Laura Grams

As transit planning lead, Laura works to elevate our practice and develop staff involved with policy, systems planning, corridor planning and development, funding, and operations and safety. Her work spans all transit modes, from paratransit and intercity passenger rail to bus rapid transit, commuter rail and more. Laura helps clients future-proof their investments while taking advantage of emerging transportation trends such as automated, connected, electric and shared vehicles, micro-transit, micro-mobility and big data.

She serves as the program manager for our long-standing General Planning Consultant services contract with Houston METRO. In this role, she directs the day-to-day management of the contract, working closely with both METRO and our staff to ensure high-quality transit for the people of Houston.

In her work with Houston and generally, Laura is passionate about her work with Small and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. She co-authored an article explaining our approach, "Collaborative Strategies to Strengthen S/DBE Engagement on Transportation Infrastructure Programs.”

She is most passionate about people and relationships. It is through relationships that we best leverage talents and are successful in building projects that positively affect communities. Her most rewarding experience during her time with us has been helping develop and mentor staff. Recently, she mentored several staff nationwide, and notes that watching them grow personally and professionally is extremely rewarding. One person, in particular, has made a large impact on Laura’s life, and years later, they still meet monthly to help encourage one another.

Laura is also known for her entrepreneurship, developing a patent-pending transit solution that won “Most Likely to Be Implemented Today,” at the 2014 American Public Transportation Association Public Transportation Innovation Challenge.

Laura graduated from the 2020/2021 Leadership APTA Class and is now an APTA Emerging Leaders Mentor. She wrote the APTA white paper “Transit Leadership in the Post-COVID-19 Mobility Landscape: Part Two: Measures to Improve Workforce and Rider Behaviors and Influence Messaging and Branding” in September 2020. She is also an active member of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials.