Transportation Initiative at Penn Welcomes Stephen Gardner as Senior Strategic Advisor

PHILADELPHIA, PA—The Transportation Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania (TRIP) announces the appointment of Stephen Gardner, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Amtrak, as a Senior Strategic Advisor.

"Stephen Gardner brings an extraordinary depth of experience to TRIP—from shaping the legislation that governs passenger rail to leading Amtrak through one of the most consequential periods of federal investment in a generation" said Leslie Richards, Founder and Executive Director of TRIP and a Professor of Practices at Penn's Weitzman School of Design. "Public transportation agencies are navigating some of the most complex challenges they have ever faced and having someone of Stephen's caliber in our corner as we work alongside academia, industry, and government is an incredible asset. We are thrilled to welcome him."

Gardner spent 16 years at Amtrak, most recently as Chief Executive Officer and Director, where he led the company to record financial results and ridership growth while overseeing major capital delivery programs during a period of substantial federal investment. He previously served as President and Senior Executive Vice President/Chief Operating and Commercial Officer, managing systemwide operations, service delivery, commercial strategy, capital programs, customer experience and external relations. Earlier in his career at Amtrak, he focused on long-range planning and partnerships, including developing the Gateway Program, the nation's largest transportation infrastructure program. Before joining Amtrak, he served as Senior Professional Staff for the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, where he helped shape and author foundational statutes governing Amtrak and U.S. rail and other surface transportation modes today. He now serves as a Strategic Advisory Board Member at Telos Advisers, where he supports leadership and clients on complex transportation and infrastructure initiatives.

"I’m excited to join TRIP and support Leslie in developing practical ways to solve real-world problems and help pull the future of transportation and mobility into the present," said Gardner. "In our fractured and ever-accelerating world, efforts like TRIP that unite academia, industry and government around the common good of improved transportation for our nation are so vital."
 

About the Transportation Initiative at Penn (TRIP)

The Transportation Initiative at Penn (TRIP) is a hub for research, innovation and real-world solutions in transportation housed within the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR). TRIP brings together leading minds from academia, government and industry to bridge the gap between research and the practical needs of transportation agencies across the country. TRIP is led by Founder and Executive Director Leslie Richards, former CEO of SEPTA and former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.