Workforce Diversity Wednesday: Stefanie Brodie
by Kiran Herbert, Communications Manager
August 30, 2023
As part of an ongoing series, we’re spotlighting underrepresented voices in shared micromobility in order to encourage more diversity and representation in the field.
In 2019, the North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association (NABSA) launched its Workforce Diversity Toolkit for Bikeshare and Shared Micromobility. Created in cooperation with the Better Bike Share Partnership (BBSP), the toolkit includes case studies of best practices from the industry, questions for self-evaluation, and further resources.
This year, NABSA’s DEI Committee, in partnership with BBSP, plans to update and relaunch the Workforce Diversity Toolkit with both Spanish and French-translated versions. As part of that update, we’ve launched this “Workforce Diversity Wednesdays” series, which spotlights BIPOC working in shared micromobility. The goal of both the toolkit and this series is to encourage more diversity and representation in the field.
This week, we’d like to introduce you to Stefanie Brodie, PhD, a research practice lead at Toole Design Group, where she leads and supports a wide range of projects related to equity, safety, and new mobility. Stefanie is also a current NABSA Board member and NABSA Research & Data Committee Chair.
Read her interview to learn how she came to her current role, what she loves about her job, and what has surprised her most about working in the shared micromobility industry.
How did you come to arrive at working in shared micromobility and your current role?
In my last role at the District Department of Transportation (Washington, DC), I coordinated research for the agency. When dockless bike share entered the U.S. ecosystem, DDOT set up a pilot program, but it needed evaluation to help direct future iterations of the program. As an in-house researcher, I led the evaluation effort with the help of several external research teams. I worked closely with the policy and program team for shared micromobility and quickly got absorbed into the space. I’ve since changed roles and am more focused on transportation equity and multimodal safety, both of which are inherently tied to shared micromobility.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
So often, research can feel removed from work on the ground. A big part of what I do is make the connection between research and practice, and that’s rewarding. I also get to work on some meaningful and challenging projects like creating transportation equity resources for the Association of Washington Cities and the cities across the state (and hopefully beyond) and digging into the history of communities along the San Francisco Bay Trail to help the Metropolitan Transportation Commission advance their equity strategy.
What has surprised you most about your job?
The way people at Toole Design and the company’s values motivate my work; I didn’t expect it. We really work daily to make traveling without a car safer and more enjoyable for everyone. It sounds like a pitch, but it’s real. I suppose that’s what makes it surprising.
The Better Bike Share Partnership is funded by The JPB Foundation as a collaboration between the City of Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), and the PeopleForBikes Foundation to build equitable and replicable bike share systems. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or sign up for our weekly newsletter. Have a question or a story idea? Email kiran@peopleforbikes.org.
