CHERYL A. THOLE

19247 Stone Hedge Drive

Tampa, FL 33647

(813) 727.8445

E-mail:

WORK EXPERIENCE

Senior Research Associate October 2002 – present

National Bus Rapid Transit Institute (NBRTI)

Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR)

University of South Florida, Tampa

Responsible for managing research projects funded through the Federal Transit Administration, Florida Department of Transportation, and local municipalities. Conduct research and provide technical assistance in the areas of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), paratransit, transit oriented development, transit system performance, transit operations and service planning.

Research and Project Management Experience

  • Regularly present research and industry information at national conferences and workshops
  • The effects of BRT on land use
  • Evaluations of BRT systems (AC Transit’s San Pablo Rapid, Lane Transit District’s EmX,and the Los
    Angeles Metro’s Orange Line)
  • Travel Time Component Analysis along BRT corridors with transit signal priority
  • NBRTI’s clearinghouse activities, i.e. website, newsletter, listserv, informationalpublications
  • Management of a BRT database, cataloguing all elements of BRT systems in the United States
  • Manage a Graduate Research Assistant

Adjunct Instructor Spring, Summer2005 to present

Department of Engineering, University of South Florida

Co-instructor for Transportation and Society, a civil engineering elective in the College of Engineering, at the USF Tampa campus. Approximate class size 35students.

Paratransit/ADA Intern February 2002 – October 2002

Regional Transit System (RTS), Gainesville, FL

Temporarily managed ADA Coordinator’s position.

Graduate Research AssistantJanuary 2001 – January 2002

Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Co-author of a project using GIS mapping of pedestrian and bicycle crashes prepared for the Florida Department of Transportation’s State Safety Office.

Growth Management InternOctober 1999 – December 2001

Alachua County, Department of Growth Management, Gainesville, FL

Participated in updating the Comprehensive Plan and local Landscape Ordinance.

Community Development InternMay 1999 – August 1999

St. Lucie County, Department of Community Development, Fort Pierce, FL

Prepared and presented reports of land use to the Board of County Commissioners, Board of Adjustment, and Planning and Zoning Commission. Participated in the research and updating of the Comprehensive Plan.

EDUCATION

M.A., Urban and Regional Planning

December 2003 College of Design, Construction, and Planning, University of Florida (UF)

Gainesville, FL 32611

Specializations: Transportation and Growth Management

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) departmental certificate

B.A., Political Science, minor in Mass Communications

May 2000 University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • Transportation Research Board, Environmental Justice Committee, member
  • American Public Transportation Association Bus Standards, BRT Working Group
  • American Planning Association (APA)

OTHER ACTIVITIES

  • Guardian ad Litem, Hillsborough County
  • Feeding America, member, Advisory Board

CONTINUING EDUCATION

“Environmental Justice and Technological Hazards,” graduate course offered through the Department of Environmental Science at the University of South Florida, Spring 2005.

“Public Administration Theory,” graduate course offered through the College of Public Administration at the University of South Florida, Fall 2004.

“Seminar on Environmental Policy,” graduate course offered through the College of Environmental Science at the University of South Florida, Fall 2004.

“History of Environmental Thought,” graduate course offered through the Department of Environmental Science at the University of South Florida.

PAPERS AND PUBLICATIONS

Perk, V., Cheryl Thole.“Assessing the Land Use Impacts of Bus Rapid Transit.” Public Sector Digest, July 2010.

Thole, C. “Bus Rapid Transit and Development: Practices and Policies that Affect Development Around Transit.” National Bus Rapid Transit Institute, December 2009

Diaz, et. al. “Characteristics of Bus Rapid Transit,” Federal Transit Administration. 2009

Thole, C., et. al. “The EmX Franklin Corridor BRT Project Evaluation.” National Bus Rapid Transit Institute, April 2009.
“Industry Voices: The National Bus Rapid Transit Institute leads the charge” BusRide Magazine, Volume 2009 6-6 2009

Thole, Cheryl. “FTA Leads Study Mission to India,” Passenger Transport, Volume 66, No. 40, December 1, 2008

Thole, C. “FTA Mission to India – Delhi, Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Mumbai. September 20-30.” National Bus Rapid Transit Institute, November 2008.

Thole, Cheryl and Martin Catala. “The Status of Bus Rapid Transit in the United States,” International Conference on Best Practices to Relieve Congestion on Mixed Urban Streets, September 2008

Thole, C., et. al. “Land Use Impacts of Bus Rapid Transit,” Annual Meeting of American Public Transportation Association Bus and Paratransit Conference, Paper Compendium, May 2008
Cain, Alasdair, Georges Darido, Cheryl Thole, Jennifer Flynn. “BRT Update: An Overview of Bus Rapid Transit in the United States,” Mass Transit Magazine, May 2007

VanasseHangenBrustlin, Inc., et. al. “Appendixes to TCRP Report 117: Design, Operation, and Safety of At-Grade Crossings of Exclusive Busways,” Transit Cooperative Research Program Web-Only Document 36, submitted September 2006 (TCRP Report published in 2007)
Thole, C. and Alasdair Cain. “The San Pablo Rapid – BRT Evaluation.” National Bus Rapid Transit Institute, June 2006.
Thole, C. “Update Methodologies for ADA Demand Estimates: Lessons Learned.” National Center for Transit Research, July 2005