Ms. Jarice Rodriguez is the Interim Chief of Paratransit Operations at the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW), where she leads the County’s paratransit service program and is spearheading the modernization of its supporting software infrastructure and program. Her leadership focuses on improving operational efficiency, enhancing service delivery and customer’s experience through emerging technologies, and expanding equitable mobility options for all residents. With a strong foundation in transportation engineering and innovation, Ms. Rodriguez played a pivotal role in DTPW’s Office of Innovation and Mobility Services where she led transformative projects, including the launch of MetroConnect, Miami-Dade’s first-and-last-mile microtransit program and the region’s first autonomous microtransit service. She has managed key regional efforts such as the Southeast Florida Vanpool Program and the County’s Shared Mobility and Connected & Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) Plans. Currently, she is leading the USDOT FY22 SMART Grant pilot project, focused on testing Smart Loading Zones (SLZs) to improve curbside management. Her work on the Knight Foundation AV initiative has contributed to the design and deployment of AV pilots throughout the county. Prior to her tenure at Miami-Dade County, Ms. Rodriguez was a faculty member at Florida Atlantic University, where she taught transportation engineering and conducted research on climate change and transportation resiliency. She also worked with the City of Miami, managing the Trolley system, the On-Demand Transportation Program for seniors, and other multimodal projects. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and completed her Master’s and Doctoral studies in Transportation Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).