Board Election Candidates
Candidate Bios
Please read through all of the candidate bios below before voting. Polls are open at the link here: ITSPA Board Election Ballot - 2025
Gabby Benson, Sr. Incident Management and TMC Ops Specialist/Project Manager, Drive Engineering Corp.
Gabby is a Sr. Incident Management/TMC Operations Specialist/Project Manager for Drive Engineering with over 17 years of experience in law enforcement, emergency management, TIM and TMC operations. She oversees and provides technical insight on a variety of transportation projects for clients in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. Prior to her work with Drive Engineering, Gabby supervised and was later the consultant Project Manager of PennDOT’s Statewide Traffic Management Center. Gabby began her professional career with the Pennsylvania State Police, providing operator and supervisory communications support at the PSP Central Dispatch Center and PSP Troop H, Newport.
Past Participation with ITSPA
Gabby has just completed her first term on ITSPA Board of Directors, where she assisted with the Annual Conference throughout the term, as well as co-led ITSPA’s DEI section. She has presented and moderated on multiple occasions at the ITSPA Conference. She was also part of the 2018 Project-of-the-Year winning team for PennDOT’s TMC Bootcamp.
Things to accomplish as a board member of ITSPA
- Increase diversity in membership, participation and engagement with ITSPA and the ITSPA Conference.
- Facilitate engagement with the responder community regarding emerging technologies to increase safety throughout Pennsylvania.
- Foster relationships with neighboring ITS organizations and states to provide additional insight into emerging technologies
Miguel de la Riva, PE, PTOE, MSCE, IMSA III, Traffic Operations Program Supervisor, PTC
Miguel brings nearly 25 years of specialized experience in transportation engineering. He has delivered a wide range of solutions for state, county, municipal, and private-sector clients. Miguel’s extensive and well-rounded experience encompasses all phases of the project delivery cycle, starting with initial the idea and continuing through detailed planning, design (preliminary and final), cost estimating, construction consultation, project monitoring, and final evaluation. Miguel is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, and now serves as the Traffic Operations Program Supervisor for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. He is committed to advancing the Turnpike’s Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) program, ensuring the safe and efficient movement of people and goods across the 564-mile system.
Past Participation with ITSPA
Miguel is an active member of ITSPA and, at the ITSPA Annual Conference in 2025, presented on the topic of Open Road Tolling (ORT) Conversion: Opportunities and Challenges on PA Turnpike’s ITS Devices Program.
Things to accomplish as a board member of ITSPA
- Advocate for the expansion and deployment of cost-effective ITS solutions in the Commonwealth, championing innovation to make transportation safer and more efficient for all stakeholders.
- Advocate for the standardization of ITS implementations to ensure interoperability and system integration for efficient Transportation Systems Management and Operations.
- Advocate for the sustainability of ITS deployments by ensuring implementations are reliable, cost-effective over their lifecycle, and contribute positively to environmental and social goals.
Tyler Hall, P.E., Traffic Engineer, McCormick Taylor Inc.
Tyler is a Traffic Engineer at McCormick Taylor, Inc. with over nine years of experience delivering transportation projects across many of the firm’s active East Coast states. His focus ranges from intersection improvement projects to large-scale reconstruction projects, with a strong emphasis on designing and implementing ITS devices and communication systems that meet his clients’ needs and solve real-world problems. He has aided local and state partners in identifying and advancing their ITS needs, actively supports implementing TSMO (Transportation Systems Management and Operations) strategies, and is engaged in evolving conversations around autonomous and connected vehicles. Tyler is known for his organization, dependability, and collaborative approach, which have earned him the trust of project teams and clients alike. Outside of his technical work, Tyler is deeply committed to community and professional service. He actively looks for ways to apply his skills and leadership to organizations that advance transportation, innovation, and public benefit—most notably through his involvement with ITE and with Philadelphia-area high schools that support STEM initiatives..
Past Participation with ITSPA
Tyler has been a consistent participant in the ITSPA Annual Meeting for the last several years and served as a conference committee volunteer and speaker at the most recent 2025 Annual Meeting. He has attended several local events and advocates for new members to join the organization to continue bolstering the ITSPA community.
Things to accomplish as a board member of ITSPA
- Knowledge Sharing. Establish a structured knowledge-sharing program that builds off the success of the ITSPA Annual Meeting that includes regular best-practice workshops and a shared repository of ITS design resources. This program will promote an inclusive environment and improve design consistency and sustainability across Pennsylvania.
- Organizational Growth. Assist ITSPA’s membership development through targeted outreach and hosting new educational or networking events, as well as exploring collaborative initiatives with other industry organizations to expand visibility and member value.
- Early-Career Engagement. Launch a formal early-career engagement initiative that includes a mentor-mentee program and events specifically for early-career professionals to strengthen connections with established ITSPA members and deepen future membership.
Megan McElwee, Solutions Engineer, Iteris
Megan has 9 years of experience leading and delivering client projects that encompass strategic planning, advanced transportation technologies, traffic engineering, and stakeholder outreach. As Solutions Engineer at Iteris, Megan uses her traffic engineering background to aid in the growth and delivery of Iteris’s ClearGuide transportation analytics software. Megan previously worked as a traffic and ITS engineer at Jacobs and Iteris and currently serves as Vice President on the ITS Pennsylvania Board. Megan received her undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and her Master’s in Civil Infrastructure Systems from the University of Delaware. She is a registered Professional Engineer in Delaware.
Past Participation with ITSPA
- Current Chair of Marketing and Communications
- Current Co-chair of DEI Committee
- Past Treasurer (2023-2024)
- Current Vice President (2025)
Things to accomplish as a board member of ITSPA
- Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion: It is important to me to expand ITSPA’s reach and engagement by diversifying outreach efforts, events, and content to engage with a broader range of transportation professionals and grow our organization.
- Refresh our brand: I'd like to work with the board to modernize the ITSPA logo and brand identity to align with technology advancement and industry growth with the goals of fostering innovation, attracting new members and inspiring the next generation of ITS professionals in Pennsylvania.
- Advance innovation: I will continue to position ITSPA as a driving force for knowledge sharing and innovation and lead the effort to bridge the gap between traditional transportation projects and emerging technologies to make innovation accessible and create a safer, more efficient and equitable transportation network.
David Palley, P.E., Traffic and ITS Engineer, AECOM
David is a Traffic and ITS Engineer at AECOM with over nine years of professional experience in traffic and ITS planning, analysis and design. A former college athlete, he prides himself on being a great teammate and collaborator, bringing innovative solutions to challenging problems. David has contributed to delivering projects across the country, while maintaining a strong focus on local Pennsylvania clients like PennDOT, PTC and City of Pittsburgh.
Past Participation with ITSPA
David has been an ITSPA volunteer since 2018, beginning with the western area events committee. Since 2021 he has co-chaired the Organizing and Operating committee responsible for managing and updating bylaws, organizing annual awards, and overseeing board elections. Elected to the Board of Directors in 2023, David has served as the ITSPA Secretary since 2024. David also served as co-chair for the 2024 ITSPA Annual Conference in Pittsburgh.
Things to accomplish as a board member of ITSPA
- Increase Organizational Reach – grow ITSPA’s pool of volunteers to include more young members, students, vendors, transit agencies, and stakeholders in out transportation systems. Foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for new volunteers to help prepare our next generation of leaders.
- Engage with Vehicle Automation Experts – with the retirement of the PAAV Summit, ITSPA is positioned to continue to provide updates to members in the connected and automated vehicle industry. Located in Pittsburgh, David is well positioned to connect with AV researchers and companies and bring their expertise to ITSPA membership.
- Modernize Organizational Operations – While we’ve made progress in integrating our website, electronic payment collections, and virtual meetings, and conference apps, more can still be done to build organizational knowledge of website management and further leverage digital tools available to us.
Gunnar Rhone, PE, Engineering Specialist, PennDOT
Gunnar Rhone serves as the Engineering Specialist in PennDOT’s Transformational Technology Division. With over 11 years of engineering experience, his expertise spans Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) pilots, deployments, and emerging mobility solutions nationwide. His portfolio includes key leadership in PennDOT’s ADS Demonstration Project, two Networked V2X SMART Grant projects, PA NEVI State Plan and Grant Program, and PennDOT’s AV test track (PennSTART). He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering and MBA, both from The Pennsylvania State University.
Past Participation with ITSPA
As a member of ITSPA since 2021, Gunnar served on the 2025 Annual Meeting committee and has been a regular presenter at ITSPA conferences. He also contributes to the broader national dialogue through his involvement with both ITS America’s V2X and AI Committees.
Things to accomplish as a board member of ITSPA
- Advocate for increased funding for ITS initiatives at both the state and federal levels.
- Strengthen academic partnerships to bridge the gap between university research and real-world deployment.
- Expand engagement with students and young professionals to build a robust pipeline of future ITS leaders.
Andrew Robison, Traffic/ITS Project Manager, Drive Engineering Corp.
Andrew is a traffic and ITS engineer with 12 years of experience with Drive Engineering in their Camp Hill office. He is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University. Andrew’s work experience includes traffic signal design, ITS design, and traffic safety projects for clients such as the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, City of Philadelphia and other municipal governments. Andrew has served on the Transportation Engineering and Safety Conference Steering Committee for the last 5 years.
Past Participation with ITSPA
Andrew’s participation with ITSPA includes attending annual meetings and local events.
Things to accomplish as a board member of ITSPA
- Help bring together traditional traffic engineers with ITS professionals and collaborate on ideas to integrate ITS with conventional traffic engineering practices.
- Help educate how ITS applications can be used to enhance the safety of vulnerable road users.
- Help increase involvement and participation of younger professionals.
