Millicent D. Williams - Director
Millicent D. Williams is a career public servant and graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University’s School of Business and Industry in Tallahassee, FL.
Throughout her career she has demonstrated a strong commitment to providing meaningful service to the residents, businesses, and visitors of every jurisdiction she has worked in.
Her desire to serve and ensure equitable distribution of critical resources and services is exemplified by her work in communities across the U.S., throughout the Caribbean, in western, central, and southern Africa, and in southern India. Her passion, however, is to connect with and serve local communities, demonstrating how their government can (and does) work to serve their interests.
Millicent is a five-time mayoral appointee, having served as agency director or senior executive for three separate agencies under three consecutive Washington, D.C. mayors. Previous leadership roles include Executive Director of Serve DC - The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism and Partnerships; President/CEO of the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation; and Director of the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.
While living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, she supported community growth at the City of Glenn Heights working in various roles in emergency management, parks planning, and community engagement.
Millicent rejoined PBOT in the summer of 2023 after managing PBOT’s Capital Delivery division from 2017 to 2020, then serving as PBOT Deputy Director until May 2021. After her years at PBOT, Millicent served as Otak’s Oregon/SW Washington Regional Director for the Public Sector and as Corporate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Millicent lives in Portland and is the proud mother of a 24-year-old son, Ethan. Ethan was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in early childhood. Since then, Millicent has created solutions to ensure her son—and families struggling with being classified as other-abled—mature into full, independent members of society. Her experience with her son has also influenced the way she manages teams and structures her work.
Affiliations and memberships
- Rail-volution National Steering Committee
- WTS International
- Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), Immediate Past President, Oregon/SW Washington Chapter
- Black Emergency Managers Association (BEMA)
- International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM)
- Project Management Institute (PMI)
- National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA)
- Women’s Home & Overseas Missionary Society, AME Zion Church
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
- US Autism and Asperger’s Association
- Autism Society of America
Alex Bejarano - Engineering Services Deputy Director
Alex is driven by his passion for public service, equity, and consistency. In his 30 years with PBOT he has demonstrated his leadership abilities starting as an Engineering Technician then through other engineering and supervisory positions. Since 1998, Alex has progressively undertaken more management responsibilities at PBOT.
His primary focus at PBOT has been managing and creating policies, procedures, permitting, and inspection practices for public and private utility franchises. Over the years, he’s also led many PBOT initiatives. This includes writing PBOT’s first diversity plan, creating the co-located Public Works Permitting section, implementing small cellular wireless facility permits, and helping craft rules for electric vehicle charging, among many others.
Alex is a Licensed Professional Civil Engineer and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Portland State University. He is also a third generation U.S. Army veteran. When he is away from work, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, walking, and exploring Portland, and very much appreciates— on very rare occasions —being accepted by his two cats.
Wendy Cawley - Transportation Operations Deputy Director
Wendy Cawley has served as the Group Director of the Traffic Systems & Operations Group for four years and spent six months as PBOT’s Interim Deputy Director in 2023 during the search for a new director. After previously working for ODOT and Multnomah County, Wendy originally joined PBOT in 1997 so she could improve safety, mobility, and urban design in Portland’s neighborhoods. Since then, Wendy has worked in Traffic Operations, Traffic Design, Project Management, and Development Review. In 2010, Wendy accepted a position as PBOT’s Traffic Safety Engineer and helped shape the High Crash Corridor program that eventually became the Vision Zero program. Wendy was appointed as PBOT’s first female City Traffic Engineer in March 2020.
As Transportation Operations Deputy Director, she is responsible for managing the Signals & Street Lighting, Traffic Design, and Traffic Operations divisions, as well as Parking Enforcement and the Parking & Regulatory division. These divisions are responsible for managing and enforcing parking operations; designing new streets; redesigning existing streets; creating traffic control plans to help people move through and around construction sites; designing street lighting systems; designing and timing traffic signals to keep Portlanders moving safely and efficiently through busy intersections; and responding to neighborhood safety concerns, such as requests for new crosswalks or stop signs.
Wendy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington and a professional engineering license in Oregon. Outside of work, Wendy likes to travel with her husband, visit her children in Corvallis and Las Vegas, hike, golf, and play the piano.
Shoshana Cohen - Chief of Staff
Shoshana Cohen is a seasoned organizational leader with expertise in transportation policy, community and economic development, civic engagement, and sustainability. She has experience in both the public and nonprofit sectors. She joined PBOT in 2015 working in the Director’s Office on a variety of intergovernmental policy, revenue development, mobility, climate, and equity initiatives. She has worked closely with the city’s Office of Government Relations to advance transportation policy and funding goals at the state, regional, and federal levels. Her team also prepared the recent successful ballot proposal to renew Portland’s 10-cent local gas tax to fund transportation maintenance and safety work.
As the Chief of Staff, Shoshana oversees staff working on intergovernmental policy, stakeholder engagement, coordination with city leadership and city council, asset management, revenue development, and communications. She serves on PBOT’s Executive Team and supports the PBOT Director with strategic decision making and organizational management.
Before joining PBOT, Shoshana supported civic engagement and grassroots community building projects while serving as the Executive Director of the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods. Earlier in her career she served as the Assistant Director of a neighborhood chamber of commerce in Chicago, helping small businesses and a walkable, diverse, small-business district. She began her career in Senegal, West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer working on sustainable community development initiatives, and learning cross-cultural communications and relationship-building skills.
Shoshana holds a Master of Urban Planning and Policy degree from the University of Illinois Chicago and a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is thrilled to be part of the PBOT leadership team working to advance a safe, sustainable, equitable and well-maintained transportation system.
Jeramy Patton - Enterprise Services Deputy Director
Jeramy joined PBOT in 2017 and has managed its various support services since that time. Enterprise Services provides efficient and comprehensive financial and technical support for the entire bureau. With a staff of around 60 employees, Jeramy manages the bureau’s work regarding technology strategy, technology projects, application administration, GIS mapping, data governance and analytics, process improvement, accounting, grants management, procurement and distribution, budget, forecasting, local improvement district administration, and capital controls.
Jeramy joined the city in 2003 and served in the City Budget Office (CBO) until his move to PBOT. Throughout his 13 years at CBO, Jeramy coordinated the city’s budget process, provided budget and policy analysis for five mayors, served on the city’s implementation team for a new Enterprise Resource Planning system, and was the office’s first Deputy Director, serving in that capacity for four years. Before working at the city, Jeramy spent two years at the state’s Budget and Management division and was a legislative assistant during the 2001 legislative session.
Jeramy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Oregon State University. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling with his family (especially cruising to the Caribbean) and spending time outdoors camping, fishing, hunting, and golfing.
Art Pearce - Planning, Programs & Projects Deputy Director
Art Pearce is an experienced urban innovator with an extensive background in broad public-private collaborations utilizing transportation investment and mobility innovations to shape the future of cities. He has 26 years of experience envisioning and driving change in Portland’s transportation system: establishing policy, planning and delivering transformative investments, and overseeing people-based behavior change and mobility programs. He has a deep understanding of the challenges cities and city governments face in propelling change at an adequate pace, and the new imperatives presented by the crises of climate, and social and racial equity.
Art has been with PBOT since 1998. Prior to appointment as Deputy Director, he served as Policy, Planning & Projects Group Director and has been a member of the PBOT executive team since 2014. He currently oversees the Transportation Planning and Project Delivery, Mobility & Safety Programs, and Regional Projects and Streetcar divisions, with a staff of over 130 people.
Art has a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH, and a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University.
Hannah Schafer - Communications Director
A born-and-raised Portlander, Hannah spent the first 10 years of her career in Israel working on cross-cultural, transboundary environmental initiatives. Her work put her at the forefront of Israel’s environmental movement and creation of the nation’s solar energy industry.
Since her return to Portland in 2015, Hannah has had the privilege of supporting numerous local transportation issues and leading award-winning communication campaigns on a variety of topics including Vision Zero, Fixing Our Streets, Better Naito, Parking Kitty, and more.
Today, Hannah leads a small but mighty team of talented communicators focused on building public awareness and engagement around PBOT’s numerous projects, programs, and policies to advance safety, mobility, equity, and transportation justice.
Mark Williams - Chief Administrative Officer
A native of Northeast Portland, Mark has dedicated his career to public service since 1990. Over a span of approximately 23 years, he held six distinct positions at Metro, including the role of Director of Event Services at the Oregon Convention Center and Business Operations Manager at the Oregon Zoo.
In 2015, Mark transitioned to PBOT, serving as the Private for-Hire Program Manager then promoted to the Regulatory Division Manager in 2016. In 2023 he was asked to serve as the Interim Parking & Regulatory Group Director.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Mark cherishes his leisure time which he often spends camping and enjoying the company of his wife, three adult children, and two 6-year-old grandsons. Additionally he finds fulfillment in his volunteer work as a Board Member of Donate Life Northwest and the Cascade Life Alliance.
Jody Yates - Maintenance Operations Deputy Director
Jody Yates first joined PBOT in 2007 as a Project Manager, working on the U.S. Congresswoman Darlene Hooley Pedestrian Bridge at S Gibbs Street and served as the city’s liaison to Multnomah County’s Sellwood Bridge project through its design phase. She went on to become a Division Manager in Maintenance Operations, interim Group Manager for Parking Services, Principal Engineer in Development, Permitting & Transit, before leaving PBOT in 2018 to work for the City of Beaverton. Jody Yates returned to PBOT Maintenance Operations, as Group Director, in February 2022.
Jody is a Licensed Professional Environmental Civil Engineer and has bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering with an emphasis on environmental engineering. She also brings over 23 years of public works knowledge at the local level with experience in capital project design, construction management, development and permit engineering, maintenance operations management, and parking management. “I am excited to return to PBOT and be part of the Maintenance Operations team!" Jody said on her return to PBOT. "As a team, we will maintain, repair, and operate the city's transportation, sewer, and storm assets. Additionally, we will provide emergency response services to our community.”