A commitment to change

A great work ethic is honed over the years but sometimes the right start makes all the difference.

Meet Carlos Cruz-Casas assistant director and chief innovation officer at the Department of Transportation and Public Works. He grew up in Puerto Rico and learned about civil engineering and land surveying by following his dad around and helping him when he was only 12 years old.

“Working with my dad introduced me to the field that became my passion,” Cruz-Casas said.

He completed his master's at the University of Florida in Transportation Engineering and Urban Planning and moved to South Florida for an opportunity in the private sector. Eventually, he made the move to the public sector where he wanted to see mobility addressed holistically.

“I’m committed to bringing about change and using every advantage available to help our residents. They are our customers and their experience needs to be a positive one,” he added.

He quickly lists the advantages of using market indicators and new business models to leverage better options and develop partnerships that help drive change. Cruz-Casas gave up having a car for seven years so he could be a public transit customer and have the full experience.

“I started at the City of Miami in 2012 and worked on the trolley system, bike sharing and other programs which I actually had to use all the time,” Cruz-Casas said. “My experience helped me understand our customers and how the system works and can be enhanced.”

“Being on the cutting edge and innovative may be essential. But it is also very important to elevate the voices of our constituents and bring the community into the process to be part of any solutions. We work closely with Transit Alliance Miami, Urban Health Partnerships and others to ensure that. Many often confuse innovation with technology. But it is so much more. We work on relationships with community partners and develop our knowledge of everything happening in the industry across the country that can be of value to our system here,” he said. “Our knowledge can’t be limited to the public sector either. We have to stay on top of everything, including economic factors.”

“I want to lead by example and build on my 17 years of experience. My team knows I want them to breakout of any silos created to keep from looking for better alternatives and efficiencies. We need to be creative and push forward to build on our directive for a fully integrated transportation system.”

A father of two, Cruz-Casas shared how his own children have a heightened awareness of transportation in our community.

“I was playing lego with my daughter one day and she was building a bus stop with a shelter and commenting on how that was needed," he said. "I was so proud to see how she understood that.”

Such a full circle moment, too. Similar to how Cruz-Casas learned from helping his dad and how that inspired him to work towards a future with a holistic approach to mobility. Connections build on each other to create improvements and eventually, that’s how we thrive together.

Read and learn more about Cruz-Casas and how he's bringing change to our residents.