October 3-5 and 10-12, 2023

KEYNOTE AND PLENARY SPEAKERS

Veronica Davis

Veronica O. Davis is Director of Transportation & Drainage Operations for Houston, Texas, leading the team responsible for maintaining and improving the infrastructure that spans Houston’s 671 square miles. Veronica has nearly 20 years of experience in engineering and transportation planning. She is an Entrepreneur and Civil Engineer, co-founding Nspiregreen, LLC., which manages Community, Multimodal Transportation, and Environmental planning and consulting. While at Nspiregreen, she led the Vision Zero Action Plans for Washington, DC and the City of Alexandria. She co-founded Black Women Bike, an organization and movement which builds a community and interest in biking among black women through education, advocacy and recreation. Veronica was recognized as a Champion of Change by the White House in 2012 for her professional accomplishments and advocacy.

Veronica graduated with Bachelor of Science from University of Maryland College Park and a Master of Engineering and a Master of Regional and Urban Planning, Land Use and Environmental Planning from Cornell University. She completed graduate work towards a PhD in Civil Engineering from University of Maryland College Park. Veronica serves on the committees for Transportation Research Board, the board for America Walks, as well as technical advisory boards at the University of Maryland and Cornell University.

Beatriz Rodrigues

Beatriz Rodrigues is a Program Manager at GDCI, supporting cities that are part of the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS). Beatriz holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the Federal University of Ceara (UFC) and a Master’s in Transportation Planning from the same University. Before joining GDCI, she worked as the Urban Design Coordinator for cities in northeast Brazil, as part of BIGRS, and served as a Transportation Planner in the City of Fortaleza, Brazil. 

Closing Keynote: Thursday, October 12
1:00 pm ET  

Transforming Safe, Accessible and Healthy Streets: Lessons Learned from Latin American Cities

Road safety is a critical and pressing issue that impacts communities worldwide. Approximately 1.3 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes, and more than half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users, a consequence of an urban mobility model that prioritizes moving cars and not people. Low- and Middle-Income Countries, such as Latin American countries, suffer the large majority (93%) of global road crash deaths and face particular challenges in managing this crisis. 

Willing to transform cities around the world, GDCI has been working for nine years to inspire leaders, inform practitioners, and invite communities to imagine what’s possible when we design streets that put people first. For this session, we will explore some Latin American experiences on street transformations that can inspire people around the world to transform their streets into safe, healthy, accessible, and equitable spaces for everyone.