Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee

The Transit Citizen Leadership Academy (TCLA) is the Transit Alliance’s award-winning program designed to equip participants across the 10 counties of Middle Tennessee with the tools and resources to understand how transit intersects with our lives, contributes to higher quality of life, sustains a vibrant economy, and builds pathways to equity.

The TCLA is a six-session program with presentations led by industry experts and leading professionals. Through presentations, panels, and discussions, participants can synthesize vital information about transit issues in the region. Industry-leading experts lead compelling and fact-based conversations and give participants the knowledge and tools to become thought leaders on the vital role of transit in the region today and into the future.

TCLA participants learn about the following:

  • the process of funding transit and infrastructure;
  • the impact transit has on our economy, health, environment, and equity;
  • the responsibilities of local, state, and federal players;
  • the importance of regional, corridor, and other studies and plans; as well as 
  • the emerging mass transit options that can address our mobility needs today and well into the future.

Past presenters include 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.

TCLA 22 starts on Wednesday, September 1 and registration is open. 

Apply for future Transit Citizen Leadership Academy Classes here.

Alumni Audit Registration

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

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