October 10, 2018

September marked the end of another successful Eno/MAX program. Throughout 2018, a cohort of 48 students participated in the Eno/MAX (Multi-Agency Exchange) Program to share best practices, build their professional network, and enhance their leadership skills. Each of the six participating agencies (Regional Transportation District of Denver, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority, Valley Metro in Phoenix, and Sound Transit in Seattle) selected students to represent their agencies who had distinguished themselves as potential future leaders.

At the start of the program, the six participating agencies are sorted into two cohorts that visit each of the agencies in their cohort for a week. During each agency’s host week, they learn first-hand how each agency does business, from operations and maintenance to governance and administration, through presentations by agency leadership, tours, and the Meet Your Match exchanges.

Meet your Match exchanges give each participant in Eno/MAX the chance to meet one-on-one with a counterpart in a similar job at the host agency to learn best practices and share their knowledge.  These exchanges help students prepare for one of the most important aspects of the Eno/MAX program: the business project. Students complete their own business project during the year, focusing on an innovation or improvement that will add value to their agency. Examples of projects from this year’s cohort includecreating a committee of stakeholders to review projects for safety certification, establishing tools and strategies for virtual learning, developing a centralized process for receiving and processing all fare media complaints, and updating and improving Lost & Found policies and procedures to improve the current rate of return. At the end of the year, the students are given the opportunity to present their projects to senior leadership at their agency for potential implementation.

This year’s Eno/MAX program culminated in the first Eno Leadership Week, where all six agencies and the Eno team gathered in Nashville for the first time. Eno Leadership Week is focused on leadership development, polishing their individual business projects to prepare for their pitch to senior leadership, and celebrating their achievements from the year. The class learned about how to develop their own leadership skills on topics such as communication, listening, motivation, career development, and public speaking.  According to the students, other highlights of the week included a panel featuring the participating agency CEO’s and a simulated practice pitch of the participant’s business projects in front of “mock” CEOs. Eno Leadership Week was a great opportunity for both cohorts to meet and exchange their experiences from the year.

Eno looks forward to collaborating next year with the participating agencies to continue to improve and enhance the program.

The EnoMAX (Multi-Agency Exchange) Program is a collaborative leadership development, inter-agency networking and best-practice sharing program between public transportation operators and the Eno Center for Transportation. Founded in 2012, the MAX Program has brought together professionals from the Regional Transportation District of Denver, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority, Valley Metro (Phoenix) and Sound Transit (Seattle). In 2016, the Eno Center for Transportation partnered with these agencies to form the EnoMAX program. For more information on how your transit agency can participate, contact Karen Price at kprice@enotrans.org or fill out the interest form at the bottom of the MAX Program page online.