Who We Are

An urban planner by training, Leah focuses on transit planning, scenario planning, and emerging technologies. Previously, Ms. Pickett was a planner at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center.

Interests & Hobbies

Outside of work, she likes to garden, make art, and explore New England by foot, bike, boat, and ski. She lives in Cambridge.

Heath Lupton joined Cambridge Systematics as a Travel Demand Modeler with experience in data analytics and travel demand modeling practices. Mx. Lupton also has experience in transportation planning and is proficient in Cube Voyager, ArcGIS, and Python.

David brings 20 years of experience in statewide and regional multimodal transportation planning, policy analysis, performance management, climate change mitigation, and short- and long-range plan project prioritization. Over the last decade, he has managed or supported a diversity of statewide and regional, high-profile planning and policy projects, including multiple examples throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia, as well as in the southeast throughout North Carolina and Georgia.

Interests & Hobbies

David enjoys spending time with his family, including coaching youth sports teams, hiking, and mountain biking.

Ms. Ni joined Cambridge Systematics in 2019 as a Travel Demand Modeler with diverse range of skills and interests in travel demand modeling, big data analytics, transportation and land use, and transportation policies.

Interests & Hobbies

Xuenan likes soccer and boxing (pre-covid).

As the CS Client Relationship Manager, Susan brings her "insider's" understanding of government to her CS clients based on her interdisciplinary skills and customer perspective developed during a unique public service career at USDOT, the US House of Representatives, the US Senate, and OMB. She broke the glass ceiling as the first woman to lead an FHWA field office as Division Administrator -- giving her insights into strategic management, program delivery and problem solving that are valuable to her clients. Her focus on funding and financing, performance-based needs analysis, legislation, and transportation policy analysis have been successfully applied in an eclectic portfolio of national and state clients such as TRB's Interstate Futures Study, FHWA "reinvention" of the Conditions and Performance Report, exploration of road user charging via a New Zealand study tour and analyses of education strategies for VMT strategies, and studying the implications and current use of program flexibilities under the Federal-aid Highway Program.

Interests & Hobbies

During the pandemic, she returned to her creative hobbies, needlepointing, knitting, and crocheting up a storm. She's now turning to her stained glass and quilting projects. All will help decorate the house that she, and her husband Michael, are updating at the beach.

Anna joined CS in 2020 after eight years as a creative communications professional. A skilled writer and multi-disciplinary planner, Anna has worked on a wide variety of projects at CS including statewide planning, electric vehicle plans, transit operations, freight movement, shared mobility, and active transportation. 

Interests & Hobbies

When not at work you can find Anna at dog-friendly beaches, trying to bike places, and looking for passionfruit juice.

Richard is a Junior Analyst at Cambridge Systematics (CS) and has been a team member since 2018. In his 3 years with CS he has worked in various planning related capacities including congestion management, transit planning, long range plans, safety studies, resilience planning and other technical and non-technical capacities. Prior to his joining CS, he worked with the Mobility Policy Research team at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida for 4 years where he conducted Florida travel behavior research that informed Florida Department of Transportation Central Office decision making. Throughout his time at CUTR he earned his Bachelor and Masters degrees in Transportation Engineering, held office with the University’s Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) chapter, was the captain and champion of the ITE National Traffic Bowl competition, and was the recipient of the United States Department of Transportation National Center for Transit Research Outstanding Student of the Year Award 2017. He is currently located in the CS Denver office where he works closely with the Colorado DOT Freight Advisory Council and the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.

Interests & Hobbies

Richard's interests include playing and watching sports of all kinds, hiking, swimming, exploring local restaurants and challenging himself to try new things.

Latasha has 20 years of marketing experience, serving in various roles as a customer loyalty marketing manager, marketing coordinator, and bid analyst. In these roles, Latasha led or co-led conference and event planning; participated in tradeshows around the country; crafted marketing communication, including company newsletters, mailers, brochures, and website content; and partnered with numerous sales teams in the coordination and development of proposals. At CS, Latasha leverages her extensive proposal experience as Marketing Manager, leading a team of high-performing proposal specialists who partner with consultant teams for the pursuit of new business.

Interests & Hobbies

Latasha lives in metropolitan Atlanta with her husband and son, and enjoys reading and attending outdoor events. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and is a member of APMP, the Association for Proposal Management Professionals.

Heide has been instrumental in the success of the CS software group from its earliest days. She brings a rare diversity of skills: excelling at QA, data analysis, project management and staff management. She has also played a critical role in strengthening the management of our Mobility Information platform. A team player who always prioritizes the needs of the organization and her colleagues, she has made invaluable contributions as a coach, manager, and mentor to junior staff.  

Interests & Hobbies

Heide enjoys hiking, playing in the snow and paddleboarding. She is an avid baker and loves chocolate chip cookes.

Kathy Stein is a transportation planner with four decades of experience in the public and private sectors. Now an independent consultant, she is cofounder and former owner of the transportation planning and traffic engineering firm Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates. In prior years, she served as Director of Transportation for the New York City Department of City Planning and Director of Field Staff for the metropolitan Boston region’s Central Transportation Planning Staff. A leading authority on public involvement and strategic planning in transportation, she has served on Transportation Research Board committees and Cooperative Research Program panels, chairing the Public Involvement, Strategic Management, and Management and Productivity Committees and the Division A Council. Ms. Stein was appointed a lifetime Associate of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her contributions to the field. For the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources on the National Research Council, she chaired a panel on data needs for place-based decision-making which led to the book Community and Quality of Life: Data Needs for Informed Decision-Making, published by the National Academy Press in 2002. She also served on the board of the Institute for Civil Infrastructure Systems at New York University and was elected Woman of the Year by the Boston Chapter and the national organization of Women’s Transportation Seminar. She received a Master’s degree in regional planning from the University of North Carolina and a Bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College.

Stacy M. Cook is a Senior Project Manager (Sr. Associate) at Cambridge Systematics Inc. (CS) with over 15 years of experience in transportation and land-use planning, project management, and facilitation. She has led the development and approval of high-profile plans and reports. She helps federal, state, local, and transit agencies to develop and advance plans, policies, and programs. Ms. Cook provides expert advice on sustainable and resilient transportation planning by helping agencies identify, prioritize and promote land-use and transportation strategies and investments to achieve agency goals to reduce greenhouse gasses and congestion, improve multimodal network connectivity, safety, resiliency, and to drive better economic, and equitable outcomes. Ms. Cook’s work focuses on helping agencies to problem-solve and navigate change through application of data and developing plans and policies.

Interests & Hobbies

When not planning for transportation, Stacy likes to kayak, bike, learn Norwegian, and develop gardens for pollinators and other wildlife.

Over 25 years of private and public sector transportation planning, policy and performance management experience allows me to understand, tailor and exceed CS client needs. I have a passion to solve complex State DOT and MPO needs through collaborative, team-oriented, client-centric solutions which harness the power of objective, data driven and industry leading approaches unique to Cambridge Systematics.

Interests & Hobbies

I enjoy anything outdoors and competitive - early morning cross fitness workouts, bike rides with my family, rousing family board/card games, college sports and spending extended time at North Carolina beaches and mountains. I love to patron hole in the wall establishments and can't resist a frequent dose of locally sourced goods - especially coffee, ice cream and NC barbeque.

Brian holds a Master’s of Business Administration from Arizona State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Quality Management from Southwestern College. Before joining CS, Brian worked as a Senior Technology Project Program Manager for York Solutions at Optum Technology and prior to that as a Technical Delivery Manager at Kapsch TrafficCom North America. He also served 20 years in the United States Air Force in various roles including Aircraft Avionics Maintenance and International Treaty Compliance.

Interests & Hobbies

Brian lives in Corvallis, Oregon, with his wife and 2 dogs.  In his free time, he enjoys fishing, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.

Mr. Beagan is a Principal of Cambridge Systematics (CS) with more than 45 years of experience in transportation, traffic analysis, and planning in the public and private sectors, and is a recognized expert on freight forecasting.

Interests & Hobbies

Mr. Beagan enjoys all forms of Pop Culture, especially animation and old movies and TV. Mr. Beagan is an avid sports fan, particularly of baseball and has visited almost all of the major league baseball parks, and and most of the minor league parks in the East Coast States. Mr. Beagan is a Disney expert and has been to the Disney theme parks in Florida and California many times.

Brad is the President & CEO of Cambridge Systematics, Inc. Prior to his appointment as CEO in 2011, he founded and led several CS business lines focused on technology planning in transportation, freight transportation, and developing and implementing software solutions for our clients. Before joining CS, Brad worked for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and in Civil Engineering Group at United Parcel Service. He has a B.S., in Business Management from Northeastern University.

Interests & Hobbies

Brad lives outside of Boston with his wife and three sons. In his free time Brad enjoys playing golf and watching his kids play football, hockey and lacrosse. He also enjoys spending time on Long Island, Maine, where he is a member of the Civic Association's Board of Directors.

Levon Mikaelian specializes in spatial and network analysis using GIS and scripting tools, as well as transportation safety analysis, performance measurement, and data visualization. His previous research includes spatial statistical analysis of the relationships between multimodal transportation networks and socioeconomic outcomes. For his work at CS, he regularly uses R, Python, and SAS, and has a working knowledge of several other programming languages.

Interests & Hobbies

In his spare time, Levon likes to read, ride his bike, and watch Star Trek. He also enjoys exploring the trails and waterways around Tallahassee.

Casey is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy from Tufts University. Before joining CS, Casey held internships at MassDOT and Stantec and worked for two years in Washington, DC, connecting residents to sustainable transportation options. 

Interests & Hobbies

In her free time, Casey enjoys cooking, playing board games, seeing live music, and being outside (likely near rocks or bikes). 

Mr. Harrington is Regional Manager for Cambridge Systematics’ planning practice in the Mid-Atlantic region with more than 28 years of professional experience in transportation planning in the public and private sectors. Tom has served as a Project Manager in multiple studies that focus on transit systems planning, transit corridor studies and alternatives analysis, and performance-based multimodal evaluation and project prioritization.

Interests & Hobbies

In his free time, Tom spends time biking and swimming. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with his wife Claire and daughter Fiona.

Mr. Bream joined the Cambridge Systematics (CS) team in 2019 as a Planning and Policy Analyst with a specialization in regulatory compliance and performance management. He has experience applying regulatory standards to operational environments, organizational frameworks, and planning processes to ensure compliance with Federal and state program standards and to encourage the adoption of best practices in transportation service planning, delivery, and administration. He has also worked on issues of equity and accessibility in transit service for people with mobility challenges.

Interests & Hobbies

In his free time, Baird enjoys running, cooking, and exploring neighborhoods.

As an Analyst at Cambridge Systematics (CS), Daniela (Dani) conceived and launched a curb management initiative with her colleague Laura Richards, and leads the GIS Working Group. She is also a member of CS' DEI Council. Her expertise and experience with projects ranges from asset management, economic and equity analyses, freight network prioritization and management, and high-level GIS analyses, mapping and visualizations.

Interests & Hobbies

Dani currently holds a seat as a Board Member of OpenStreetMap US and is a Mentor at the Abramson Scholarship Foundation. She's a resident of Washington D.C. (say hi if you see her on one of her daily long walks), and dreams of one day having a sail boat and a beach house.

David Ferreira has more than 30 years of corporate and consulting experience across a wide range of industries, companies and business cycles. He has held senior positions at GE, KPMG, and Beneficial; founded Back Bay Consulting; and most recently served as Chief Administrative Officer for Abt Associates. His primary focus has been helping companies grow and improve performance through roles in business strategy and planning, organizational assessment and talent management. Earlier in his career Mr. Ferreira worked as a Prosecutor for the Massachusetts Attorney General and a Public Defender for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Social Venture Partners and is a past board member of the Harvard Medical School Bio-Medical Science Career Program, the American Financial Services Association, and the Somerville New Jersey Home for Temporarily Displaced Children. Mr. Ferreira received a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Michigan, a Master’s in Law from the University of Amsterdam, a Juris Doctorate from New England Law, and a Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University.

Price has worked in transportation planning for over 10 years and specializes in federal compliance, human service transportation and paratransit, grant writing, and data analysis. Prior to his time consulting, he worked in both the public and nonprofit sectors focusing on public transportation and Complete Streets.

Interests & Hobbies

When Price isn't behind a computer, he is usually busy planning his next multi-day bike trip or fixing something in his old (historic?) home in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He also serves on the Holyoke Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

Nick Caccamo is a Principal of Cambridge Systematics. With more than 10 years of experience, Nick has served as Director of Contracts since 2017 and Corporate Counsel since 2019. As Director of Contracts, Nick is responsible for oversight and management of the Cambridge Systematics Contracts Group functions. This includes reviewing and negotiating contracts with public and private sector teaming partners and clients; providing guidance on contractual issues and risk assessment; providing assistance with the RFP and proposal process; and contractual, legal, and regulatory compliance. As Corporate Counsel, Nick is responsible for the renewal and maintenance of CS’ corporate insurance policies; administration, compliance, and enforcement of CS' Ethics and Business Practices Policy; general risk management; and providing legal advice and guidance to corporate leadership and staff as needed. Nick has a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Rhetoric from University of Illinois.

Interests & Hobbies

In his free time, Nick enjoys writing, running, and attending as many concerts and Cubs games as possible. Nick lives in the Chicago area with his wife and two kids.

Rachel Copperman has expertise in developing and applying travel demand models. Her focus areas include developing advanced and innovative models and intercity passenger rail and urban transit ridership forecasting. She is a leading expert in incorporating uncertainty and risk analysis within the travel forecasting process.

Throughout his career at CS, Joe Zissman has sought creative, innovative solutions to transportation problems. He takes pride in a track record of engaging products that are attractive, communicate with clarity, and reflect well on clients. He has substantial experience working with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation on a diverse slate of projects: asset management, capital planning, freight and multimodal planning, shared travel, and congestion management. He has supported public sector clients across the United States in all of these fields as well, and has been a substantial contributor to Federal research on performance, asset, and risk management, communication, and data visualization.

Interests & Hobbies

Joe has had the wonderful luck to apply his passion for Boston's urban and development history in so much of his professional work. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Sheldon is a skillful leader, team-builder and manager who reaches across offices and practice areas to collaborate, innovate, and problem-solve. Sheldon has an exceptional ability to communicate complex issues and ideas like data and modeling. He has been instrumental in modeling and planning activities across the Southeast, providing our clients with data-driven results. That talent, together with his consistent dedication to supporting his peers in delivering the highest quality work, has made him a highly sought-after collaborator and mentor to junior, mid- and senior-level staff.

Kaveh is a recognized national expert in freight data and modeling with over 12 years of experience working in travel demand modeling and complex data analysis. He has published books and numerous peer reviewed papers in prestigious journals and academic conferences. Kaveh is an active member of the TRB’s Freight Transportation Data (AED70) and Freight Transportation Planning (AT015) committees. He has led or been actively engaged in national, statewide, and regional freight modeling projects with major government agencies such as Federal (FHWA, TRB), State DOTs (Florida, New York, Michigan, Oregon, and Utah), and regional agencies (SCAG, MTC, CMAP, and SEMCOG). In 2019, he published an FHWA Report which evaluates the handful of behavioral/agent-based supply chain freight models in the U.S.

Interests & Hobbies

Kaveh lives in San Diego, California and enjoys playing competitive sports (soccer, volleyball, table tennis, foosball, chess, swimming, etc.), board games, eating Persian food, and travelling with his wife in his free time. Kaveh has a strong passion for mathematics and IQ Tests.

David Von Stroh is based in Seattle, WA and brings ten years of experience in GIS, data science and transportation modeling. As a project manager, he synthesizes client needs and leads technical data science teams to innovate new tools and solutions. He leads CS' climate adaptation and active transportation practice areas for the western US. David managed the SoCal Regional Climate Adaptation Framework, a two year, $1.1 million contract which was recently named the recipient of the 2021 APA Sustainable Communities Excellence Award. David manages mobility location analytics and algorithm development for LOCUS, CS' location based services data products. He stays at the forefront of scenario development and data visualization tools through projects for clients such as LA Metro, SCAG, Caltrans, and Sound Transit.

Interests & Hobbies

David is an avid trail runner and runs several mountain ultramarathons (50k to 100 miles) every year throughout the western US. He participates in several running communities, which all share a love for craft beer. David loves to cook spicy meals with Thai flavors and follows NBA basketball closely. (Bring back the Sonics!)

Sheldon A. Brown was Tech Lead of the original MTA Bus Time deployment that brought real-time bus tracking to NYC. He is an open-source advocate on the Board of two open source projects, and leads a team of highly skilled and dedicated software professionals spread out across the country.

Interests & Hobbies

When he's not rebuilding servers, he's a motorcycle enthusiast who enjoys repairing and improving anything mechanical.

Chris has 15 years of experience in multi-state, statewide, and urban freight and rail planning.  He has led the development of regional and state freight plans and studies in urban and rural states and regions. He has assisted economic development organizations with identifying transportation investments, public policy, and other strategies to promote industry retention and economic development.  Chris has worked with public and private stakeholders to gather data and analyze supply chain performance across multiple modes and geographies.  He has led research on integrating freight into community planning and last-mile delivery trends and issues.  Chris is the Director of our New York office and manages our mid-level and senior Freight and Economics staff in the Eastern U.S.

Interests & Hobbies

Chris spends his free time cycling, gardening, and serving on the board of his local community association in Jersey City, NJ.