Kamala Parks

Kamala has been working in the transportation planning, engineering, and research fields since 2005 in both public and private sectors. Her specialties include transit, zoning and land use, motorized and non-motorized travel, parking management, commute benefits, car sharing, analysis tools (Synchro, Excel, etc.), and expertise with multi-modal and off-street level of service. Highlights include: • Project manager for implementation of Assembly Bill 2923, a role in which she is facilitating a transparent and collaborative process with local jurisdictions to alleviate concerns about BART’s ability to zone its own land. • Deputy project manager for BART’s Berkeley-El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan, which entails extensive outreach and analysis for developing strategies to access BART before transit-oriented development is built on surface parking lots at three stations. • Project manager for BART’s Walk and Bicycle Network Gap Study Phase 2 in addition to spearheading a consolidation of both study phases into one document, published June 2020. • Deputy project manager for the Safe Routes to BART program, an ongoing competitive grant program to distribute Measure RR funds to local agencies for projects that improve active access to BART. • Implementing the City of Berkeley’s one-way car share program by working closely with the City of Oakland and internally with enforcement, legal counsel, the parking division, and many others to author legislation, develop protocols, and manage the vendor, Gig CarShare. • Successful applications for and management of discretionary funding from local, regional, state, and federal sources, including California's Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities, Alameda County Transportation Commission's Federal Aid, MTC's Climate Initiatives Program, and FHWA's Value Pricing Pilot Program. • Managing a team of eight staff members to provide Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Assessments for UC Berkeley’s Institute of Transportation Studies Tech Transfer Program to California municipalities. Work also included developing a handbook for statewide bicycle safety assessments. Her skills include developing strong and supportive professional relationships, effective project management, clear and concise communication, and being an engaging and dynamic public speaker. She graduated from the city of Berkeley's Leadership Development Program in July 2017 and served as president of the San Francisco Bay Area section of the Institute of Transportations Engineers 2011-2012. She is also a drummer.