Nuria I. Fernandez, general manager and CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, is a veteran transportation engineer who has been in leadership positions at the Chicago Transit Authority, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation and CH2M Hill. She is the new chair of the American Public Transportation Association. She spoke with ENR Senior Transportation Editor Aileen Cho at the APTA annual conference about how public transit agencies face challenges of funding, technology and workforce. This interview was edited and condensed.