2025/2026 Executive Council

Young’s professional and personal commitment to environmental sustainability through transportation has shaped his 32-year career in public policy and management. He has spent this time bridging the gap between technology and resource management to create practical, impactful transportation solutions. In his current position as Senior Manager of Zero Emission Buses at TriMet, he helps drive transformative opportunities and strategies in the field of clean transportation. As both an advocate and practitioner of zero-emission technology, Young has navigated the challenges and triumphs inherent in pushing forward this emerging field.

As the Chief Maintenance Officer at Victor Valley Transit Authority, Dustin is responsible for overseeing the entire fleet and facilities department. He is currently tasked with transitioning VVTA’s fleet to zero emissions by 2040 in order to meet the state requirements of the Innovative Clean Transit Rule. Dustin is a very active member of the transit community, and is always interested in learning from others and sharing experiences. He has been in the transit industry for almost 20 years and has seen many changes in the last two decades, with the shift from Diesel to CNG and now the transition to Zero Emissions. The best way to overcome the challenges and ensure that the communities receive a technology that is safe, reliable, efficient, and economical is by learning from each other and helping to standardize the best solution.

William Haber is the Superintendent of Transit Fleet Procurement and Contract Management for King County Metro in Seattle, Washington. Along with King County Metro, he has been a member and participant in ZEBRA since early 2018. Mr. Haber has worked in Fleet Procurement, including on specific zero-emissions projects for the County, since early 2014. During that time, he worked with the agency and procurement team to procure new trolley buses, procure extended range batteries for those trolley buses, procure multiple zero-emissions battery bus fleets of different lengths and from different manufacturers, and, most recently, became the first North American agency to sign a contract with Solaris for zero-emissions battery electric buses.

Christian Bigger serves as the Zero-Emission Fleet and Facilities Transition Manager at Spokane Transit Authority (STA), where he leads the agency’s transition to zero-emission vehicles. Under Christian’s leadership, STA operated one of the largest battery-electric bus (BEB) fleets in the Pacific Northwest, with 40 BEBs in total, making up 25% of its fixed-route bus fleet, and has logged over 2 million zero-emission miles to date. STA has worked closely with the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) since 2019 with the first iteration of its Fleet Transition Plan and all-electric BRT planning efforts, later updating its Fleet Transition Plan in 2024 for board approval and now working with CTE on a non-bus fleet electrification report. Christian has worked in public transit for 9 years, first starting at Community Transit in Everett WA, and has a heavy maintenance background.

Erin Cooke, P. Eng., PMP has over 20 years of experience designing and managing projects in the transit and specialty vehicle sectors. Erin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Manitoba and is currently pursuing a Masters in Environment and Business at the University of Waterloo. Erin first became involved with Zero Emission buses over 10 years go while working in New Product Development at New Flyer on the design, development, and commercial launch of both battery electric and fuel cell electric buses. She now leads Winnipeg Transit’s Transition to Zero Emission Bus program, where she has oversight of all capital and operational projects related to the integration of battery-electric and (hydrogen) fuel cell electric buses. Erin believes ZEBRA’s mission of collaboration and knowledge sharing between transit agencies is critical for solving the challenges of scaling zero-emission fleets. Today, Erin shares her extensive experience and knowledge in the design and operation of multiple generations of zero-emission buses and chargers and learns from other transit and industry professionals across North America through participation in various task forces, committees, and working groups.

Rusty has 40 years of experience in a variety of industry sectors, starting out his career as a software engineer and then transitioning to project management, general management, high-technology, and business management consulting, a 9-year segue managing a family dairy farm, and finally landing in transit in 2010 at RGRTA. He was VP of Maintenance from 2011 until 2022, when he transitioned to his current role of VP of Zero-Emission Strategies, where he oversees Engineering and Facilities Maintenance, Fleet Engineering, and Technical Training. RGRTA is a transit leader in zero-emissions transition with 20 battery-electric buses and the first two hydrogen fuel cell buses in New York State. Currently, RGRTA’s zero-emission strategy is to continue down the hydrogen fuel cell path, but also keep a broad perspective on developing and evolving zero-emission technologies. As a leader in the transit industry, Rusty has presented at numerous conferences and is also a board member on the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Council.

Jennifer Sweten is the Deputy Division Director of Safety, Security, and Quality Assurance at King County Metro in Seattle, Washington. She has over 30 years of transportation management experience in both the private and public sectors; the last 18 years in public transit. Jen is committed to making transit more responsive, convenient, equitable, and accessible while maintaining safety as the core tenet that all decisions are based on. Ms. Sweten spent 18 years with Mountain Line in Missoula, Montana, overseeing all operations and maintenance activities for the agency as the Director of Operations. Jen holds certifications in transit safety and security from the World Safety Organization, the Transportation Safety Institute, and the US Department of Transportation. Jennifer is active in several APTA committees, including the Safety Coordinating Committee, where she serves as secretary, as well as Bus Safety, Small Operations, Zero-emission Fleet, and the Diversity and Inclusion Council. In 2022, Jen was appointed to chair the Transportation Research Board’s TCRP Project Panel on electric bus fire prevention and risk management.