Topics: Transit-Oriented Communities
Tags: Mpact Innovators
by Trinity Ek, Director of Emerging Professional Programs at Mpact
When I was younger, I dreamed of being an artist or a pastry chef. I didn’t turn out to be either, but I did enter the workforce at 15 years old, with a position at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. I had interviewed and accepted the job all the while knowing I was without a license or a car. To get from my suburban home to Minneapolis, I only really had one option: the bus.
Taking the bus for the first time
Taking the bus for the first time was scary. I had to figure out how to signal my stop, whether I was paying rush or non-rush fares, and in this case, let the bus driver know I was getting off at 35W and Lake since it was not a part of the standard route. I enlisted my best friend to practice my trip to work with me; thankfully they knew more about riding the bus than I did. After taking a local route to the transit center and transferring onto another bus, we arrived at our destination. Each step of the way felt like a great accomplishment. For the next year, I took that hour and half trip each week and experienced my fair share of missed transfers, missed stops, and long walks. Despite those moments, I also got to experience the independence and access that comes with learning how to ride transit.
Trinity on the Minneapolis Art Institute’s “Art Team.” At left, Family Day: Language of Art (2016), and right, Third Thursday: Eyewitness Views (2017).
Eventually, I finished high school and left my job at the museum. Interested in the ways we are and are not connected by the built environment, I pursued an Urban Studies degree from the University of Minnesota. There, I explored my interests through research on the Mississippi River and St. Anthony Falls and a year-long internship at the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Like every college senior, I furiously applied for dozens of jobs, ultimately (and luckily) ending up at Rail~Volution, the organization we now know as Mpact.
Founded as Rail~Volution in 1995, the organization began as a regional conference in Portland, Ore., later growing into a national one, where people gathered to share best practices about creating livable, connected communities around transit. Even as the conference reached new audiences, featuring innovative speakers about how to build cities around transit, the founders recognized a need to engage the next generation and people new to the field.
The New Rail~Volutionaries
In came the New Rail~Volutionaries—a group with a mission to increase new and emerging professional representation, voice, and ideas in the movement and at the conference. For a time, they met in local chapters around the country but eventually simplified as one national group. They introduced new activities to the conference, such as Idea Exchanges (more informal, discussion-oriented conference sessions), mentorship matchmaking and the now fan favorite Mpact PK Slam (powered by PechaKucha™). Their primary goal was to make the movement more welcoming to new and emerging professionals, which they accomplished through these many new formats and ideas. The group also offered a space to examine what was being overlooked and explore what is possible in the work to build transit-oriented communities.
Mpact Innovators
In 2022, the organization introduced its new identity as Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility. As part of this change, the New Rail~Volutionaries brainstormed and voted on a new name: the Mpact Innovators.
For the 2024 Mpact Transit + Community conference in Philadelphia, the group came up with engaging activities for all conference attendees, but especially with emerging professionals in mind. Among other events, they planned and led:
- Walking tours to interesting places (the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Hub of Hope, and SEPTA’s Suburban Station, where the Color Me Back program happens),
- A give back event at Philly House,
- A happy hour to welcome new attendees,
- Wellness activities, like a practical self-care session and a morning group run,
- And the Mpact PK Slam (powered by PechaKucha™).
While helping to support the Innovators’, I got to see the enthusiasm, creativity, and energy with which they approach their work.
Walking tour gathering in the lobby at the 2024 Mpact Transit + Community conference.
Walking tour to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania at the 2024 Mpact Transit + Community conference.
Mpact Innovators morning run group in Philadelphia.
Join the Mpact Innovators
In 2025, the Innovators have hit the ground running and are expanding what they do. Mpact staff support for the Innovators has expanded too, a signal of the organization’s commitment to engaging with and hearing from new leaders in the field. As the Director of Emerging Professional Programs, I’m working with the Innovators to think about ways to be active year-round. In addition to the activities from past years, opportunities will exist beyond the conference to connect and learn. We also are exploring new partnerships in our work. Now is a great moment for new Innovators to join.
If you are:
- Passionate about supporting the next generation of leaders building transit-oriented communities,
- Excited to organize opportunities where people can connect and learn,
- And equipped with fresh, creative, and unique ideas to offer,
Then you would be a great fit for the Innovators! The group is free to join, and Innovators can be at any stage of their career. If you’re interested learning more, visit the Mpact Innovators page and complete the interest form at the bottom.
As a new and emerging professional myself, I find immense value in and gratitude for the work that the Innovators do. They make room for new and emerging professionals to learn, grow, connect and share their ideas and priorities. Innovators who are new and emerging professionals themselves have the opportunity to make their voices heard, take on leadership roles, and further develop their networks and careers.
Last year while in Minneapolis with Mpact’s National Steering Committee, I joined a tour where I got to visit that bus stop that I used to get off at every week for my first job. But it wasn’t just a bus stop anymore – now, it’s a two-story transit station. So much had changed and grown since I was last there. I’m hoping for similar transformation with the Mpact Innovators program. With time, and with all the enthusiasm and brilliance of the Innovators, there’s no doubt the program will grow and change, and continue to fulfill the mission to support the future leaders building transit-oriented communities. I’m excited to be a part of it!
Thank you!
A huge thank you to the past chairs and leaders of the Mpact Innovators and New Rail~Volutionaries, listed below. Also, thanks to everyone (too many to list!) who led local chapters in the early days!
- Art Pearce, Portland Bureau of Transportation
- Eric Hesse, Portland Bureau of Transportation
- Cole Hiniker, Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities
- Steve Granson, HNTB
- Shantelle Dreamer, WSP
- Corrie Parrish, Kittelson and Associates
Trinity Ek (they/she) is the Director of Emerging Professional Programs at Mpact. They manage the Mpact Innovators and direct other emerging professional programming at the organization.