Rebuilding the Link Between Road Use and Payment for Sustainable Transportation Funding Solutions

Since 2017, The Eastern Transportation Coalition (the Coalition) has been exploring alternatives to fuel tax as funding options to support our transportation systems. The Coalition recently released a report on its 2023-2025 efforts, conducted through the Surface Transportation System Funding Alternative (STSFA) grant program and in partnership with nine state DOTs.

Watch this webinar to learn more about the findings of the report and hear from transportation leaders in Delaware, Georgia, and Virginia about how the work they conducted through this grant is supporting states in the implementation of new and sustainable transportation funding solutions.  

Moderators: 

Jenny Roberts is a transportation policy and funding specialist and the Road Usage Charge Discipline Lead at CDM Smith with over 20 years’ experience in transportation. For the last 13 years she has focused on assisting transportation entities in developing long-term solutions for funding transportation. Throughout her career, she has worked collaboratively with clients in developing progressive transportation planning, engineering, and comprehensive funding strategies for critical projects. She has been working with The Eastern Transportation Coalition sine 2017 on their alternative revenue exploration.

Patricia (Trish) Hendren is the Executive Director of The Eastern Transportation Coalition, a partnership of 20 states and D.C. focused on connecting for solutions that keep people and goods moving throughout one of the world’s busiest transportation corridors.

Under Dr. Hendren’s leadership, the Coalition has embarked on, and enhanced initiatives related to incident management, traveler information, alternative fueled vehicles, freight planning, truck parking, toll reciprocity, data-based decision making and sustainable transportation funding. TETC is a six-time recipient of Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives Program grants resulting in 14 passenger vehicle pilots, three truck pilots, over 4,000 public opinion and survey responses, education and outreach material, rate setting studies, multiple household impact analyses, and revenue projections and tools. Dr. Hendren is considered a national expert on funding alternatives and has been asked to testify in front of Congress and numerous state legislators, present at various events across the country.

Speakers:

Lanie Clymer was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Department in January 2025. She has been with the Department since 2007 and previously served as the Director of Finance for the last eight years. In her role as Finance Director, she managed the Transportation Trust Fund, oversaw municipal debt management and issuances, Contract Administration, and developed and implemented both the Operating and Capital budgets for the Department, which has an annual budget of $1 billion. Additionally, she acted as the key financial liaison for regulatory agencies, including the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.

Joshua Waller is currently the Director of Policy and Government Affairs for the Georgia Department of Transportation. Additionally, he oversees GDOT’s Office of Performance Based Management and Research which manages the Department’s performance management, asset management, and strategic research initiatives. His previous experience includes serving as Transportation Policy Advisor to former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and Deputy Chief of Staff to former U.S. Congressman Phil Gingrey of Georgia’s 11th Congressional District. Joshua is a graduate of Georgetown University and is a resident and native of Kennesaw, Georgia.

As Assistant Commissioner, Scott Cummings is directing financial operations, procurement, and fuels tax collections at the agency. Scott Cummings has served as the Assistant Commissioner for Finance at the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles since 2015. Previously, he served as a budget analyst at the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget, where he was responsible for budget oversight for agencies within the transportation, public safety, and education secretariats. Scott began his state career at the Virginia Department of Transportation.