Keynote Speaker

Laura Zale

Senior Director, Capital Program Support, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

Laura Zale is the senior director of Capital Program Support at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). Her work in developing an asset management program, coordinating construction projects with Amtrak, and performing public relations for SEPTA’s “Building the SEPTA Future” program have enabled Zale to learn the public transportation business from the ballast up. Zale is the principal author of SEPTA's Transit Asset Management Plan. She has a passion for collaborating with transit agency peers to advance the practice of asset management, and she sits on several national asset management committees. Zale is the chair of APTA's State of Good Repair Working Group and the co-chair of APTA's Performance Based Planning Committee. She was the transit chair for the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th Transportation Asset Management Conferences. She is the conference chair for the 2023 conference. Zale facilitates the Authority’s “Tour de EM&C” and Junior Engineer training programs. She holds degrees in civil and architectural engineering from Drexel University.