Executive Leadership Team

Advisor

Tamra J. Ward

Tamra J. Ward is one of three principals of Taloma Partners, a full-service public affairs firm in Denver, Colorado that offers senior-level counsel to clients in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

With 30 years of experience in local, state and federal government affairs, issue management, communications and operational leadership and oversight, Tamra’s approach in both business and civic engagement include her ability to quickly assess situations and stakeholders; clearly define steps to meet a vision or goals; building and maintaining high-performing teams and coalitions; a successful track record in raising financial resources, and strong relationships in Colorado’s government, business and nonprofit communities.

Prior to co-founding Taloma, Tamra served as the Chief External Relations Officer for Denver Zoo, the largest cultural and scientific guest attraction in Colorado. In this executive-level role she was responsible for visioning, managing and executing strategic local, state and federal government relations efforts, ballot issue and bond campaign engagement, community outreach and action, marketing, communications and public relations for the iconic and beloved 120-year-old organization.

Tamra also served as the President and CEO of Colorado Concern, a business advocacy association of more than 115 chief executives. While in this role she grew membership revenue by 25 percent, strengthened the organization’s organizational and governance culture, and successfully spearheaded a coalition focused on strengthening the fiscal transparency of the state’s ballot issue process with the passage of landmark legislation.

Before joining Colorado Concern, Tamra was the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, where she was responsible for the development and execution of a government relations and political strategy that met the needs of the organization’s 3,000 member businesses, as well as executing an organization-wide internal and external communications plan. Ward is also known for her work as the business community lead on statewide ballot measures. Since 2005 she led efforts to raise $28 million for successful campaigns to support or defeat measures viewed as helpful or harmful to Colorado’s economic climate.

A graduate of Baylor University, Tamra’s career began on Capitol Hill, where she served as Assistant Press Secretary for Sen. Alan Simpson, Press Secretary for Rep. Craig Thomas and Deputy Chief of Staff following Thomas’ election to the Senate. Prior to moving to Denver, the Wyoming native served as the Vice President of Marketing and Development for Columbia Hospital for Women, a private, not-for-profit hospital in Washington, D.C.

Tamra is a graduate of the Chamber’s Leadership Denver Program, and was named by the Denver Business Journal as one of Denver’s “40 Under 40”—an annual list of Denver’s up and coming business leaders. She currently serves as the Chair of the History Colorado Board of Directors, and as a trustee of Mile High United Way and ARC Thrift Stores. She has been named a “Woman of Distinction” by the Mile High Chapter of the Girl Scouts, and one of the state’s “Top 25 Most Powerful Women” by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

Board Chair

Jennifer Wood, P.E.

Jen Wood is the Vice President, West Region Practice Lead for Michael Baker International. She has over 25 years of experience in the transportation industry including expertise in bridge design, alternative project delivery, and multimodal solutions. Jen has supported numerous industry organizations in Colorado including WTS (Co-Chair for the Professional Development Committee and At-Large Board Member) and ACEC (At-Large Board Member). As it relates to transportation, Jen has a solid understanding of local and national policy, evolving applications of technology, and equitable access. She is passionate about transportation and infrastructure improvements that help our seniors age in place, get our children to school safely, and provide affordable access to jobs.

Board Vice Chair

Walead Atiyeh

Walead is an accomplished engineer with over 22 years of experience delivering transit and transportation projects. He has successfully led large-scale projects across the western United States, demonstrating expertise in project management, systems integration, and team leadership. Walead is skilled at managing diverse teams and delivering time- and cost-effective solutions and has overseen major projects for organizations such as Denver RTD, Sound Transit, and LACMTA, delivering projects on time and within budget while ensuring the highest technical standards. Walead is also known for his ability to navigate complex stakeholders processes, manage, and collaborate among multidisciplinary teams.

Board Treasurer

Shawn Albert PE, DBIA

Shawn Albert has over 25 years of civil engineering experience involving program and construction management, engineering design, project controls, and structural inspection and testing. He has worked on a variety of projects throughout the United States, including airports, highways, and transit facilities. Mr. Albert’s projects have ranged from small residential structural designs to multi-billion dollar transit corridors.

His projects have received a multitude of awards including a National Design-Build Award (TREX), a Project of the Year award from the Project Management Institute (Prairie Waters Project), a Project of the Year award from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (US 36 Project), and a Best Project Award from ENR (Central 70 Project).

Mr. Albert’s experience in both the design and construction fields allows him to remain flexible to needs as projects transition from the planning phase through construction. He has experience with a variety of project delivery methods, including design-build and public-private-partnerships. Mr. Albert has excellent communication and writing skills, with experience preparing specifications, procurement documents, and federal reports. He has experience successfully working with local, state, and federal government agencies on complex projects. Mr. Albert has proven project management skills, as his projects have been delivered on-time and on-budget.

Board Secretary

Natriece Bryant

Natriece Bryant currently serves as the Strategic Advisor for WSP, where she develops and implements strategic plans for infrastructure projects across the country. Natriece analyzes market trends and regulatory landscapes to develop comprehensive plans for transportation, infrastructure projects, urban and community development plans, environmental plans, and asset management. She provides budgetary guidance, financial modeling to assess project feasibility, and cost estimates and return on investment calculations. Natriece navigates state, local, and federal policies and regulations to optimize project outcomes. She partners with executive leadership on global business strategy development and ensures alignment with the strategic initiatives for the organization. Natriece directs the development and implementation of the infrastructure project operations and capital budgets and all fiscal activities to ensure expenditures adhere to approved budgetary requirements. She composes complex confidential reports for leadership and key stakeholders while ensuring the data systems are used to maintain WSP best practices. Natriece provides oversight on ethics, industry trends, emerging technologies, and market dynamics for optimal solutions.

Previously, Natriece served as the Chief Operations Officer for the Denver Public Library, the Director of State Property Division for the State of Colorado in the Department of Personnel and Administration,  Deputy Chief Customer Officer at the Governor’s Office of Information Technology, the Department of Local Affairs’ Deputy Executive Director, and worked for the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies in the Divisions of Financial Services and Banking.

While working in state government, Natriece also worked with the financial businesses on regulatory implementations. She is well versed in business operations for both private sector and public sector, including lean initiatives and implementation of strategic plans. She has worked with both public and private sector clients on change management and have been certified as a Lean Six-Sigma trainer. She has three master’s degrees in business administration, Sociology and Criminal Justice, and a bachelor’s degree in communications.

Past Board Chair

Danielle Smith, P.E.

Danielle Smith, PE is the Central Region and West Region Director for Triunity, Inc. She has seasoned professional experience in public transportation project delivery, encompassing the project and program management and the design of highway, light rail and traffic-related projects. Danielle has worked and served in the Colorado Transportation Industry for over 26 years, and was intimately involved in the nationally recognized RTD multi-modal project T-REX and the RTD FasTracks project. Her experience includes program management, stakeholder coordination, highway and light rail design, utility coordination, project controls, cost estimating, and project coordination.

Danielle is a competent and skilled leader that will enhance any project or team at a company. She has great communication and the ability to lead teams to implement projects and bring them to completion with high satisfaction. She also has been the Discipline leads of office departments where she manages the day to day activities and staff utilization on projects.  Danielle also serves on the WTS International Board as the Secretary, impacting the growth and advancement of Transportation at a national level.

Board Member At-Large

Holly Buck, P.E.

Holly Buck, PE is President of Felsburg Holt & Ullevig (FHU), a transportation-focused engineering company with a long-standing presence in Colorado and beyond. With 30 years of experience guiding complex, multimodal mobility initiatives, Holly is known for helping communities and agencies create a vision and turn it into practical, fundable transportation solutions. Holly established FHU’s transit planning practice, leading work that spans statewide transit strategy, major corridor studies, and next-generation bus rapid transit planning. Her recent leadership includes initiatives such as Reimagine RTD, RTD’s Regional BRT Feasibility Study, and the West Elizabeth BRT project in Fort Collins. A trusted partner to agencies such as CDOT, RTD, MPOs/COGs, and local communities, Holly brings deep expertise in planning, consensus-building, and implementation funding. She is widely respected for advancing transportation solutions that strengthen mobility, support economic vitality, and improve quality of life by connecting people to jobs, essential services, and opportunity.

Board Member At-Large

Galina Leiphart

Coming soon!

Board Member At-Large

Carla Romero Perez

Carla Romero Perez is a Senior Strategic Consultant with HDR and has more than 30 years of experience in executive management and advisory services specializing in transportation policy, finance, administration, governmental affairs, communications and program development. Ms. Perez gained her experience in both the public and private sector having served as Transportation Policy Advisor to Governor Ritter, Assistant General Manager for Administration at RTD, and Policy Director for CDOT. Ms. Perez has also provided consulting services to various corporate clients including JP Morgan, George K. Baum and various engineering firms. Carla recently served as project manager, leading the governance and policy efforts to advance the development of passenger rail along the Front Range, from Fort Collins to Pueblo, and serves as Past-President of the Move Colorado Board of Directors, COMTO Colorado Board of Directors, and the WTS Executive Advisory Committee.

Ms. Perez is a Denver native, has a B.A. from Colorado State University, her M.P.M. from University of Maryland College Park, with certificates in Public Policy from Harvard University, the Rand Corporation and S.U.N.Y. Stoney Brook.

Board Member At-Large

Kara Swanson

Kara Swanson has 24 years of experience as an environmental professional and currently serves as Vice President, Transportation Environmental Market Lead for Atlas Technical Consultants. She has diverse experience, ranging from managing planning and environmental studies to conducting oversight of environmental compliance for large design-build projects. Kara brings a unique perspective to the transportation industry from her experience on transit and highway projects across the country and US territories. She served as a City Councilwoman and Edgewater Redevelopment Authority board member for the City of Edgewater, a Metro Director for the Colorado Chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies, and is currently the WTS Colorado Executive Advisory Committee Chair. Kara has a BS in Environmental Science from Iowa State University and an MS in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University.

Board Member At-Large

Mandy Whorton

Mandy Whorton is a founder of Peak Consulting Group, a Colorado-based, woman-owned firm specializing in transportation and environmental planning. With over 30 years of experience in Colorado and across the U.S., she helps agencies navigate complex regulatory processes, build consensus among diverse stakeholders, and move transportation projects forward. Mandy has worked extensively with CDOT, FHWA, and local agencies to balance multimodal transportation needs, streamline PEL and NEPA processes, and develop solutions that align with community priorities. She focuses on bringing people together to resolve challenges and making complex processes more manageable, ensuring projects advance efficiently while meeting regulatory and environmental requirements.

Board Liaison

Jim Moody

Coming soon!

Board Liaison

Ann Rajewski

Ann Rajewski, Executive Director of the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies (CASTA), has played a pivotal role in propelling the organization’s mission forward for 17 years. Her dynamic leadership has helped shape CASTA into a powerful advocate for transit professionals and organizations at both state and federal levels and has elevated the importance of transit services across Colorado’s diverse rural, resort, and urban landscapes.

With a background in Nonprofit Management, Ann brought valuable expertise to CASTA and has since been instrumental in navigating the association through significant milestones. She has steered CASTA and its member organizations through the end and re-establishment of earmarks, resolved critical technical issues through legislative bills, ensured consistent state funding for transit, pioneered innovative transit programs, and advanced the standard and availability of excellent training and technical resources to transit professions in Colorado.

Ann currently serves on the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) Transit and Rail Advisory Committee (TRAC), the CDOT Efficiency & Accountability Committee, and is a member of the Governing Board of the Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology (SCITT).