation such as walking, biking and taking transit. I quickly became very fond of bicycling, and would use my bike to travel almost everywhere around the city. I saw firsthand the good, bad and downright dangerous infrastructure that I was supposed to use and feel comfortable on." This inspired Ali to learn how to make a difference in her community and sought out opportunities to learn more about transportation planning. "By the time I graduated, I knew this was the field I wanted to be a part of and I haven’t looked back since."
Ali's favorite work experience so far was having the opportunity to work with a wide variety of local organizations as a part of a team at the City of Eugene that organize the annual Eugene Sunday Streets Event. Ali was able to be to help organize the huge celebration that took up multiple blocks of downtown Eugene. The year she helped out, the City also held a parade beforehand where thousands of people came out to join the celebration.
When Ali moved back to Sacramento, she was eager to get involved with any organization that was transportation related. She had heard about WTS while in Oregon and decided to check out the Sacramento Chapter. Ali is currently our Hospitality Co-Chair. Her favorite part of WTS is the ability to have conversations and learn from a variety of professionals across all fields of transportation. In her daily job, she works mostly on higher level policy tasks, and states: "it is really beneficial to have an opportunity to discuss with people who work on entirely different projects then myself."
Her favorite quote:
"Find out what you like doing best, and get someone to pay you for doing it." - Katharine Whitehorn
While not working on transportation Ali loves to travel, go to concerts and ride her bike around the city. Finding "new and delicious brunch spots" is also high on her fun list!
Thank you Ali for your friendly demeanor and helping greet WTS event attendees!
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