Dr. Joseph K. Lyou has worked for more than 30 years to improve public health and environmental conditions in California’s most polluted and disadvantaged communities. Dr. Lyou serves as President and CEO of the Coalition for Clean Air, a state-wide organization dedicated to protecting public health, improving air quality, and preventing climate change. Dr. Lyou also serves as the Speaker of the Assembly appointee to the California Transportation Commission (CTC), an independent public agency responsible for programming and allocating more than $20 billion annually for the construction of highway, passenger rail, transit, and active transportation improvements throughout California.
Program Director, American Association for State Highway and Transportation Officials
Josh Rodriguez is the Policy and Government Relations Program Director for Environment at the
American Association for State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Director of
AASHTO’s Center for Environmental Excellence. Mr. Rodriguez manages the activities of the Committee
on Environment and Sustainability and the Committee on Transportation System Security and
Resilience. These committees and their sub-committees focus on topics such as air quality, climate
change, decarbonization, permitting, stormwater, NEPA, hazardous waste and hazardous materials,
risk and resilience, and emergency response. Prior to joining AASHTO Mr. Rodriguez served 11 years
with the DC Department of Energy and Environment in water compliance monitoring and
enforcement. He most recently served as the Associate Director for Inspection and Enforcement. Prior
to his career with the DC Government he spent 10 years in the private sector. Mr. Rodriguez holds a
Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science from TCU in Fort Worth, TX.
Kate Wright is the Executive Director of Climate Mayors—a growing network of nearly 500 U.S. mayors who have committed to accelerating equitable climate action in cities. Kate is responsible for strategic direction of the network, including helping cities implement bold policies and programs, supporting equitable climate action by the Federal Administration and Congress, and building initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while advancing economic growth and environmental justice. Prior to joining Climate Mayors, Kate served as CEO of CivicWell (formerly the Local Government Commission).
Clean Transportation for All Director, Sierra Club
Katherine leads the Sierra Club’s efforts to accelerate clean transportation policy and investments. She is deeply committed to reducing transportation emissions to improve air quality and address the climate crisis. Previously, she served as the clean transportation advocate at the Sierra Club California Chapter. Prior to joining the Sierra Club, Katherine was a member of the founding team that launched the Center for Open Data Enterprise in Washington, D.C., where she advocated for open government data. Katherine earned her Master of Public Administration from Baruch College in New York City and BA in Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Director of Policy, Planning and Intermodal Development, Vermont Agency of Transportation
Michele Boomhower serves as the Director of Policy, Planning & Intermodal Development for the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), where she oversees programming for Policy, Planning, Permitting, Research, Mapping, Aviation, Rail, Public Transit, and Public Outreach. Michele Boomhower was recently appointed as the Agency representative to the Governor’s Climate Change Commission. Prior to joining VTrans, Michele Boomhower served six years as the Metropolitan Planning Organization Director for the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission serving the greater Burlington area in Vermont.
