Transportation owners and infrastructure agencies increasingly rely on specialized safety, planning and environmental expertise to manage complex transit programs. STV systems safety manager Forrest Jones and associate/planning manager Doreen Zhao have been selected for the 2026 Mass Transit 40 Under 40 class, recognizing their work in transportation infrastructure and project delivery.
Jones works with transit clients on safety and security certification for capital and operational programs nationwide. His experience covers bus rapid transit, commuter rail and complex initiatives involving multiple agencies.
His project work includes the Gateway Program’s Hudson River Tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey. Jones has more than a decade of experience in transportation safety and began his career as a bus operator in Birmingham, Alabama.
His professional background includes workforce training, agency-wide safety programs and implementation of Safety Management System processes. This experience combines direct transit operations knowledge with technical safety requirements used in major infrastructure programs.
Zhao leads STV’s Southern California planning group, overseeing multidisciplinary planning assignments, design coordination and environmental documentation. Her work has included sections of the California High-Speed Rail program between Burbank and Los Angeles and between Los Angeles and Anaheim.
She has also worked on alternatives analysis and environmental coordination for the Los Angeles Metro C Line Extension.
Zhao has spent more than 11 years with STV after earning a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA. She also participates in transportation industry organizations and supports professional development and employee engagement activities within STV’s Southern California operations.
The recognition highlights the role of specialized professionals in managing the planning, safety and environmental requirements associated with large transportation programs.
For transit owners, contractors and infrastructure partners, these disciplines influence design coordination, regulatory documentation, safety certification and operational readiness. Experience across these areas can be particularly relevant as agencies continue advancing complex rail and bus infrastructure programs.
Source: STV.
