In this episode it was my privilege to talk to Katie Gentry. Katie is the Regional Homelessness Program Manager for the Maricopa Association of Governments. Her role within the Human Services Division of MAG is to work with communities and organizations across the Valley to understand how we address homelessness through existing programs and resources as well as new collaborations. Homelessness is a growing challenge for our communities and it’s one that knows no boundaries. Many who are homeless are employed full-time but cannot afford housing. The homeless include families, youth, veterans, elderly, and many others. Affordability of housing is part of the equation but as the Valley continues to grow, the cost of transportation also has to be considered. Access to affordable, reliable, public transportation is a key to helping many maintain a balance that allows them to stay housed. Our industry has a significant role to play in helping alleviate homelessness and Katie helps explain how.

In this episode Phil Gershkovich, President and owner of Cooper Aerial Surveys, joins me to share his perspective on the geospatial industry, how he came to be the owner of Cooper Aerial, and his plans for the future. Cooper Aerial has been a part of the Arizona transportation industry since the sixties with Phil taking ownership in 2016. Since then, he’s grown the company in both range of services as well as geographic markets. He’s one of the few people I know who can pivot from technical, to personable, to big picture seamlessly. You’ll hear that in this interview as he talks about business, growing his team and company, and engaging youth to foster careers in the geospatial industry. 

In this episode I caught up Jennifer Pyne. Jen spent twenty-five years in the Valley starting with the completion of her graduate program at Arizona State University and ending as part of the leadership team at Valley Metro.  In 2021 she left Arizona to join the Austin Transit Partnership to help build a team and guide the delivery of their multi-billion Project Connect Program. Today she serves as Executive Vice President of Planning & Risk Management. 

While the two communities are very different, they also share some similarities. One being that Austin too is embarking on transformational change using an investment in public transportation as the catalyst, just as we did over twenty years ago. Jen takes many lessons learned from her time in Phoenix not the least of which is learning to trust her instincts and transitioning from a “doer” to a leader.