Leadership

The International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) is pleased to announce its 2026-2027 Certification Board of Directors. The association held elections in April 2026. The 2026-2027 Certification Board of Directors will begin its term at the conclusion of IPMI’s 2026 Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo in Milwaukee, WI, June 14-17.

The International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) is pleased to announce its 2026-2027 Board of Directors. The association held elections in April 2026. The 2026-2027 board will begin its term at the conclusion of IPMI’s 2026 Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo in Milwaukee, WI, June 14-17.

Milwaukee, WI — Mobility Pathfinders, a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to advancing women in the parking and mobility industry, announced its 2026 Award and Scholarship recipients. Eight exceptional women have been selected in recognition of their leadership, innovation, operational excellence, allyship, and perseverance.

One of the unique aspects of the parking and mobility industry is how relationship-driven it is. Over time, professionals begin to see the same people across conferences, committees, and industry discussions. In many ways, the industry functions as a close professional community where reputation and relationships travel quickly.

In-Parking, a leading provider of AI-driven parking intelligence, is thrilled to announce the addition of Daniel Cordoba to its team as an AI Specialist. This addition reflects In-Parking’s continued investment in artificial intelligence and its commitment to redefining how data powers parking and mobility decision-making.

Across the parking and mobility industry, I see leadership undergoing a quiet but significant shift. Traditionally, operational decisions were guided by experience, institutional knowledge, and field observation. While these remain valuable, today’s environment demands something more: evidence-based leadership.

Arrive, a leading global mobility platform, announced a strategic focus toward an AI-first future, anchored by the appointment of Eugene Tsyrklevich as Chief AI Officer (CAIO). In his new role, he will lead Arrive’s mandate with AI as the catalyst between travelers and city infrastructure, making urban mobility more fluid and predictable. Tsyrklevich previously served as the General Manager for Arrive’s Automotive & Data business unit.

Parkpliant, a leading provider of parking compliance and conversion services, is pleased to announce that Rebecca Groth has joined the company as Director of Sales and Marketing. With more than a decade of experience in the parking, transportation, and mobility industry, Rebecca brings a proven track record of driving revenue growth, building strategic partnerships, and parking enforcement expertise across both public and private sectors.

Jared Wright (UNC) will serve as President for the 2026 and 2027 terms. Wright most recently served as Vice President and co-chair of the Education Planning Committee. He has been a member of the CPMA Board since 2022.  Rick Boucher, Jr. (UNC Charlotte) has been selected to serve as Vice President and will continue to co-chair the Education Planning Committee alongside Grant Harris. Boucher has served CPMA since 2025.  Vanessa Weston (Clemson University) will serve as Treasurer for a third consecutive year. Weston has been an active member of CPMA since 2024.  Grant Harris (UNC Greensboro) will continue to serve CPMA as Secretary and will also co-chair the Education Planning Committee. Harris has served CPMA since 2025.  Committee Appointments: Conference Planning Committee: Bill Foster, CAPP (City of Greenville, SC); Tina Reid, CPP (Pivot Parking); Vendor Outreach: Geoffrey Posluszny (Walker Consultants); Brian Favela, Ed.D (University of South Carolina); Membership Planning and Outreach: Clint Joy (Get My Parking); Geoffrey Posluszny (Walker Consultants)  We are also pleased to announce the return of Lindsey Harris (UNC Charlotte), who has volunteered to chair CPMA’s Special Committee on Information Systems.  Finally, CPMA is excited to continue working with DCM Management’s Dawn Marti and Jessica Layton, whose ongoing support helps strengthen our association and annual conference.

When I tell people I run operations for a parking authority, I get that look, the polite smile, the raised brow, and the unspoken, “Wait… really? Parking?” Fair question. For over 20 years, I was deep in healthcare construction, overseeing $85 million expansions, building out senior living campuses (complete with their own utility plants), and managing environments where failure was never an option. So how did I end up managing curbs, license plate readers, and debates about whether people should back into spaces? Simple: I said yes. Yes to a new challenge. Yes to an industry most people overlook. And yes to discovering that parking isn’t just about asphalt and meters, it’s about movement. It’s about infrastructure, logistics, and how cities actually breathe. At my first IPMI convention in Louisville, somewhere between a smart mobility panel and a tasting table (it was Kentucky, after all), I realized: this isn’t a detour. It’s a new lane entirely, one that blends engineering with community trust, operations with real human behavior. I even found myself explaining why you can’t throw a rooftop party on a parking deck (people move around more than 4,000-pound vehicles). That’s parking: where physics meets people, and strategy gets tested by reality. So if you’ve ever wondered whether your skills can leap industries, here’s your sign. Sometimes, the best opportunities don’t shine. Sometimes, they just look like a parking spot. Mark Toro, PTMP, is the Deputy Director of Allentown Parking Authority. Mark can be reached at mtoro@allentownparking.com.

Atlanta, GA – Get My Parking (GMP), a global leader in smart parking and mobility software, announced the appointment of Melinda Alonzo, PTMP, as Executive Director of Customer Success & Campus Mobility, North America. Based in Atlanta, Alonzo will join GMP’s North American Customer Success organization while driving the development of a dedicated Campus Mobility Vertical, expanding the company’s focus in university mobility. Alonzo’s appointment reflects GMP’s conviction that customer success is inseparable from operational execution and long-term growth. In her role, she will support adoption, retention, and expansion across GMP’s customer base, working closely with internal product and key account management teams to ensure GMP’s hardware-agnostic solutions deliver measurable results across diverse gated and gateless commercial and campus environments. With nearly 30 years of experience in parking, transportation, and mobility, Alonzo brings deep, hands-on expertise shaped by both private-sector operations and large-scale, complex campus environments. She began her career building a strong operational foundation supporting commercial properties in a rapidly growing urban market, where evolving land use, tenant expectations, and infrastructure constraints demanded practical, service-oriented solutions for building owners and managers. She then spent several impactful years at Arizona State University, where she played a pivotal role in managing and modernizing parking and transportation operations across four campuses during a period of significant institutional and regional growth. Her responsibilities as Senior Director, Parking and Transit Services, included overseeing 26,000 parking spaces, a 25-vehicle intercampus fleet, and transportation services supporting more than 90,000 students. Most recently, Alonzo served as Senior Director of Parking and Transportation at Georgia Tech, leading multimodal mobility programs for a major urban research university. Throughout her career, Alonzo has been recognized for championing technology-enabled improvements, optimizing operational workflows, and leading high-performing, service-oriented teams. She has managed self-funded auxiliary operations, overseen complex vendor and PARCS ecosystems, and guided major system transitions. Her leadership has been formally recognized at the industry level: she was named IPMI Parking Professional of the Year in 2016, and the Arizona State University parking program under her leadership was awarded IPMI’s Parking Organization of the Year in 2017. These distinctions reflect both individual excellence and organizational leadership at scale. “Melinda brings exactly the kind of operational credibility and execution mindset this role requires,” said Joe Mollish, Vice President, Customer Success, North America. “She understands what it takes to deliver results for private operators and complex institutions alike. Her leadership strengthens our Customer Success organization while accelerating the expansion of a University Mobility Vertical built for real-world execution.” “Universities represent one of the most complex and dynamic mobility environments in the market,” said Chirag Jain, CEO of Get My Parking. “Melinda’s experience, leadership style, and standing across the higher-education and operator communities alike make her uniquely qualified to help GMP become the trusted mobility platform for campuses worldwide—without losing sight of the operational rigor our operator clients expect.” “What matters most to operators and campuses is protecting what already works while getting ready for what’s next,” said Alonzo. “Get My Parking lets clients modernize by building on the technology they already have, minimizing disruption and being thoughtful about capital. That leads to better operations and outcomes, and better experiences for the people who use these facilities every day.” Alonzo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Arizona and is a Parking & Transportation Mobility Professional (PTMP). She remains actively engaged across the parking and mobility community through industry organizations, advisory forums, and peer leadership initiatives. About Get My Parking Get My Parking (GMP) is a global software leader transforming smart parking with IoT, AI, and cloud-based automation. GMP’s AI-powered, hardware-agnostic, CAPEX-light platform is redefining how operators and partners modernize existing PARCS infrastructure. Its white-labeled, mobile-enabled solutions unify legacy and new hardware, software, and systems on a single digital platform, enabling real-time management and seamless interoperability across thousands of facilities. Designed for the future of mobility with app-based and app-free capacities, GMP integrates with EV charging, connected vehicles, and shared mobility hubs, helping operators streamline their operations and elevate user experiences. GMP’s solutions are live across 5 continents, 15 countries, and 4,100+ facilities. Learn more at https://www.getmyparking.com/

Chicago, IL – Ocra announced the appointment of James Hansen as Head of Partnerships. Hansen will be instrumental in leading strategic partnerships as the company scales its AI-powered parking revenue management platform across the hotel industry. Hansen brings more than 25 years of experience in hospitality and hotel management, with a career spanning sales, marketing, operations, and finance. He has a proven track record of exceeding revenue, growth, profitability, and return objectives for hotel asset owners while driving strategic partnerships and market expansion. Most recently, Hansen focused on strategic growth initiatives as Vice President of Development at Reeco, where he drove unprecedented growth in ARR and customer acquisition while positioning the company as the leading AI-driven procure-to-pay solution in the industry. Prior, he served as Chief Development Officer at OTH Hotels & Resorts, where he led the growth and development of a portfolio of 15+ hotels across the United States. His previous roles include leadership positions at Hotel Equities, Kolter Hospitality, and Interstate Hotels & Resorts, where he developed deep insight into hotel ownership, management, and operational realities. In his new role at Ocra, Hansen will focus on building and expanding partnerships with hotel asset owners as Ocra propels into its high-growth phase. His appointment underscores Ocra’s commitment to helping hotels unlock incremental, high-margin revenue from underutilized parking assets through AI-powered revenue management and global inventory distribution. “After meeting James at an industry conference a few years ago, it was clear that he understood the value Ocra drives in the hospitality sector,” says Ethan Glass, CEO & Co-Founder of Ocra. “We first had the pleasure of working with James when he was at OTH Hotels & Resorts as a client, then we saw the incredible impact he made on the technology side at Reeco. When the opportunity presented itself for us to bring James on board, it was a no brainer. He’s been an extraordinary champion from the start, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him on our team.” “I’m beyond excited to join such an elite team of thought leaders and a company that is truly leading innovation in the space,” says James Hansen, Head of Partnerships. “I’ve been an advocate for Ocra for nearly two years now. Parking is a massive ancillary revenue stream and profit center for hotels, and one that’s been overlooked for too long. I’m excited to help the industry recognize and maximize this untapped opportunity to grow NOI.” Hansen’s hire indicates momentum for Ocra expanding its footprint in the hotel sector, partnering with assets to unlock parking as a high-margin revenue stream through hands-on revenue management, sophisticated software, robust platform integrations, and AI-driven pricing strategies. About Ocra Ocra is an AI-powered Revenue Management System (RMS) and Global Distribution System (GDS) purpose-built for hotel parking assets. Hotels use Ocra to sell underutilized parking inventory to non-guest customers using online marketplaces ("parking OTAs") to find parking near airports, venues, and other hotspots. Ocra's team of parking revenue management experts drives growth without adding labor or disrupting operations, helping hotels increase net operating income (NOI) while never compromising guest parking. 20+ hotel groups partner with Ocra to achieve optimum yield of their parking assets – including MCR, Starwood Capital Group, Aimbridge, Stonebridge, Highwood Properties, Concord Hospitality, and OTH Hotels & Resorts. Ocra has raised $10M in strategic funding to date – $3.5M in an oversubscribed round in April 2024 led by MCR and Parker Technology, and $5M led by Trestle Partners with significant follow-on from MCR in August 2025. For more information, visit getocra.com or email info@getocra.com. Media Contact: Sarah Becherer VP, Marketing Ocra sarah@getocra.com