Matthew Preedy has been delivering highway and transit Public Works projects in the Puget Sound region for over 29 years. While previously working for WSDOT, Mr. Preedy served as the Construction Director and Deputy Administrator for the SR99 Alaskan Way tunnel Design/Build project in Seattle, WA. Currently, he is the Director of the Construction Management Division at Sound Transit, involved in delivering multiple light rail, commuter rail and bus rapid transit projects exceeding $65B across all phases. He believes that collaboration and engagement with industry is essential to the success of the business and long-term benefit of the customer.

Art Guzzetti, a 41-year professional in public transportation at the local, state and national levels, serves as Vice President-Policy and Mobility for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the trade group for the public transportation industry. A key current focus is integration of transit networks with new and emerging public and private mobility services, including micro-transit, transportation network companies, automated vehicles and bicycles.  The public transit agency of the future will weave these services into a system, with high-capacity transit lines in key corridors as the backbone.  

Prior to coming to Washington in June 1997, Mr. Guzzetti had 16 years of management experience with two of the nation’s leading public transportation systems:  New Jersey Transit, and the Port Authority of Allegheny County.    Mr. Guzzetti has a Political Science degree from Edinboro State University, and a Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Mr. Chan is responsible for the planning, design and implementation of a high capacity rail transit system in Broward County, Florida. He is a licensed engineer with over 30 years of transit agency and consulting engineering experience delivering rail transit, bus transit and transportation projects.

RS&H Vice President Jim Avitabile is a national leader in design-build project delivery, having worked extensively to develop a design-build practice at RS&H that includes a successful portfolio of design-build projects. He has 42 years of experience directing and participating in programming, planning, and design efforts on a variety of complex roadway, limited-access highway, bridge, toll road interchange, rail, transit facilities, multi-use trails, and recreation facility projects. 

Jim has worked with many agencies who are experienced with design-build and P3 project models to help refine and improve upon their program procedures, including TxDOT, MDOT, ConnDOT, and VDOT. 

Jim currently serves as the DBIA’s Transportation and Aviation Markets Committee Chair, a position that he has held since 2012. Under his leadership, DBIA drafted the first Transportation Sector Best Design-Build Practices documents. Jim has been actively involved in the DBIA national conferences, including serving as a speaker or moderator for numerous sessions."