Kathleen Frankle

Communications Director, Build America Center, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

Kathleen Frankle has 28 years of experience as a Program Manager in the transportation industry. Ms. Frankle is an expert at management and organization and excels at getting the job done correctly the first time; on-time and within budget.

As the Marketing Manager for the University of Maryland Project Management Center for Excellence, Ms. Frankle is directly responsible for continuous improvements and content to the Center’s website, maintaining existing partner relationships as well as generating new relationships, development of marketing materials to promote undergraduate/graduate education programs plus the Center’s professional development programs. Ms. Frankle also serves as the lead for the Center’s annual two-day Project Management Symposium.

Ms. Frankle is directly responsible for the development and management of two types of education programs for transportation professionals. One is the Consortium for Innovative Transportation Education (CITE) which provides interactive online courses for college students and transportation professionals who wish to enhance their knowledge and skills in transportation systems management and operations (TSMO). The Operations Academy Senior Management Program is the second education program directed by Ms. Frankle. It is a two-week total immersion program focused on providing TSMO training specifically to state DOT’s, toll authorities, MPOs and law enforcement.

Relevant Project Experience

• University of Maryland Project Management Center for Excellence. 2016-Current. Marketing Manager. The Project Management Center for Excellence offers a wide variety of education opportunities for students plus industry professionals. Ms. Frankle is responsible for maintaining existing partner relationships as well as generating new ones. Through these relationships, the Center assists with partner program offerings such as annual events – providing speakers for monthly/annual activities. Ms. Frankle develops marketing materials for in-person and virtual events, social media platforms, partner websites, and email marketing via Hubspot to the Center’s contact database of current students, graduates, academia, partners, and project management professionals.
• University of Maryland Project Management Symposium. 2013-Current. Co-Director Due to her management and organization skills, Ms. Frankle was specifically recruited from another University of Maryland project to assist with the initial Project Management Symposium. The Symposium was a huge success and has thus continued as an annual offering of the center. Participant testimonials from both the in-person and virtual events rave about the benefits they gleaned and look forward to participating in future events.
• Operations Academy Senior Management Program. 2006-Current. Director. The Operations Academy Senior Management Program is a two-week total immersion program focused on providing transportation system management and operations training specifically for state DOT’s, toll authorities, MPOs and law enforcement. Due to the ever-changing nature of the transportation industry and new technology advances, each year the curriculum is reassessed and updated. As of November 2020, a total of 501 participants have graduated from 16 offerings of the program representing 43 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The success of the Operations Academy led to the development of a shorter version of the program – the Regional Operations Forums (ROFs).
• Consortium for Innovative Transportation Education (CITE). 1999-Current. Director. CITE provides interactive online courses for college students and transportation professionals who wish to enhance their knowledge and skills in Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO). Since its inception in June 2000, CITE has developed, delivered, and maintained a variety of offerings including full-semester courses, independent study short courses, blended courses, and certificate programs. Ms. Frankle and her team have worked with numerous partners (FHWA, Maryland DOT, Washington State DOT, National Highway Institute) to expand CITE’s offerings. The CITE Program has won several awards including the ITE “Innovation in Education” Award in 2006, the ITS America “Best of ITS” Award for CITE’s Blended Courses in 2005 and the ITS America “Best of ITS” Award in 2002.