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WOMEN IN TRANSPORTATION Tina QUIGLEY TITLE GM ORGANIZATION Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada Growing up in Petaluma, Calif., Tina Quigley always dreamed of becoming a pilot. She took fl ying lessons in high school and upon graduation enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz. However, bad eyesight and the ex- pense of student loans led her in a differ- ent direction. Halfway through college, she shifted gears and began pursuing an airport planning degree. Soon after completing an internship at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, she was offered a job. "I thought I was only staying there for two years, but I got addicted to this place," says Quigley. "It was growing re- ally quickly, so I was getting exposed to projects that people would spend their whole careers looking for." She helped plan and acquire grant money for the building of the airport's newest D gates. They are a collection of 25 gates connected to the main terminal through an underground transportation system, altogether amassing about one million square feet of facility. In 2005, after 15 years at McCarran Airport, an unexpected job opportunity came Quigley's way. Her former boss, Jacob Snow, who was recently recruited to be GM of the Regional Transporta- tion Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC), wanted her as deputy GM. "Although I loved the airport, I just really enjoyed Jacob Snow's leadership style," said Quigley. "He has a strong sense of vision but lets you do your job." Quigley said yes, and in this posi- tion helped launch two bus rapid tran- sit projects and four express routes. She also assisted with the building of three park-and-ride facilities, a state-of-the-art transit facility, a traffi c management fa- cility and a bus maintenance facility. The RTC of Southern Nevada, a des- Under Quigley's leadership, the National Transit Database named RTC one of the most effi cient transit providers in the nation. ignated metropolitan planning organi- zation (MPO), is one of the few agen- cies in the country that's responsible for street and highway planning and fund- ing, freeway and arterial traffi c man- agement, and public transportation. But, the initial job transition was made simple for Quigley by the foundational crossovers of her duties at the RTC and her previous line of work. "Like the airport, RTC is also trans- portation so a lot of the processes, stud- ies and data, and the way you manage you system is very similar," Quigley says. "We're talking about passengers, federal processes and grants." In April of this year, Quigley was pro- moted to GM. Facing a tough economic climate, her largest goal is to focus on building a strong foundation for Las Vegas. She's currently overseeing the on- going Complete Street program, which promotes streets and sidewalks cohe- sively designed for alternative modes of transportation in addition to pedes- trians and public transit. They feature wider sidewalks, bike lanes, fewer auto- mobile lanes and more landscaping. 54 < mETRO mAGAZINE SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2012 Quigley's also working toward solu- tions for better workforce mobility. RTC plans to reach out to major employers in the district to learn about the commut- ing characteristics of their employees. "Our next priority is going to be grow- ing our express system of transportation, and there are specifi c major corridors we're studying right now," says Quigley. She's also proud of the agency's elec- tric bike program. A grant funded 25 electric bikes that RTC shares with other local governments in the area. Instead of driving to meetings, employees ride these electric bikes. Under Quigley's leadership, the Na- tional Transit Database named the RTC one of the most effi cient transit provid- ers in the nation, according to Angela Torres of RTC's government affairs and media relations. When she's not at the RTC, Quigley is utilizing her private pilot license, spending time with her family, and attending meetings for the United Way Women's Leadership Council and the Clark County Credit Union Audit Committee. metro-magazine.com CITY Las Vegas