Executive Director's Report August 2026
I'm writing this fresh off the excitement of ACT's 40th Annual International Conference, and if you were in the room, you know exactly what I mean. Forty years was a milestone worth marking, and this community showed up to mark it right: a memorable opening reception, packed sessions, conversations that ran long, that unmistakable energy of people who spent a few days steeped in a topic they love, and bobbleheads! What struck me most was watching connections form in real time, first-time attendees finding their people, longtime members reconnecting after a year (or more) apart. That's the real return on a conference like this for those showing up in person, not via Zoom or Teams, or an AI chatbot. You leave with new ideas, sure, but you also leave with a wider circle of people you can call on when you're stuck. Forty years in, ACT is still doing exactly what it was built to do.
That same spirit of learning from others carries us straight into the fall, when ACT leads a delegation of members to the Netherlands. I have said it before and I'll say it again because it matters: there's no substitute for standing in a place where the ideas we spend our careers advocating for aren't aspirational, they just are. Seeing a transportation system built around choice rather than default car dependency changes how you talk about your own work when you get home. If you've been on the fence, consider this your nudge. There are just a handful of spots remaining and the return on investment, in perspective if nothing else, is significant.
Closer to home, ACT Board elections are underway, and I couldn't be more excited about this year's slate of nominees. It's a genuinely impressive group, people who raised their hands because they care about this organization and want to help it grow. That kind of willingness to serve deserves real recognition, and Board service means real work: budget decisions, strategy discussions, time carved out of already full plates. Every one of these nominees chose to take that on. The least we can do is meet that energy with our own, so take a few minutes to review the slate and cast your vote. It's a small step that goes a long way in supporting the people willing to do the harder work of keeping ACT strong.
Speaking of the Board, our July Board meeting centered on a key piece of ACT’s Strategic Plan – reassessing ACT’s vision and mission. It wasn't a quick rubber-stamp exercise, it was a genuinely thoughtful conversation about what ACT stands for and where we're headed. This was just the first step in a process, and I look forward to updating the membership as it advances.
Looking ahead, don't forget that TDM Week is September 14-18. This is a great opportunity to get on social media and spotlight the real value and benefits TDM brings to your communities. A single post about reduced congestion, cleaner air, or a commuter program that actually changed someone's day or enabled someone to access a job, can go a long way toward building public awareness for the work we do.
Thank you, as always, for being part of this community and for the work you do every day to move our field forward.
Sincerely,
David