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2025 WTS-LA Award Winner Spotlight: Lois Cooper Going the Distance Award Recipient Tom Jenkins, Vice President and National Transit & Rail Consultant at HNTB (in memoriam)

WTS-LA has recognized the late Tom Jenkins, former Vice President and National Transit & Rail Consultant at HNTB, as someone who goes the distance and exceeds the extremely high standards of Lois B. Cooper. Tom spent more than 60 years developing transportation infrastructure projects and going the distance to deliver all of them. 

Tom Jenkins specialized in multimodal and multidisciplinary transportation projects and corridor studies in complex urban and urbanizing areas, he delivered more than 22 records of decision for major transit projects valued at more than $55 billion, including leading the planning and environmental work for LA Metro’s Sepulveda Transit Corridor. 

In addition to that signature project, other Southern California projects where Jenkins made a considerable difference include the Purple Line (Westside) Subway Extension, Regional Connector Project, Crenshaw/LAX Project, Eastside LRT Phase I, Foothill LRT Extension, Foothill Transit formation, Metro Red Line, Metro Blue Line, Metro Green Line, US 101 Corridor Study, and project management on the I-15 Managed Lane Corridor. 

A longtime and active APTA member, Tom served as the Policy and Planning Committee Chair as well as several other vital committees. He was also a lifetime member of both the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers, as well as a longtime member of the American Planning Association and WTS. 

In recognition of his tremendous achievements and profound impact on Southern California's transportation landscape, WTS-LA is honored to recognize former HNTB Vice President and National Transit & Rail Consultant Tom Jenkins as the winner of the 2025 WTS-LA Lois Cooper Going the Distance Award.