We are pleased to introduce our new Editor, Drew Quinn, joining our METRANS news team this summer. Quinn is pursuing a Master of Planning degree with a Transportation Planning emphasis at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and expects to graduate in 2019. Quinn earned a Bachelor’s degree in History from the George Washington University, DC, and in addition to Los Angeles, has lived in Philadelphia, Madrid and his hometown, Galloway, New Jersey (near Atlantic City).

His new editor position compliments his concurrent position of Grant Writer for the Coalition for Responsible Community Development in South Central LA, where the majority of his work involves seeking grants for the acquisition of land and funding for permanent supportive housing developments in South Central.

Quinn’s motivation for dedicating his professional life to urban planning is based in part on his strong belief that all communities should strive to provide benefits accessible to the entirety of their varied populations, and that urban form plays an important role in meeting that goal. “The physical infrastructure and political legacies of the late 20th-century have disconnected our communities from one another and disenfranchised the most vulnerable among us. Innovative and equitable improvements to our transportation network will allow for a freer, fairer, and more productive society” Quinn shared.

Quinn is an avid reader of METRANS on the Move, and finds the newsletter to be a valuable source of information for students and others interested in transportation, planning, development, and innovation in our region. He had hoped to find a role in which he could contribute, and noted that he is honored to be a part of the production team.

As Editor, Quinn will continue the excellent work of Eric Tunell, who just completed his studies.

Quinn’s long term ambition is to join one of the many strong organizations in Los Angeles that aim to make deep, structural, and impactful change through hard work and thoughtful, long-range planning. “Let whomever earns the palm bear it,” is Quinn’s moto, and we look forward to his valuable contributions.

Drew Quinn can be reached at [email protected]

About the Author:

Priyanka Ramasamy is a second-year graduate student in Transportation Engineering at the Viterbi School of Engineering and Editor in Chief of METRANS on the Move.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and is particularly interested in Traffic Design and Operations, Simulation and Network modelling to solve transportation issues. She can be reached at [email protected] and (323)-505-5441