Insights from Transportation Professionals: February Speaker Series with Allison Yoh and Kimberly Yu

On Thursday February 15, 2024, USC ITE and members of the USC community welcomed Metro’s Dr. Allison Yoh and AECOM’s Kimberly Yu to our February Speaker Series installment. Dr. Yoh is the Executive Officer for Mobility Corridors, Countywide Planning and Development for Los Angeles Metro and Ms. Yu is the VP of Southern California Transportation at AECOM. The two speakers jointly told those present about how they began their careers in transportation, how they navigate through challenges presently, and what advice they have for students starting off their own careers. 

Yoh started off her academic career at UC Berkeley studying Anthropology before getting her Masters then Doctorate at UCLA in Urban Planning. Before she held her current position at LA Metro, Yoh worked for the Democratic National Committee, the RAND Corporation, the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies and the Port of Long Beach. Yu’s education includes a degree in Sociology from UC Santa Cruz and a Masters in Transportation Planning from UCLA. From there she worked at LA Metro, the City of Los Angeles, Metrolink, and more before beginning her journey at AECOM. 

The conversation began with Yu asking the room what their name, major, and transportation passions were. This was used to guide the discussion towards including the diverse set of majors and people that are interested in transportation. We are grateful that the speakers took the time to make sure each participant was able to get something important out of their talk. 

The pair told students about their backgrounds in transportation, both not planning to go into transportation until they took a class together at UCLA. From there, they both fell in love with the field. Both emphasized the importance of loving a facet of transportation, but maintaining general knowledge of every aspect of the field. Yu mentioned that students going into the field must pursue every opportunity available to them while still having an understanding of the big picture.

The conversation continued with unique advice that stems from Yoh and Yu’s experiences in the workforce, even including anecdotes from their own careers about waiting months to hear back from fruitful job positions and cultivating relationships with those they worked for.

The evening concluded with a Q&A period where Yoh and Yu answered questions from USC ITE members and guests. Thank you to Allison Yoh and Kimberly Yu for speaking with USC ITE and the USC community. We are beyond grateful for your time and advice.