Girls in middle and high school from across the East Bay will gather in Walnut Creek on Tuesday, Nov. 10, to develop intersection designs with professional engineers.
The invitation-only Girls in Motion Fall 2026 Summit will take place at Embassy Suites and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s offices, according to a CCTA announcement. Students will meet women in transportation, hear career advice and take part in an engineering exercise.
Teams will propose changes to one of four intersections associated with El Cerrito’s Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement Project. Their assignment includes balancing pedestrian accessibility, transit access, bicycle safety and slower traffic with competing needs for parking, emergency access and limited road space.
Each team will construct a model and present its approach to accommodating different street users. Organizers will record the proposals and pass them along to the Richmond Street project’s engineers.
“These students will work through those same questions on a real project,” CCTA Executive Director Tim Haile said in the announcement. “We want them to see that their ideas matter and that engineering and transportation careers are within their reach.”
CCTA Director of Construction Brandon Hays said he hopes the experience helps students understand how transportation projects are built and envision careers in the field. He and engineering manager Andrew Dillard will explain the Richmond Street project and answer questions.
XO Systems founder Christina Ngo is the keynote speaker. Parsons’ Michele DiFrancia will moderate a panel with CCTA’s Danielle Elkins, County Connection Assistant General Manager Ruby Horta and Joby air taxi integration lead Christabelle Bosson.
The design exercise will be led by Parsons’ Kendall Dobson and Alyssa Guo of civil engineering and planning firm Mark Thomas, with industry volunteers mentoring students.
CCTA is organizing the summit with Bay Area LEEDS, the American Council of Engineering Companies California Bay Bridge Chapter and the WTS San Francisco Bay Area Chapter. ACEC California’s East Bay Chapter is an additional partner.
The event combines Girls in Motion with Bay Area LEEDS’ Girls Lead the Way program. Bay Area LEEDS and participating schools are coordinating student attendance.
