SMART Conference Participants

Geoff earned his Masters in Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in May, 2007, and he also earned his undergraduate degree from Michigan in 2002. He currently works in Wayne County’s Department of Economic Development, and works directly under the Project Manager for the Detroit Region Aerotropolis initiative (www.detroitregionaerotropolis.com). His work on the Aerotropolis began at the Ford School where he worked with a team of students to develop a governance recommendation for the Aerotropolis stakeholders - Wayne and Washtenaw Counties and the 7 local governments surrounding Detroit Metro and Willow Run airports.

Geoff is also strongly interested in the creation of fixed mass transit in Southeast Michigan. He wrote a lengthy report in the fall of 2005 on the topic as part of his graduate program, which included physical designs for a comprehensive system for metro Detroit. He has since developed new designs for transit between downtown Detroit and Ann Arbor and between Detroit and Oakland County. He is currently working on a white paper that explores transit governance and revenue generation options for a future transit system in Detroit.

As a young person who has contemplated leaving Michigan, Geoff sees the connection between mass transit, New Mobility, and the quality of life young people of his generation desire. He feels that there is huge knowledge deficit among Michigan’s elected officials when it comes to revenue generation and governance options for building a new system. He hopes that this New Mobility conference will help to highlight those options and get Michigan’s leaders to work together to reform themselves institutionally so that they can realize the immense benefits of a modern transit system.

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