Staff Directory

Robert Phipps | Interim Director

Email: Robert Phipps | Voice Mail: 559-233-4148 ext. 210
Administration, legislation, policy development, human relations, grant writing and budgeting; Overall Work Program (OWP) development; Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) and Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) maintenance and programming, including Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) and Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) programs; FresnoTrak administration and technical support to member agencies; Freeway Service Patrol; FTA 5310 and Access for All programs; public information and Measure C Carpool/Vanpool, Ag Worker Vanpool and Senior Scrip programs oversight; Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) 1.0 and 2.0 program management; One Voice and Valley Voice legislative programs.

Paul Herman | Principal Planner

Email: Paul Herman | Voice Mail: 559-233-4148 ext. 215

Lead staff of the agency’s long-range regional transportation and land-use planning programs, including Fresno COG’s Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS). Oversees the agency’s modeling program and the special studies/plans program. Lead staff on the TradePorts California project. Measure C implementation, passenger rail and mass transit, freight transportation and logistics.

Brenda Thomas | Administrative Services Manager, Public Information Officer

Email: bthomas@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 219

Administration & management of Fresno COG’s Measure C programs staff. Responsible for public Information/outreach, event planning, Fresno COG website, media relations, graphic design and printed documents. Staffs the Measure C Citizen Oversight Committee and the Fresno County Airport Land Use Commission. One Voice D.C. advocacy trip planning efforts. assists with Measure C New Technology Program. Lead staff for FTA Section 5310 and 5339 programs. Bikeway maps and Transportation Guide development.

Kai Han | Senior Regional Planner

Email: khan@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 206
Traffic Modeling, Conformity Modeling, GIS, SB 375, Traffic counts and monitoring report. Computer hardware and software support, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

Santosh Bhattarai  | Senior Regional Planner

Email: bhattarai@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 214
Travel Demand Modeling, Transportation Data Analysis, Traffic Impact Study, GIS Mapping, Transportation System Performance, Transportation and Land Use Modeling, Land Use and Environmental Impacts

Pankaj Joshi | Associate Regional Planner

Email: joshi@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 202
Travel Demand Modeling and Land Use Modeling, Data Analysis and Visualization, Traffic Impact Study, GIS Analysis, Congestion Management Program, Fresno Regional Data Center, Transportation Performance Management.

Shichen Fan | Senior Regional Planner

Email: sfan@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 243
GIS/Mapping, Data Support, Database Administration, Demographics, land use modeling, ITHIM, Transportation Performance Management, and General Support (Sustainable Communities Strategy, Environmental Justice, Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee (RTMF) Program, Vanpool Program, etc.)

Simran Jhutti | Senior Regional Planner

Email: jhutti@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 241

Lead project staff for the San Joaquin Valley Inland Port Study; manges the Fresno County Active Transportation Plan Update and the Measure C New Technology program; lead staff for freight planning; other planning responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor.

Juan Ramirez | Associate Regional Planner

Email: JRamirez@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 217

Lead staff for air quality conformity; manages the Fresno County Regional Microtransit Study; project staff for the Fresno County Sixth Cycle Multijurisdictional Housing Element Update; grant writing; and other planning responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor.

Jake Martinez | Associate Regional Planner

Email: jmartinez@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 207
Fresno COG’s Valleyrides Program implementation, program manager for the Measure C Carpool Incentive Program, outreach coordinator for all Measure C ridesharing and senior programs. Program manager for the Measure C Senior Scrip Program and the Commuter Vanpool and Agricultural Worker Subsidy Programs. San Joaquin Valley Rural Transit Alternatives Project and the Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee (RTMF) Program support. Staffs the Measure C Citizen Oversight Committee, offers graphic design, social media and public outreach support as well as Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee (RTMF) Program support.

Ofelia Abundez | Associate Regional Planner

Email: oabundez@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 205
Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP); FresnoTrak administration and technical support to member agencies, Safe Routes to School, San Joaquin Valley Rural Transit Alternatives Project and the Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee (RTMF) Program support. other planning responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor. Provides Spanish translation and interpretation.

Matthew Shimizu | Associate Regional Planner

Email: mshimizu@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 240

Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP); FresnoTrak administration and technical support to member agencies; other planning responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor.

Jennifer Rodriguez | Associate Regional Planner

Email: jrodriguez@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 203

Safe Routes to Schools, Climate Resiliency/Adaptation Plan, Complete Streets, Environmental Justice, Regional Climate Action Plan, Regional Active Transportation Plan, Special Transportation Planning Studies, and other planning responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor.

Les Beshears | Finance Director

Email: beshears@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 209
Administration, budget, accounting, finance, management of accounting staff, Freeway Service Patrol.

Toni Graham | Accounting Manager

Email: tgraham@fresnocog.org | Phone: 201
Billing, assist Finance Director, TDA accounting, personnel records, Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee (RTMF) Program, and Abandoned Vehicle Abatement (AVA) accounting.

Charlie Fane | Assistant Accounting Manager

Email: cfane@fresnocog.org | Phone: 208
Assists Accounting Manager with all billing and accounting.

Denise Flores | Office Administrator

Email: dflores@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 222
Assist management/agency staff with special projects and manage all office duties. Serve as secretary to TTC, PAC and COG Policy Board and FCRTA Board.  Create and distribute all agendas, meeting minutes and packets.  Regional Transportation Plan and Overall Work Program support.

Stephanie Maxwell | Receptionist

Email: smaxwell@fresnocog.org | Voice Mail: 200
Receptionist, support to staff, minutes for various meetings, Regional Clearinghouse, Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee (RTMF) Program, Measure C Senior Scrip customer service, office supplies and materials inventory, filing, copying, phones, mail & other general office duties. Maintains master mailing lists and data base.

Jeff Long | Senior Regional Planner, Fresno Area Express (FAX)

Email: Jeff.Long@fresno.gov | Phone: 559-621-1436
Regional public transportation planning and coordination, National Transit Database Reporting, Transit Productivity Report, Short Range Transit Plan, Title VI Reporting, Staff SSTAC and Conduct Unmet Transit Needs Process, JARC/New Freedom implementation, and public outreach.

Todd Sobrado | Associate Planner, Fresno Area Express (FAX)

Email: Harold.Sobrado@fresno.gov | Phone: 559-621-1532
Marketing, website and public outreach for Fresno Area Express.