A Conversation with Ryan Chamberlain: Local, Regional, and State Transportation Insights

On Thursday, March 6th, USC ITE had the honor of hosting Ryan Chamberlain, CEO of the Transportation Corridor Agencies, for a distinguished speaker series event. 

Mr. Chamberlain has been working in the transportation industry for over twenty-five years in both the private and public sectors, as well as the regional and state levels. Born and raised in Orange County, he studied at UC Santa Barbara and graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Urban Planning. Graduating into a stagnant economy, Mr. Chamberlain decided to move back home and applied for jobs the old-fashioned way–by sticking resumes into mailboxes. Eventually, he landed a job doing environmental compliance for cities at a small firm and got a chance to work on a feasibility study for the California High-Speed Rail Authority! Subsequently, Mr. Chamberlain found himself looking to mega projects, pivoting away from working on environmental compliance, and even took a pay cut to work for Caltrans in Los Angeles. While working with Caltrans, Mr. Chamberlain worked his way to become District Director and was called up to Sacramento–bringing him face to face with the politics of transportation. California Senate Bill 1, the state’s gas tax, was wildly unpopular and Mr. Chamberlain was called up to defend S.B. 1 on behalf of former Governor Jerry Brown. You’ve got to develop some tough skin when dealing with politicians in Sacramento! When asked about what keeps him going, Mr. Chamberlain says that his motivations “stem from a genuine love of what he does” and hard-earned successes make setbacks worth it. Seeing people use the finished projects, the benefits, and the impact on people all contribute to his definition of success. Mr. Chamberlain is also involved in a number of professional organizations: the Association of California Cities – Orange County (ACC–OC), Mobility 21–a coalition of transportation stakeholders in Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties, California Toll Operators Committee (CTOC), Orange County Business Council (OCBC), International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association (IBTTA), and California Transportation Foundation (CTF). Perhaps he should consider joining ITE next!

Mr. Chamberlain explained that, in the past, Caltrans has focused on building and expanding highways, but starting with the Brown administration, the agency has now shifted its priorities to maximizing use of current infrastructure and alternative modes of transit rather than continuing to build more. He noted that in a recession or slow economy, transportation is always a stable career as developing and building infrastructure creates new jobs and larger economic ripple benefits as transportation is always in demand. One of the ways that Caltrans supports job creation in transportation is through their top-notch training programs. Caltrans’ training programs are key in teaching the next generation to build infrastructure–engineers get rotated around the agency and learn about what it really takes to build good infrastructure. 

With our group of young and hopeful transportation enthusiasts, Mr. Chamberlain gave us some insights he’s picked up over his twenty-five years in the transportation industry. Instead of thinking about your next job, he explained, think about your next two jobs. Take classes to fill in the skills that you lack, particularly soft skills such as communication and leadership. Don’t be afraid to move between agencies or companies, you never know what you might get out of it. Mr. Chamberlain emphasized being open to moving around geographically, especially when you are younger. Traveling, and moving to new cities get harder as you age, especially if you decide to settle down. As a parent, Mr. Chamberlain also encourages everybody to be present during times away from work. Also as USC students, we already have our foot in the door; now, we need to sell who we are and our capabilities to recruiters. Always come into the interview with a big smile, be confident when answering questions, and come up with your own unique experiences and capabilities to set yourself apart. 

Mr. Chamberlain then closed with an overview of the implementation of congestion pricing on the toll roads operated by the Transportation Corridor Agencies. Roads are known for getting extremely congested in SoCal and to address this issue, the Transportation Corridor Agencies have implemented pricing fluctuations on the toll roads they manage, based on the number of cars on the road. Ensuring toll road users can go 60 miles per hour consistently and fly through traffic allows them to get to their destinations quickly and reliably. This core belief works: to their surprise, toll road revenue exceeded what they expected by 25%! Mr Chamberlain noted that people enjoyed the predictability of the toll roads, but often only used the roads once per week. It was fascinating to hear Mr. Chamberlain’s professional perspective on the implementation and effects of congestion pricing.

It was a delight to host Mr. Chamberlain at USC and we want to thank Mr. Chamberlain for speaking to us!