July/August 2023 - 37

Lex Powers is the Southeastern Pennsylvania
Transportation Authority's (SEPTA) first director
of information design and has been a champion
at SEPTA for clearer, more accessible and
more effective communication in transit since
he started working as a long-range planner in
2017. In one of his earlier projects, he introduced
the authority's frequency map in 2019, the first
illustration of SEPTA's bus network where bus
routes are shown by their frequency of service,
allowing riders to easily see which routes come
frequently enough for them to just show up and
ride like a subway.
Powers began working to redesign and replace
200,000 signs, design a brand new, modern SEPTA
website and launch a state-of-the-art app. He
oversees the SEPTA Metro: Wayfinding Initiative,
which will make SEPTA's physical and digital
wayfinding and service communications accessible,
regardless of language, familiarity or ability.
He has been invited to speak nationally and
guide transit agencies and advocacy groups to
Whenever I get scared, I remind
myself this is a rare opportunity.
I didn't come this far to waste it. "
make similar improvements in their transit systems.
He has positioned himself as a mentor in
the Philadelphia community by guiding countless
soon-to-be transit professionals and working to get
them involved in advocacy and stakeholder groups.
He has assembled a team of industry experts and
community leaders - including hiring two recent
chairs of SEPTA's Youth Advisory Council and
the manager of partnerships at the Transit app in
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, among others.
Fast Fact: Powers is an openly gay man
and has prioritized mentoring young transit
professionals that identify as women, LGBTQ+
or have identities underrepresented in transit.
MassTransitmag.com/53067915
Lex Powers
Director of Service
Information Design
Southeastern
Pennsylvania
Transportation
Authority
Elenna Salcido is a dedicated transportation planning
manager at STV in Los Angeles, Calif., whose
go-to tool for excellence has been her empathy,
which she brings to every project with a genuine
desire to enhance transit systems for the benefit of
all users. Having grown up in Southern California,
she understands the unique needs of transit
systems in the vast Los Angeles County and its
surrounding areas and firmly believes planners can
make a positive impact in their local communities.
As deputy project manager for the Gender Action
Plan at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro), Salcido
oversaw a team that participated in a groundbreaking
study aimed at improving the transit
experience for women, who constitute more than
half of L.A. Metro's ridership. The plan provided
actionable recommendations covering station design,
fare policies and safety based on inputs from
L.A. Metro staff, community-based organizations
and transit agencies worldwide. Salcido's own
experiences as a frequent L.A. Metro rider and
her past struggles while working night shifts at
a food service job brought a unique perspective
to the project.
Another notable project she was involved with
was the Hollywood Burbank Airport connectivity
study, commissioned by the Southern California
Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA). With the relocation
of the airport's terminal, Salcido led a
technical analysis that proposed short-, mediumand
long-term solutions to enhance accessibility for
travelers and airport employees through improved
rail connections.
[I've enjoyed] the opportunities
I have had to teach kids and
young people what transit
planning is and how there is
an opportunity for them to
shape their built environment. "
Currently, Salcido is a key member of the consultant
planning team for the L.A. Metro's C Line
Extension. Her role involves extensive community
outreach to identify and mitigate potential project
impacts, as the agency seeks to extend light rail transit
service into the underserved South Bay region.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Salcido will
serve as the director of APA Los Angeles Section
starting in 2024, supporting planning professionals
through continuing education, advocacy, networking
events and knowledge exchanges between
transportation planners and other disciplines. She
is also committed to encouraging young women to
pursue careers in transit planning and engineering
through her involvement with Spark LA, a program
focused on empowering girls and her engagements
at Schurr High School and USC.
Additionally, Salcido has been an active member
of the Los Angeles chapter of the Women in
Transportation Seminar (WTS), previously serving
as the WTS-LA webmaster.
Fast Fact: Salcido fosters cats and has
transported many of her wards on transit.
MassTransitmag.com/53068599
JULY/AUGUST 2023 | MassTransitmag.com 37
Elenna Salcido, AICP
Planning Manager
STV
http://www.MassTransitmag.com/53067915 http://www.MassTransitmag.com/53068599 http://www.MassTransitmag.com
July/August 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2023
