Have you ever thought about the impact that transportation systems have on every facet of your life? (For example, how did that box of pasta make it from the field to your pantry?)
A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to ensure Minnesotans (and their goods) get where they need to go. In her work with the Center for Transportation Studies (CTS), Gina Baas aims to ensure that transportation systems serve their users. “Everyone should have safety, choice, and options,” says Gina.
The Road to CTS
After earning an undergraduate degree in political science, Gina was introduced to transportation issues while working in the Minnesota office of a US senator. Her job entailed outreach to constituents and partners to help the senator gain feedback for reauthorizing a large transportation bill. Through this work, she learned about CTS.
Gina had moved to a consulting firm when a call came from the CTS deputy director, recommending that she apply for an open position at the center. Fast forward to today: “I’ve been through six job titles over the past 27 years,” Gina says.
Now serving herself as CTS’s deputy director, Gina won a 2025 President’s Award for Outstanding Service for her exceptional leadership. Nomination letters from several acclaimed transportation leaders highlight her dedication to working alongside partners from the private and public sectors, scholars, students (from grade school to graduate level), and community members to research and improve transportation in Minnesota—and beyond. “I feel so blessed to work with the amazing staff here at CTS,” Gina says. "One of the things I take very seriously is the role that CTS plays as a connector between University research and practitioners in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors."
Supporting Transportation Access
Gina’s job involves connecting the dots between community voices and lawmaker priorities, private interests and public necessities. For example, Gina worked alongside researchers at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs to author a study for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). The study's results informed MnDOT on how to bring the range of voices they needed to the planning and public engagement process.
"You have to listen to what the community’s needs are," says Gina. [You can't] go into a public meeting with the expectation that you’re going to show them what you would like to do in their neighborhood.”
Gina also works to advance access to transportation jobs. “You don’t need to be a planner or an engineer,” Gina notes. “There are lots of career opportunities and growth opportunities in the field.” She names a few examples: HR, public engagement, snowplow operations, and technician work.
To help build awareness of transportation careers, Gina led the development of two summer camps that CTS now offers annually to middle and high schoolers. Attendance is free for enrolled students through funding from the Federal Highway Administration, and campers meet transportation professionals serving in various roles. “There are good jobs that you can get right out of high school or with a two-year technical degree,” says Gina.
Students also tour sites such as the Metro Transit control room, MSP International Airport, and MnDOT’s test road facility and get hands-on experience in the field. “Some of the students have made signs at the Hennepin County sign shop that are actual street signs. They’re out on the roads.”
Cars of the Future
“When I first started, there wasn’t a lot of talk about connected and automated vehicles [CAVs], or self-driving cars,” says Gina. “As I’ve worked here, I’ve seen how we’ve advanced in that direction and then how technologies like cell phones have revolutionized transportation.”
Gina points out that cars and trucks with futuristic tech are on the roads today. Think of features such as lane keeping, adaptive cruise control, and automatic braking. These are activated using systems including onboard video cameras, global navigation satellites, and LiDAR (light detection and ranging). To pave the way for these new technologies, infrastructure needs to be continuously evaluated in all seasons (consistently visible lane striping, for example) to provide CAVs the environment they need to stay on the road.
To study Minnesota’s readiness for CAVs, Gina led a partnership with MnDOT and private sector partners for the Drive MN project in 2022. The team traversed more than 1,000 miles of Minnesota’s paved roads using the University’s experimental CAV and another vehicle. They made eight stops along the way for events to engage with lawmakers, the public, and other partners. One surprising finding Gina shared: “They’d have to stop to get the bug goo off of the sensors and cameras,” an important consideration for rural drivers.
“The technology that is being used is already changing,” says Gina. “But I think it was really important to have that ground-level [understanding] of the technology and the capabilities.” She also notes that while the public seems hesitant now to embrace CAVs, “once more people have the opportunity to experience [the technology], I think we’ll reach a tipping point. … There’s good potential to drastically improve our safety.”
Kyle Shelton, CTS’s director, serves on the Minnesota Governor’s Advisory Council on Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, which focuses on CAV advancement in Minnesota. Gina leads the CTS staff in supporting the council. “It’s an important partnership between the research institution and the state government,” says Gina.