2026 North Jersey Transit Forum
Saturday, April 25, 2026 (7:15 AM - 5:30 PM) (EDT)
Description
What if North Jersey had a transit system that truly served everyone? The 2026 North Jersey Transit Forum creates a space for residents, agencies, businesses, and community leaders to answer that question together. Organized by HudCoStreets, the forum transforms diverse perspectives into a powerful, unified vision for the future of regional mobility.
Programming & Speakers
Keynote Speaker: Priya Jain, Chair of NJ TRANSIT, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation
MC: Katie Brennan, Assemblywoman, District 32
Welcome: James Solomon, Mayor, Jersey City
Opening Remarks: Craig Guy, County Executive, Hudson County
8:30 am - Better Buses: Exploring BRT for Hudson County and Beyond
Francesca Giarratana, Deputy Director, Dept. of Planning
Leah Katz, Acting Senior Director, Capital Planning, NJ Transit
Walter Hook, Ph.D., BRT Planning International
Renae Reynolds Executive Director, Tri-State Transportation Campaign
Phil Betheil, Deputy Director of Bus Priority, NYCDOT
Moderator: Clayton Lane Trustee, HudCoStreets
Moderator: James Lee Trustee, HudCoStreets
9:20 am - Better PATH: From Service Improvements to EWR Extension Plan
Raishea Haines, Superintendent of Transportation at PATH
Jim Heitmann, Chief Operating Officer, PANYNJ
Morgan Keane, Program Director, CX Strategy & Execution, PANYNJ
Rebecca Riehl, Assistant Director, Passenger Services & Customer Experience Division
Moderator: Andy Kaplan, Jersey City Director of Infrastructure, ITE-Met board, HudCoStreets Advisory Council
10:10 am - Better Light Rail: Connecting Hudson, Bergen & Essex Counties
Denise Ridley, Council President, Jersey City
Leah Katz, Acting Senior Director, Capital Planning,.NJ Transit
Bill O’Dea, Hudson County Commissioner, District 2
Emily Manz, Chief Business Development Officer, Director of Marketing, Invest Newark
Timothy Henkel, Chief Executive Officer, Pennrose, LLC
Shama A. Haider, Assemblywoman, District 37
Moderator: Emory Edwards, Executive Dir. Hudson County Chamber of Commerce
11:00 am - Funding Transit in New Jersey: From Operations to Capital Projects
Senator Angela McKnight, District 31
Senator Raj Mukherji, District 32
Assemblywoman Katie Brennan, District 32
Rep. LaMonica McIver, (NJ-10)
Rep. Rob Menendez, (NJ-08)
Assemblyman Andrew Macurdy, District 21
Moderator: Zoe Baldwin VP, State Programs, Regional Plan Association
Moderator: Doug O'Malley State Director, Environment NJ
1:30 pm - “Panel 5”: Access to Transit and First & Last Mile Solutions
Sam Schwartz, Chair, The Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College
Shabazz Stuart, Founder and CEO of Oonee
Debra Kagan, Executive Director, NJ Bike & Walk Coalition
Charles T. Brown, Founder and CEO, Equitable Cities LLC
Andy Kaplan, Jersey City Director of Infrastructure, ITE-Met board, HudCoStreets Advisory Council
Moderator, Talya Schwartz, President of SafeStreets JC, Vice President of HudCoStreets
Sponsorship Opportunities
We are inviting partners and businesses to help support the work that makes this forum a reality. If you would like to connect about sponsorship opportunities contact Emmanuelle Morgen at emmanuelle@hudcostreets.org.
2641 John F. Kennedy Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07306 United States
7:15am Doors open, Registration & Breakfast
8:00am Welcome & Opening Remarks
8:30am Panel # 1 - Better Buses: Exploring BRT for Hudson County and Beyond
9:20am Panel #2 - Better PATH: From Service Improvements to EWR Extension Plan
10:10am Panel #3 - Better Light Rail: Connecting Hudson, Bergen & Essex Counties
11:00am Panel #4 - Funding Transit in NJ: From Operations to Capital Projects
12:00pm Keynote by Priya Jain, Chair of NJ TRANSIT and Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation
12:30pm Lunch
1:30pm “Bus Bench Chat”: Acess to Transit or “First and Last Mile Solutions”
2:30pm Infrastructure Tours Depart
4:30pm Afternoon Tea & Coffee
5:00pm Closing Remarks
5:30pm Happy Hour
Chamber of Commerce Events
Member Events