On June 14, 2022, as part of RPA’s centennial, Peter Herman was interviewed by Sarah Coffman, PhD Candidate at Rutgers University, about his experiences at Regional Plan Association.
Peter W. Herman (center), with Jeff Zupan, the first Peter W. Herman Chair recipient (left), and Tom Wright, RPA President and CEO (right)
Peter Herman’s relationship with RPA spans almost 50 years, starting when he helped re-write the Association’s by-laws in 1970. He has served on the board of directors for 31 years (and counting), as counsel and a member of the executive committee for 30 years, and 13 years as Chairman, including during the turbulent years after 9/11. He participated in the selection of three RPA presidents and the creation of two regional plans.
The Peter W. Herman Chair for Transportation is at the heart of RPA’s endowment fund. It was established in honor of Peter W. Herman, RPA’s longest-serving Director and Board Chair Emeritus. The annual proceeds of the fund are to support a prominent expert in the field of transportation planning, a program that has been at the core of RPA’s work since its founding in 1922.
In recognition of Herman’s lifelong service to the association, RPA established the Peter Herman Chair for Transportation in 2018, which Rachel Weinberger, PhD, currently holds. During her chairship, Rachel worked on projects ranging from economic benefit analysis of major infrastructure projects like the Gateway Program and the success and efficacy of the nation’s first-ever congestion pricing program.
Here is Rachel in her own words alongside a compilation of work undertaken during her chairship.
Dr. Rachel Weinberger has over 30 years of transportation planning experience in the public and private sectors and in academia. Weinberger is an internationally recognized expert in sustainable transportation with specializations in travel behavior, land use transportation interactions, economic impacts of the transportation system, and parking policy.
Recent Research by Rachel Weinberger
Additional Research by Rachel Weinberger
Jeff Zupan is a nationally recognized policy expert, with more than 50 years of experience in the transportation field. His work with RPA began in the 1960s, and from 1969 to 1980 he was the organization’s Chief Planner. Jeff has led the organization’s work in all facets of transportation planning and policy. He has been an invaluable mentor to RPA staff, a lead analyst and author on many of RPA’s most influential projects and publications, and a key player in the development of the Fourth Regional Plan. He is currently the Senior Fellow for Transportation at RPA.
Staff Bio
Jeff Zupan
Senior Fellow, Transportation
Jeff Zupan is a nationally recognized policy expert and consultant with more than 50 years of experience in the transportation field. He has been a lead analyst and author on many of RPA’s influential projects and publications, including the mobility section of the third regional plan, and the author of major portions of the fourth plan’s transportation section.
