July/August 2024 - 40

Sam Sink,AICP, PMP
Project Manager,
Kimley-Horn
Sam Sink is a passionate and innovative leader,
driven by intellectual curiosity and a commitment
to making a lasting impact on transit customers.
With more than 15 years of experience
in transit planning and development, she has
spearheaded multiple community-driven public
transportation projects at agencies, including
Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) and the Greater
Richmond Transit Company (GRTC).
At HRT, she rose to the role of director of
transit development, leading bus rapid transit
(BRT) and light-rail transit studies. Known for
her technically accurate and insightful work, she
was a trusted advisor for complex project problems,
helping the senior leadership team at HRT
make sound decisions. She also implemented
innovative solutions, such as streamlining data
collection processes with digital tools, saving
time and money.
Sink is an alumnus of the American Public
Transportation Association's (APTA) Emerging
Leaders Program in 2017. She actively contributes
to APTA committees, including the BRT
Committee and the Zero Emission Fleet Committee.
At GRTC, she played a pivotal role in
the Zero Emission Transition Plan and secured
$11.5 million in federal funding to replace aging
diesel buses with compressed natural gas buses.
Jing Xu
Assistant Vice
President, Service
Planning and
Scheduling,
Dallas Area Rapid
Transit
Jing Xu the assistant vice president (AVP) of
service planning and scheduling at Dallas Area
Rapid Transit (DART), works to promote the
access, usefulness, convenience and appeal of
DART to the community. She leads and motivates
her colleagues to apply new approaches to
achieve the desired outcome of greater transit
usage.
Xu is the youngest AVP in DART's 41-year
history and oversees more than 20 staff members
across four divisions within the department.
Her contributions to the agency play a major
role in DART's vision to strengthen the agency's
purpose as a valued strategic economic and
mobility asset for the community.
In her recent endeavors, she has led DARTzoom,
DART's overall bus network redesign
project, to work towards significantly enhancing
service frequency, coverage and transit access
for DART's 13-city service area. As part of this
overhaul, Xu's efforts resulted in improved bus
services to a larger population while reducing
the size of the revenue fleet and consolidating
one third of the bus stops.
There's a real sense of
camaraderie working in
a small industry where so
many of us are up against
the same obstacles. Folks
are always willing to make
time to answer questions
and share lessons learned. "
In addition to her professional achievements,
Sink volunteers at the Hampton Roads Naval
Museum, where she helped develop volunteer
management software to streamline operations.
Sink has also strived to share her knowledge
with co-workers. Her peers note her willingness
to ask questions and push for better solutions for
clients. Sink's ability to manage diverse groups
of stakeholders and overcome project hurdles
has made her a valuable partner to clients and
a strong mentor for her peers.
Fast Fact: Sink is planning her first multiday
hike on Scotland's West Highland Way
with her mom this fall.
MassTransitmag.com/55130665
Be empathetic and
motivational. "
Xu has also led a community- and data-driven
approach to transforming DART's GoLink
program from a small pilot to the major microtransit
system. She engaged communities and
stakeholders to expand the reach and visibility
of GoLink through a 360-square-mile area that
transports 5,000 daily users.
Xu enjoys developing services for DART customers,
using policy research, data analytics and
partnership building with an empathetic mindset.
She recently led DART's first comprehensive
fare study to explore fare policy industry best
practice, structure and new programs that align
with the agency's future vision and community
feedback.
Fast Fact: Xu enjoys riding transit with her
son, CJ.
MassTransitmag.com/55126504
40 Mass Transit | JULY/AUGUST 2024
BEST & BRIGHTEST
http://www.MassTransitmag.com/55130665 http://www.MassTransitmag.com/55126504
July/August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2024
