Gina Baas is the deputy director of the Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) at the University of Minnesota. In this position, she provides overall leadership for the Center in the areas of engagement and education through identifying new opportunities, securing funding, directing programs, guiding program and project delivery, and establishing future directions. As a member of the CTS Leadership Team, Baas helps guide all aspects of the Center’s operations including policy development, strategic positioning, resource allocation, and staff development.
Baas has more than 20 years of experience in convening stakeholder groups with multiple perspectives and in developing materials and information for use in the public sector. She leads projects to support stakeholder committees working on specific transportation topics and issues; to initiate process improvement and change management within agencies, including resources and training; to administer conferences and events; and to develop and maintain websites, electronic newsletters, and other communications products. Baas also oversees the Center’s education and workforce development functions, providing strategic direction and leading project delivery for outreach, education, and training opportunities that support K-12 students, undergraduate and graduate students, and practitioners.
Since 2010, Baas has served as a member of the Transportation Research Board’s Education and Training Committee while also participating on the committee’s leadership team as the Communications Coordinator. She has been active in the Minnesota Chapter of WTS International and served as co-chair for WTS International’s Membership Development Committee for four years. In 2012, she received the organization’s Member of the Year Award.
Prior to joining the Center’s staff in 1997, Baas was a project manager for a market research firm, C.J. Olson Market Research, and for a transportation consulting firm, LJR, Inc. Transportation Consultants and Planners. She was also a legislative assistant in the Minnesota office of U.S. Senator David Durenberger. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in political science with a minor in American history from the University of Iowa.