The award-winning Transit Citizen Leadership Academy is designed to equip participants across the 10 counties of Middle Tennessee with the tools and resources to understand the ways transit intersects with our lives.
Through presentations, panels, and discussions, participants are given important information and tools about how vital multimodal transit is in the region. TCLA participants also learn about the emerging mass transit options that can address our mobility needs today and well into the future.
Take a look at the upcoming TCLA Agenda.
Apply for future Transit Citizen Leadership Academy Classes here.
The Academy is built around a six-session program with presentations led by industry experts and leading professionals.
Presenters have included regional mayors; Steve Bland, CEO of WeGo Public Transit; Michelle Lacewell, Greater Nashville Regional Council; Carol Westlake, Executive Director for Tennessee Disability Coalition; Toks Omishakin, former-Deputy Commissioner of TDOT; Pam Kordenbrock, Federal Highway Administration; and more.
Due to COVID-19, the TCLA is now virtual via Zoom. It is still free to attend.

In six, two-hour classes, the TCLA covers some or all of the following:
- Scanning The Landscape – A look at the historical, economic and social impact of transportation in the United States and Tennessee
- Field Trip/Mass Transit Experience – What’s new in the region, including next steps and/or trends to watch
- Understanding Current Reality – An exploration of Middle Tennessee’s transit system and the challenges we face
- Evaluating the Options – An examination weighing value and cost of options for Middle Tennessee, informed by global best practices
- Broadening the Scope – Examining the definition of Multimodal Transportation, including technology and other nontraditional alternatives
- Graduation – Presentations of certificates, lessons learned, ways to engage the community and create the conversation through identification and activation of community resources to support transit conversations
The first five classes were done in collaboration with a founding partner the Nelson and Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership at Lipscomb University. The Alliance is grateful for the support from Lipscomb University.

Click here to view a list of TCLA alumni by county.
TCLA APPLICATION