Experts Available to Discuss Public-Private Partnerships in Transportation Infrastructure.

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TOPIC: In an effort to alleviate congestion in the transportation infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed model legislation that supports more public-private partnerships, according to an article by AASHTO Journal. The department based its model legislation on information from a survey of state laws that approve public-private partnerships in operating highways, mass transit, railroads, airports and seaports. Currently, 21 states and Puerto Rico have some ability to use public-private partnerships, but the laws usually only provide project-specific authority.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

David Lewis, Ph.D., National Director of Economics and Finance for HDR/HLB Decision Economics Inc., is a renowned expert and published author and speaker on public policy and risk management related to public infrastructure projects such as mass transit or highways. He has worked with a variety of public and private sector clients who are considering their infrastructure investment choices such as whether to build a toll road or transit system, providing cost/benefit analysis and other risk analysis. His experience includes creating congestion management plans for 23 corridors in 15 urbanized areas for the Federal Transit Administration, a public works investment report for the U.S. Congress and a plan evaluating finance and program options for the U.S. Interstate Highway System for the Senate Budget Committee of the U.S. Congress. Dr. Lewis has written three books on public policy and cost-benefit analysis of infrastructure projects, including "Public Policy and Planning as Public Choice: Mass Transit in the U.S." by Ashgate Press. He has developed decision-support software tools that provide a framework for applying cost-benefit and risk analysis to a wide range of prospective transit and highway investments. He recently served on a U.S. Government Accountability Office expert panel on the benefits and costs of highway and transit investments. PR Contact: Jackie Fox 402-926-7058 [e-mail]

A founding director and Group CEO, Chairman and Managing Director of Mastek, Sudhakar Ram spearheads the global growth of this leading software solutions and integration services provider around the world. With Ram as part of the company's leadership team, Mastek has grown from its start-up by first-generation entrepreneurs in Mumbai, India in 1984, to a $156 million global technology leader with 3,200 employees that has implemented more than 1,000 projects worldwide. Mastek developed the software for London's successful congestion pricing project. Ram has 24 years of information technology experience, and is an expert on software and technology solutions for insurance, financial services and government, as well as outsourcing/offshoring and IT systems designed to ease traffic congestion. Ram joined Mastek in 1984 from the advertising industry. At Mastek, he has held various positions related to new product development, offshore delivery processes and business development. He served as COO from 2001-2003 and was named Group CEO in 2003. Ram graduated second in his class at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC). He holds a graduate degree in commerce and a post-graduate degree in management from IIMC, one of the country's top management institutes. He has lived in the U.S. since 2005 and is leading the growth of the Edison, N.J.-based insurance industry unit, MajescoMastek, which provides IT solutions to eight of the top 20 global insurance companies. MajescoMastek offers insurance carriers Elixir, the only Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)-based enterprise platform for life and annuity carriers. PR Contact: Sandy Frinton 845-454-3895 [e-mail]

Mark Kiefer, Associate Principal, specializes in economic and financial analysis of the aviation sector. His experience spans both business strategy and litigation and regulatory support engagements, and includes projects for airlines, airports, aerospace manufacturers, defense contractors, and government planning agencies. His work at CRA International has addressed issues of airline and airport competition, congestion and delays, demand management measures, pilot compensation and other costs, ground access, alternatives to air travel, and numerous public policy questions. Mr. Kiefer is an expert in demand modeling and forecasting, having produced projections of air travel for numerous markets, and is experienced in the design and administration of all manner of consumer market research, having managed multiple large-scale surveys of air passengers. He has been quoted on aviation issues in the popular and trade press and on National Public Radio, and he has testified before the U.S. Congress on the state of the airline industry. PR Contact: Benjamin Seggerson 202-662-3877 [e-mail]

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