Stu Cohen

Stuart Cohen is co-founder and Executive Director of TransForm, a dynamic organization with 32 staff and over 100 organizational members from the environmental, social justice, and labor community. By combining high-quality policy analysis with coalition building and strategic media efforts, TransForm has become a powerful voice for world class transit and walkable communities in the Bay Area and beyond. TransForm is based in Oakland, California and recently opened two satellite offices in Sacramento and San Jose to focus on reforming state transportation policy and implementing several key South Bay transportation programs, respectively. TransForm's campaigns on transportation sales taxes, Regional Measure 2 and other funding measures have brought together diverse coalitions and helped raise over $6 billion for sustainable and socially-just transportation. Stuart has spearheaded a number of TransForm’s successful campaigns and programs, including the campaign to initiate the Bay Area’s smart growth visioning process. He has also been the primary author of eight TransForm reports, including the 120-page World Class Transit for the Bay Area and most recently, Windfall for All. TransForm co-founded and fiscally sponsors the Great Communities Collaborative. Made up of five regional non-profits, three community foundations, and over 20 community organizations, the Collaborative is engaging Bay Area communities in planning for sustainable, equitable development near transit. In 2007, Stuart co-founded ClimatePlan, a statewide network promoting smart land use and transportation as critical components of California's climate strategy. TransForm is now hosting Transportation for America’s (T4A) California Coordinator (T4A is a national coalition to reform federal transportation policy.) TransForm also coordinates the Safe Routes to Schools Alameda County Partnership, which is now in 60 schools in the county. Its proven approach to getting more kids walking and biking safely to school is leading the way as an urban SR2S model. TravelChoice provides residents with tailored transportation information about their transit, walking and bicycling options, and TravelChoice New Residents is expanding this approach by creating a more intensive program focused on residents of new transit-oriented developments. In addition, TransForm has just launched GreenTRIP: the Traffic Reduction and Innovative Parking Program, which certifies and promotes new transit-oriented developments with exemplary programs promoting the use of alternative transportation and reducing excessive parking. In May 2010, 97 climate change experts working through Philanthropedia named TransForm as the top climate change-related nonprofit in the Bay Area. Previously, Stuart worked with ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability as a researcher on the climate impacts of alternative transportation policies and fuels, and at NYPIRG (New York Public Interest Research Group) as a toxics campaign coordinator and Statewide Canvass Director. Stuart received a Master's Degree in Public Policy (MPP) from the Goldman School of Public Policy at U.C. Berkeley.