Thank you to everyone who could join us last Thursday night to celebrate 25 years of TRU!
We want to give a shout out to our amazing volunteers who helped decorate the venue, the staff of Bellagio for doing an amazing job, and to the Ann Arbor Community High Jazz Band for their wonderful live music prior to the program. Without any of them, our Gala wouldn’t have been possible. Also, we’d like to thank our photographer AnthonyB Media for his amazing photos, our ASL interpreter, and the A/V support provided by A/V Central.
We started off the event with some statements honoring TRU’s founding family, and our special guests, the Kendrick-Hands Family! Steve, Karen, and Larry all gave interviews on what TRU was like when it was first founded 25 years ago, what it’s become, and how TRU has impacted Detroit.
Nicole Brown, President of TRU’s Board, took stage next to thank our sponsors, and pass the torch onto Robert Cramer, City of Detroit Director of Transit. Robert has been one of the regions longest serving transit heads, previously leading SMART in the 2010s and currently leading both the People Mover and DDOT. While he was talking about his experience with TRU over the past decades, Megan presented him with a Transit Champion pin, to recognize his service as a champion for transit in Detroit.
25 Years of… Board Members!
Up next was Deb, TRU’s Assistant Director. Deb spotlighted TRU’s board of directors and partnerships. Dozens of people have served on TRU’s board over the years, including, but not limited to:
Inaugural Board Members
- Karen Kendrick-Hands
- Stephen Hands
- Michael Whims
- Robert Prud’Homme
- Marcia Yakes
- Kathy Mitten
- Andrea Shows
- Barry Malek
- Thomas Barwin
- John DeLora
- Frank Clark
- Jim Bush
- Ann Serra
- Shelly Maricle
- Neil Greenberg
Early Board Members
- Michelle Shewmaker
- Matt Beaudry
- Patty Fedewa
- Larry Birchfield
- Cheryl Horton
- Larry Hands
- Andy Meisner
- Rhonda Rodgers
- Patrick Droze
- Jocelyn Benson
- Steve Gutterman
- Tommy Meadows
- Francis Grunow
- Chris Frey
- Brandon White
- Kelly Logan
- Kevin Smith
- Michelle Prud’Homme
- Aaron Thomas
- Marie Donigan
- Deena Fox
- Adrianna Jordan
- Meagan Costea
- Chris Khorey
- David Norwood
- Paul Lippens
- Susan Titus
- Ramya Swayamprakash
Recent Board Members
- Marloshawn Franklin
- Nick Schroeck
- Steve Campbell
- Sharon Kelly-Person
- Hannah Mae Merten
- Paul Jones III
- Charlesetta Wilson
- Emily Thompson
- Myra Tetteh
- Justin Snowden
- Rourke Pattullo
- Adriel Thornton
- Gregory Jakub
- David Kuziemko
- Shamsuddin Syed
- Martin Moore
- Donald Stuckey II
- Alex Decamp
- Wendy Ernzen
- Stephen Maiseloff
- Tanise Hill
- Julie Tschirhart
- David Gifford
- Tzvi Raviv
- Elizabeth Tintinalli
- Kelly Kozlowski
Current Board Members
- Nicole Brown, President
- Adam Goodman, VP
- Farai Gundan, Treasurer
- Kristen Milefchik, Secretary
- Christopher LeFlore
- Corey Rowe
- Deanne Austin
- Donald Stuckey
- Gillian Gainsley
- Isaac Douglas
- Mitch Mantey
PS: If you’d like to join this list, TRU will begin recruiting for our board next year! Learn more on our board recruitment page.
25 Years of… Partnerships & Coalitions!
TRU has many, many, many partnerships in the community, from grassroots allies, local businesses, major corporations, city government, state leaders, and transit agencies. To highlight this work, we worked with SMART to produce a video on our work together, and presented SMART’s General Manager Tiffany Gunter with a transit champion pin. Then, Megan Owens, TRU’s Executive Director, took a moment to recognize everyone in the room and their service to the transit community, and Conan Smith, Michigan Environmental Councils Executive Director, joined her to have a conversation about coalition work.
TRU has been part of many coalitions in the past and present. Currently, we’re part of the local Double DDOT coalition, the statewide Clean Rides Network, and the national Towards Equitable Electric Mobility (TEEM), as part of the Michigan cohort. And while we’re figuring out the final details, we’re excited to announce the launch of a statewide transit coalition as our next step in coalition building, giving a voice for transit advocacy for everyone throughout Michigan!
25 Years of… Volunteers!
Up next was Za’Nyia Kelly, TRU’s Engagement Manager, who took a second to appreciate the hard work of our volunteers. TRU’s Communications Associate, Theresa De Benedetti, also made a video highlighting our interns from past and present, and where they’ve gone onto now thanks to their time at TRU. If you want to join our awesome volunteer team, let us know! And check out TRU’s intern opportunities when they’re posted.
Honoring Our Family
Joel Batterman, TRU’s Campaigns Manager, took a moment to remember those who were part of our family but have since passed on. We wish all of our friends could be here with us today, but their memory and service to our fellow bus riders will never be forgotten. We’ll remember everyone who has touched our hearts over the years, but give special recognition to Marcia Yakes, Jack Schram, Tommy Meadows, Mark Flanders, Brother Tom Zerafa, and Anna Holden.
Transit Progress Across 25 Years
After a moment of remembrance, Ben Stupka, president of the RTA, and Megan took the stage to discuss the progress metro Detroit has made in the past 25 years, and some of the regions transit plans! They highlighted the three main attributes that transit plans have included:
1. Fill in gaps & expand transit throughout the region
The region has made a lot of progress in filling in gaps, especially in the last decade. The D2A2 bus service connects Detroit and Ann Arbor every hour on weekdays, and every other hour on weekends. Oakland County eliminated transit opt-outs, bringing service countywide, and Wayne is on course to do so next year. And SMART’s Flex service provides transit to low destiny areas, and planned expansion of Flex will allow more low density suburbs to have transit.
2. Rapid transit & other corridor investments
While progress in true rapid rail transit hasn’t occurred, the Qline provides level boarding, and features Michigan’s first transit only lane. Further expansion of transit lanes would allow for a faster Qline. The evolution of Reflex into FAST service has provided seamless, express transit along major corridors, and both DDOT and TheRide (AAATA) both have plans to implement high frequency, with many routes every 10 minutes and some even more frequent! Finally, MDOT has been studying more multi-modal road design, and especially in the past few years, has been much more friendly to balancing the needs of drivers, bus riders, cyclists, and pedestrians on our roadways.
3. Convenience and making transit easy to use
Transit has become much more convenient in Detroit, and is much easier to use than it was 25 years ago. The recent DAX (Detroit-Airport Express) bus gives express service from downtown to metro airport, and riders from the suburbs can use FAST to transfer to DAX to get to metro airport without driving. The unified DART ticket has been opted, providing all of Metro Detroit with one transit fare that works on all fixed-routes, has a smartphone app, and gives SMART and DDOT a unified price and fare policy. Finally, DDOT’s same-day paratransit is a major win for riders with disabilities, and makes Detroit one of the largest cities in the US to offer same-day paratransit.
Recognition of Our Work!
Up next came Tim Killeen, Wayne County Commissioner, and Assad Turfe, Wayne County Deputy Executive, to present TRU a testimonial resolution from Wayne County, acknowledging our service in the community!
Then Dave Woodward, Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chair, Megan, and Assad talked about what’s next for transit in metro Detroit, including fighting to end Wayne County opt-outs next year, Double DDOT and 10 minute frequencies on key routes, expanding our statewide coalition, and some state reforms like increased state transit investment, fixing MDOT’s priorities to balance transit and cars, and improving cross-state transit.
Karen Kendrick-Hands, the TRU board, and TRU staff worked together on the next surprise addition to the program: Presenting Megan an award for 20 years of service as a transit advocate! In December, Megan will have served with TRU for 20 years, and her dedication to fighting for transit in metro Detroit has gotten us where we are today. We’re honored to have you, Megan!
Finally, the program ended with TRU board members Farai Gundan and Gillian Gainsley took a moment to ask our guests to become a sustaining member of TRU. Our work is possible thanks to our monthly members, and without them we’d be unable to fight to expand transit throughout metro Detroit and Michigan.
Thanks to Everyone for Coming!
The evening ended with a chance for everyone to hang out, dance, and celebrate all our hard work for one night. Our transit agencies provide the day-to-day transit service we rely on. Our elected leaders and government officials ensure transit gets the resources it needs. Our advocacy allies help us fight for a better future, and to take action when needed. Our business partners and donors fund our work, making our research, education, advocacy, and mobilization possible. And each and every person who has ever volunteered with TRU, donated to TRU, or taken any action for transit, whether marching with us for drivers pay, calling your state representative for transit funding, or showing up to an agency meeting to tell your experience on the bus, thank you. Without any of you, none of this would be possible.
Thank you to our sponsors, and everyone who donated to our silent auction!
Thanks from the TRU team – here’s to 25 more years of team transit!
