Lauren Isaac joined Parsons Brinckerhoff in 2006 and in only five years, her role on projects grew from technical support to project manager or task leader. In 2010, she was named the manager of Transit Effectiveness and Management — a position in which she assists transit agencies across the United States to improve their asset management, capital planning and decision-making processes.
Isaac's leadership potential and commitment were recognized in 2007 when Parsons Brinckerhoff created an Employee Engagement Leader position to enable her to spend 20 percent of her time leading internal company development activities. In that role, Isaac developed and led the implementation of a recruiting process which increased staff by 22 percent in the first cycle and produced a comparable increase in the second cycle. She won a company-wide award for this effort.
Isaac also developed a Web-based internal project feedback tool that is now incorporated in the annual review process and developed a company-wide skills-based training program and established a company-wide mentorship program.
Isaac is currently leading the development of an asset management manual that defines best practice and provides implementation guidance for the U.S. transit industry. She also led the development of the implementation plan for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA's) Transit Effectiveness project designed to improve the speed and reliability of transit service in San Francisco. For a project in Toronto, Isaac led the development of a 30-year lifecycle costing model, including capital and O&M costs, for a new light rail line that is currently in design.
Isaac volunteers with TechBridge, an organization dedicated to promoting girls' interest and skills in science, technology and engineering. She is also actively involved in a number of industry organizations, including the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS), the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) State of Good Repair Roundtable, and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). She also participated in the APTA Leadership Class of 2010.
Transit as a Treat
"As a relatively young female, people often ask me how I ended up in the transit industry. In a lot of ways, I fell into it; however, I do believe my upbringing had something to do with it. My parents used to take my sister and me on vacations and it was considered to be a “treat” to get to ride on the local transit system. For that reason, I've always had a positive, fun image associated with transit.
"In the future, I would love to see transit have a more positive image — especially for the younger generation. Trains and buses are not just ways to get around — they are part of a city's history and essence and need to be viewed as such."
