The presentation will include an overview of the Community Transportation Academy program and its potential to build capacity and deep public engagement in local transportation planning. Speakers from 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, Bike Cleveland, and BikeWalkKC will share about their own experiences and curriculum. The Community Transportation Academy is a free 10-week course that provides local participants with the fundamentals of local transportation planning and equips them with skills to advocate for themselves and their communities. Each Academy is tailored for the community in which it is held. Participants represent a diverse cross-section of the community, including advocates, college students, young professionals, public sector employees, commissioners, advocates, business owners, healthcare professionals, and retirees. The Academy helps bridge the gap between community advocates and transportation planning entities by providing new avenues for public engagement and creative problem-solving in local transportation planning. The Community Transportation Academy began as a program of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin. Academies have been held in several cities in Wisconsin, including La Crosse, Stevens Point, Beloit, and Kenosha. In 2024 the program expanded to 5 other cities in the upper Midwest: Cleveland, Des Moines, Detroit, Kansas City, and Minneapolis.