Our Leadership
  

  Co-Chair, CITS

JAMES S. GILMORE, III
   
Governor Gilmore was born on October 6, 1949 and raised in Richmond, Virginia. He received an undergraduate degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in 1971. After a three-year tour as a U.S. Army counterintelligence agent in West Germany, he entered the University of Virginia Law School, graduating in 1977. After working for a decade in community service and as a lawyer in private practice, he was elected Commonwealth’s Attorney in his home county of Henrico in 1987 and 1991.

He was elected Virginia Attorney General in 1993 and Governor in 1997. As Governor, he established a record of success in improving education in Virginia and providing tax relief to Virginia’s working families. Governor Gilmore led the successful implementation of rigorous new academic standards and testing to ensure students are learning and that teachers and school administrators are being held accountable. Governor Gilmore had a solid record of cutting taxes. In the firs two years of his administration, he enacted more than a dozen tax cuts, led by the virtual elimination of Virginia’s person property tax on cars and trucks—the largest tax cut in the state’s history. He also cut income taxes for military personnel living in Virginia, lowered college tuition by 20 percent, and eliminated Virginia’s tax on prescription drugs.

Former Governor Gilmore created the nation’s first secretariat of technology, established a statewide technology commission, and signed into law the nation’s first comprehensive state Internet policy. During his term as Governor of Virginia, he chaired the national Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce, which was charged with making recommendations to Congress on Internet taxation, an issue of global significance. The E-Commerce Commission opposed taxation of the Internet.

Currently, former Governor Gilmore chairs the Congressional Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction, a national panel established by Congress in 1999 to assess federal, state, and local governments’ capability to respond to the consequences of a terrorist attack. The panel is submitting its findings to the President and Congress for the next two years and was essential in developing the Office of Homeland Security. Also known as the “Gilmore Commission,” you can visit www.rand.org and type in “Gilmore Commission” in the search box to view the commission’s recommendations.

Executive Director

SHIRLEY J. YBARRA
 
Ms. Ybarra was appointed Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia, January, 1998 and served through January, 2002. As Secretary she oversaw the development and implementation of Virginia’s transportation program, including management and budgetary responsibility, legislative, regulatory, and policy leadership for the Department of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Aviation, Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Motor Vehicle Dealer Board and Virginia Port Authority. These agencies combined employ over 13,000 people with a total budget of over $3.2 billion.

• Served as Chair of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which oversees and approves highway and transit construction contracts, regulations, and administration of transportation funds including priority transportation fund initiated as part of the Virginia Transportation Act of 2000, Governor Gilmore’s $3.0 billion Innovative Progress initiative for transportation funding.
       

• Served as Chair of Standing Committee on Aviation for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
      
• Oversaw the technology implementation at Department of Motor Vehicles, making Virginia a leader in customer service via the internet.
      
• Led international marketing delegations on behalf of Virginia Port Authority to Latin America, Europe and the Far East, successfully increasing the business for the largest intermodal port on the east cost.
      
• Recipient of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association’s 2001 Public Private Ventures Entrepreneur of the Year Award for leadership in innovative financing of transportation projects.

In April 1994 she was appointed Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Commonwealth of Virginia. As Deputy, she developed and implemented a strategic plan for transportation secretariat that focused on Governor Allen's priorities of privatization, deregulation and economic development. Legislative initiatives included The Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995, One-Stop Shopping for Motor Carriers and major streamlining of Virginia's railroad code. She served as Chair of Public-Private Transportation Advisory Panel which reviews and recommends projects undertaken pursuant to the innovative 1995 Act. She also served as one of four Administration members of the Commonwealth Competition Council which examines and promotes privatization initiatives throughout the Commonwealth.

Between 1991 and 1993, Ms. Ybarra was Executive Vice President and Principal, Stateside Associates, Arlington, VA where she developed the strategy enabling a major financial services company successfully to resist tax increases and regulatory restrictions at state levels. She coordinated liaison with national associations of state officials, and recruited in-state lobbyists to lead local opposition to proposed tax measures.

As President of the Americas, ABC International (now: Reed Travel Group), in Boston, MA from 1987 to 1990 she restructured operations of an American subsidiary of the United Kingdom's largest publishing and information company. Revenues increased 54% and profits increased 66% in 18-month span while streamlining 200-employee division.

As Special Assistant to the Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C. between 1983 and 1987, she served as the senior policy advisor to Secretary Elizabeth H. Dole. She devised and implemented a program to transfer Washington metropolitan airports from federal to local control. Ms. Ybarra developed and managed passage of federal legislation transferring National and Dulles Airports to a newly-created independent authority. She also chaired the transition team through planning and implementation of financial and administrative structures and systems to enable the new Authority to operate the Metropolitan Washington airports. Ms. Ybarra served as the primary liaison between the Secretary and the aviation industry, handled numerous sensitive and confidential political duties.

As Vice President and Partner in the consulting firm of Simat, Helliesen & Eichner, Inc., New York, NY (1971 –1983), Ms. Ybarra designed and directed transportation and economic consulting projects for airlines, aerospace firms, related trade associations and Federal and state government agencies. Studies included financial plans for new carriers, marketing and pricing strategies for domestic and international air carriers, merger strategies, and antitrust filings. Ms. Ybarra appeared as an economic expert witness in numerous rate, route and certification proceedings before the Civil Aeronautics Board as well as state regulatory bodies and court proceedings.

Ms. Ybarra began her career as a consultant, at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., Burlingame, CA in 1968 where she conducted financial feasibility studies to support airport revenue bond issuance and airport lease agreements.

Ms. Ybarra holds a Masters in Economics and a Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Ms. Ybarra is currently President of The Ybarra Group, Ltd. based in Washington DC. The firm focuses on strategic planning and policy issues in the transportation arena working with private clients, the Administration and the Congress.