Abhishek Viswanathan (back to Abhishek’s workshop)

Abhishek Viswanathan is an immigrant from Mumbai, teaching Data Science at Chatham University, researching environmental conditions in Pittsburgh, and organizing with friends and comrades at Against Carceral Tech (ACT) and other places.

Alisa Grishman (back to Alisa’s workshop)

Alisa Grishman is a disability activist and founder of Access Mob Pittsburgh, an advocacy group that utilizes positive approaches to making change, such as education and economic incentives. A self-described shameless agitator, Grishman has also been arrested multiple times fighting for disability rights with ADAPT, a national advocacy group. Her work has been recognized locally and nationally in such outlets as the Rachel Maddow Show, NPR, Huffington Post, Esquire Magazine, WTAE, KDKA News, and the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

Along with her direct advocacy work, Grishman co-runs Ballots for Patients and Care to Vote, sister efforts that respectively collect emergency absentee ballots from hospitalized peoples on election day and work with nursing and personal care homes to help residents register to vote and fill out ballots. She also sits on the board of directors of the Keystone Progress Education Fund.

In her free time, Grishman enjoys knitting and collecting antique books. She lives in the Uptown neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA.

Bemi Byrd (back to Bemi’s workshop)

As a Transportation Community Organizer at No Boundaries Coalition, I led grassroots efforts to elevate transportation equity in Central West Baltimore. I created and led the initiative “Put Your SEAT Where Your Mouth Is,” bringing elected officials and residents together to ride public transit and engage in a town hall that translated lived experience into policy-driven dialogue. I built strategic relationships with local and state officials, including direct engagement with the Secretary of Transportation. I met with the Administrator of MTA to advocate for improved operations and maintenance of our transit system. I also developed a monthly transportation flyer to keep residents informed and involved.

My advocacy extended to speaking at Delegate Robbyn Lewis’ City 4 All forum, organizing transportation for community members to the Transit Riders Rally in Annapolis as well as speaking at that rally, and testifying at MTA House and Senate hearings in support of Governor Moore’s transportation budget. My work reflects a deep commitment to community empowerment, equitable transit solutions, and building bridges between residents and decision-makers.

Connor Chapman (back to Connor’s workshop)

Connor Chapman is a labor/community organizer and researcher based in Pittsburgh, PA. A member of PPT’s organizing committee, he serves as an organizer with Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s Transit Worker Fellowship, which aims to bring transit workers and transit riders together. Committed to building strong labor-community coalitions, Connor believes that robust connections between Pittsburgh’s transit workforce and ridership will be key to maintaining and expanding public transit service. He also organizes with the Pitt Graduate Workers Organizing Committee, where he helped secure union representation for 2,300 graduate workers at the University of Pittsburgh.

Connor Descheemaker (back to Connor’s workshop)

Connor Descheemaker has over a decade of experience building and facilitating diverse coalitions to achieve policy change, support local communities, and provide professional education and development. Born in Phoenix, they came of age just as that famously-sprawling metro opened its first light rail line in 2008, and their exploration of a changing downtown ignited their interest in mobility and community in urban areas. There, they ran multiple all-ages art and performance spaces, and founded a business coalition to support walkable, sustainable, and affordable urban development. After four intermediary years in Seattle supporting architects in their professional development, and housing and transportation advocacy, they arrived in Philadelphia in 2022 to manage the Transit Forward Philadelphia coalition. There, they grew the group to 35 community-based organizations covering environmental justice, immigrant and refugee support, community development, political advocacy, and elder and disability rights.

Daeja Baker (back to Daeja’s workshop)

Daeja Baker is a long-time organizer and poet from the North Side of Pittsburgh. She founded Pittsburgh Feminists for Intersectionality (PFI) in 2017, an organization that does community education, mutual aid, and resource gathering across Allegheny County. Daeja often organizes at the intersections of disability rights, mental health, racial justice, queer rights, and abolition. Daeja has worked on numerous state and county level political campaigns and currently works as a political consultant. She believes that our collective liberation rests in the power that individuals bring in coalition with one another. Daeja organizes with the belief that rest is radical; rest is liberation; and that nothing happens in a movement without collective care. Be well.

Evelyn Ulysse (back to Evelyn’s workshop)

Hello, my name is Evelyn Ulysse. I’m part of the Latino community in Pittsburgh. I ride public transit, and I care about it because it’s a system that helps the most vulnerable people get around the city to perform basic life activities, such as going to work, school, medical appointments, grocery shopping, and recreational activities. I’m passionate about photography and participating in projects that improve the quality of life.

Hola mi nombre es Evelyn Ulysse soy parte de la Comunidad Latina en Pittsburgh PA, Soy usuaria del transporte público y me importa porque es un sistema que ayuda a la clase más vulnerable a desplazarse por la ciudad para realizar sus actividades básicas para la vida como ir al Trabajo la Escuela Citas médicas, comprar alimentos y actividades recreativas.
Me apasiona la fotografía y participar en proyectos que aporten mejoras a la calidad de vida.

Erik Oas (back to Erik’s workshop)

Erik lives in Lawrenceville with his wife Laura and dog Ubba. He is a California native who spent seven years calling minor league baseball games on the radio before beginning his current work in and around political campaigns. Erik’s first campaign was Bernie Sanders 2020 run where he worked as a Field Organizer and Advance Team Member before moving to Pittsburgh in June of 2020. Since then, he has worked on numerous electoral and public pressure campaigns at all levels with a commitment to building power for poor and working people. A believer in organizational homes, Erik organizes with the Pittsburgh Chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

Faith Walker (back to Faith’s workshop)

Faith Walker is the Executive Director of RVA Rapid Transit, Virginia’s only public transportation advocacy organization. She first joined the team as Director of Community Engagement and now leads efforts to create a more connected, equitable Richmond region through expanded and accessible transit.Under Faith’s leadership, RVA Rapid Transit has championed the region’s Zero Fare program for the past five years, ensuring transit remains a vital tool for racial equity, economic mobility, and public health. She has helped grow impactful initiatives like the Adopt-A-Stop program, which empowers community members to reimagine and care for bus stops; Riders Voice, which amplifies the lived experiences of daily transit users in policy conversations; and Mobility University, a five-week training series that equips residents to advocate for better public transportation in their neighborhoods.With a strong foundation in artistic marketing, creative outreach, and grassroots organizing, Faith bridges community, culture, and policy to advance healthy, people-centered transit solutions across the region.

Gabriel McMorland (back to Gabriel’s workshop)

Gabriel McMorland (She/her) has been active with PPT since 2015 and is currently on the PPT board. She previously worked at the Thomas Merton Center, an activist organization where she led power-mapping workshops and organized campaigns on a variety of issues. She’s a blind/Disabled transwoman who dreams of sidewalks and transit so accessible that we can all move on to more poetic pursuits.

Gregory Williams (back to Gregory’s workshop)

Gregory Williams serves as the Advocacy Campaign Organizer at Bike Durham, where he champions equitable and sustainable transportation initiatives. He’s been with Bike Durham for a little over a year now and brings with him over a decade of experience in political fundraising, organizing, operations, and civic engagement. In addition to his dedication to advancing social justice and democracy through improved transit solutions he is an avid musician, father, and sustainable technology enthusiast.

Jessica Benner (back to Jessica’s workshop)

Joel Batterman (back to Joel’s workshop)

Joel Batterman (he/him) grew up in Michigan, went to college in Oregon, and returned to the Great Lakes State hoping to bring more public transit to America’s automotive heartland. He helped found Transit Riders of the US Together, a national network of transit rider organizations, and currently works as Campaigns Manager for Detroit’s Transportation Riders United. Joel has experience organizing with MOSES, the Motor City Freedom Riders, and the Graduate Employees Organization, among other groups. He lives in Detroit with his wife, cat, and son.

Josh Malloy (back to Josh’s workshop)

Laura Perkins (back to Laura’s workshop)

Laura has been carless for 4 years, and a Pittsburgh for Public Transit member for 5. As a community organizer with Pittsburgh’s Latino immigrants, she worked with PPT on various campaigns to make our public transit system more accessible to immigrants.

Monika Wheeler Hanna (back to Monika’s workshop)

Hi my name is Monika Wheeler Hanna, and I’m a Retired Instructor/ Supervisor from Pittsburgh Region Transit with 25 years of service, 15 years as an Operator and 10 years as an Instructor. I’ve been an Activist with Pittsburghers for Public Transit since 2011 and I’m a Transit Worker Fellow who acts as a Consultant on Work Place issues and PPT Campaigns. I like to travel with my GrandGirls to their Cheer Competition.

Morgan Cikowski (back to Morgan’s workshop)

Morgan is the Activism Team Lead at Patagonia Pittsburgh, where she partners with local organizations to host meaningful events—like book talks, film screenings, and community conversations—and helps amplify their messages through social media and in-store storytelling.

Her passion for local advocacy runs deep. As a former intern and active member of Pittsburghers for Public Transit, she’s spent time canvassing, speaking at PRT board meetings, and conducting bus stop audits to support more equitable transit.

When she’s not organizing or connecting with community partners, you’ll likely find Morgan enjoying time at the park with her dog, Frankie, or winding down with a cozy Animal Crossing session on her Switch.

Patrick McGinty (back to Patrick’s workshop)

Patrick McGinty teaches writing at Slippery Rock University, where he chairs the Committee for Action through Politics for the faculty union (APSCUF). His first novel, Test Drive, was about how driverless cars don’t really solve transit issues in Pittsburgh. Like, at all.

Paul Vereb (back to Paul’s workshop)

I’m Paul Vereb, a Pittsburghers for Public Transit Fellow and a recently retired Light Rail Transit Systems Supervisor for Pittsburgh Regional Transit. My position included supervising three different disciplines under the umbrella of one department called Power and Signal. I spent 30 years in the light rail field working with crews who maintained the power distribution, overhead catenary infrastructure, and signaling assets for the Allegheny County Trolley system, the T, where I learned the importance of teamwork, experience, and collective ideas in the process of job performance. Working with PPT has given me insight to the needs of our riders and fellow employees and the obstacles that we face in light of inconsistent funding and service delivery. I believe these are things that can be righted using our collective voices, experience, and teamwork.

Seth Bush (back to Seth’s workshop)

Seth Bush is the Advocacy Manager at Bike Pittsburgh where he coaches, trains, and resources leaders of neighborhood biking & walking advocacy groups or “bike/ped committees” across Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Seth is a graduate of the America Walks Walking College Fellowship and a Professional Certified Coach for social change leaders with over 15 years of experience in grassroots organizing. When he’s not helping neighbors transform their streets, you can find Seth walking his dog around his neighborhood in Swissvale, gardening, or binge-watching Star Trek. Contact him at seth@bikepgh.org.

Tom Conroy (back to Tom’s workshop)

Tom Conroy is a retired bus driver for Pittsburgh Regional Transit and former Union board man for Amalgamated Transit Union local 85 at the Collier garage in Pittsburgh. He is a long time member and supporter of Pittsburghers for Public Transit and Union activist.

Shay Singh (back to Shay’s workshop)

Shay (they/he) is a soccer coach, union barista and member of Starbucks Workers United, and a transit advocate based out of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. They are a co-founder of Clevelanders for Public Transit, and formerly served as staff for the Amalgamated Transit Union to prevent service cuts and layoffs in Cleveland.

Stevie Pasamonte (back to Stevie’s workshop)

Stevie Pasamonte is an organizer focused on building grassroots power at the intersection of mobility, climate, and racial justice. As the chair of Transit Columbus, they helped win a major funding increase for central Ohio public transit, sidewalks, and bikeways, and built coalitions to champion the city’s first complete streets policy. Stevie draws from their experience as a grassroots advocate and lifelong public transit rider in their work with the National Campaign for Transit Justice.