HNTB Pinnacle Partner Webinar
The AI in the Transportation Industry: Boldly and Responsibly Innovating webinar, sponsored by HNTB, will be an engaging discussion about how the US transportation industry is evaluating, implementing, and benefiting from Artificial Intelligence (AI). We will cover the opportunities, risks, and processes associated with AI and hear from AI practitioners and public agencies about how they are navigating policy, technology, and change management. The webinar is intended for a wide-ranging audience with a focus on AI applications that are currently being used by public agencies.
This session is designed for a broad audience, with a special focus on current AI use cases within public transportation agencies.
Note: Current WTS members and non-members must use MyWTS, the member portal, to register. Non-members must create a MyWTS account before registering.
Date: October 7th, 2025 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm Eastern Time
Moderator: Craig Bettmann, Data Sciences and Applied AI Practice Lead at HNTB
Panelists:
Merryl Mandus, General Counsel at SRTA
Michelle O’Neill, P.E., is the Program Manager for the Ancillary Structures Program at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). She is responsible for overseeing the program and leading the development of the rating system, inspection guidelines, asset management strategy, shop drawing approvals, and updates to design standards and guides for the 15 ancillary structure types across the state.
With over 25 years of experience at MDOT—spanning project management, operations, traffic safety, and highway maintenance—Michelle was honored with the 2024 Director’s Award.
Codie Boggs, Business Development Executive at Exodigo, brings over a decade of experience in capital project planning and leadership of large teams, with specific expertise in supporting the implementation of innovative strategies to accelerate project timelines. Throughout her career, she has been interested in the intersection of cutting-edge technologies and how they can be leveraged to deliver large public projects more efficiently and successfully. Prior to leading business development in the western US for Exodigo, Codie spent eight years at Hilti North America where she managed projects with contract values up to $1.7B, including for LA Metro on the Purple Line extension and the redevelopment of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. In her current role, Codie works to advance Exodigo's mission to de-risk the underground using state-of-the-art multi-sensing and Artificial Intelligence technologies to help project owners and managers avoid change orders, mitigate schedule delays, and avoid cost overruns. Codie holds an MBA and a B.A. in Finance from California State University.
Jesse Newberry is a Principal Digital Solutions Technologist in HNTB’s Massachusetts office, serving as a local connection to HNTB’s broad array of staff throughout the country who are deeply experienced in providing Digital and Technical solutions for public transportation agencies. Jesse brings experience from his 20-year technology career at MassDOT where he supported all four MassDOT divisions and helped advance the first production AI application in a MA government agency. Jesse's role was crucial in linking business needs with IT solutions, enabling MassDOT to serve the people of Massachusetts effectively. For the past 4 years, Jesse served on the Standing Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing Applications (AED50) for the Transportation Research Board. He was recently named as Chair of the Data Systems and Governance Committee (AED11) for the Transportation Research Board. His role as a leader on both committees positions him as a trusted expert to navigate the emerging challenges of combining reliable data with AI enabled platforms and systems.