Our dedicated team prevents injury and death on U.S. roads.
Find your regional contact, here.
Lisa Minjares-Kyle, M.S., CPPE, MCHES® – Program Manager, Assistant Research Scientist
[email protected]
Lisa Minjares-Kyle, M.S., MCHES, is the Program Manager of the Youth Transportation Safety Program at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). She brings with her over 12 years of experience in the traffic safety field. Within the YTS program, she oversees the program team, projects, and mission. Her areas of interest and experience include the application of health prevention frameworks, Safe System Approach, Traffic Safety Culture, Road Safety management across youth transportation safety topics. Her primary area of expertise includes research and analysis of transportation issues affecting young drivers, the development of educational outreach materials, peer-to-peer outreach, and data analysis. She currently manages a majority of the YTS program grants overseeing a cumulative 1.5 million dollars in grant funds. She is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and also a Certified Peer Program Educator. She obtained both her bachelor’s and Master of Science degrees from Texas A&M University and recently completed her second master’s degree at Clemson University in Transportation Safety Administration.
Stacey M. Tisdale, MAIS, PMP, CPPE – Project Manager II
210-321-1232 | [email protected]
Ms. Tisdale’s background in Communication, web development, and graphic design allows her to find new and innovative ways to convert statistics and safety messaging into materials, activities, and easy-to-remember education for peer-to-peer delivery for all age groups. Ms. Tisdale has developed several activities deployed within schools, including Zero Crazy, Ride With Me, and Extra Mile and was instrumental in Teens in the Driver Seat becoming a Certified Peer Program. She is also a Certified Peer Program Educator who has worked with hundreds of schools across the country to teach peer leaders to become traffic safety champions within their community and activate teams. Ms. Tisdale has been Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator for multiple projects in multiple states while continuing to work in the field with teens and young adults, giving her the unique perspective of how developed activities are carried through, materials are used, and end educational results. She is the team lead for graphics and marketing and is the regional representative for Georgia, California, Arizona, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and New York. She currently serves on the National Association of Peer Program Professionals’ Professional Development Board. Ms. Tisdale is a Certified Project Management Professional and has obtained her Master of Arts degree in Communication and Business.
Rubi Mares, M.Ed., CPPE, CGMP – Program Specialist III
210-321-1211 | [email protected]
Rubi Mares is a Program Specialist III for the Youth Transportation Safety (YTS) program at Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TT). She has an extensive background and experience in strategic recruitment, program development, community outreach, and event management. In her current role, Rubi plans and coordinates all major events for the YTS program, including the TDS Summit and UDS Symposium. She serves as the regional representative for South Texas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Arizona where she is passionate about educating youth, young adults, and teachers on the dangers of traffic safety and sharing the YTS mission. In addition, she leads the Teen Advisory Board for the Teens in the Driver Seat® program. Ms. Mares has served as Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator for multiple projects across multiple states, including Pedestrian and Bike Safety in Texas. Currently, she is serving as the Board President for the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) San Antonio Area Chapter and is part of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Latina Leadership – Cohort 7. Rubiana is a Certified Peer Program Educator and Certified Government Meeting Professional. Rubi is a graduate of Texas A&M University and has obtained a Master of Education degree in Higher Education.
Gabriella Kolodzy, MPA, CPPE – Associate Transportation Researcher
512-407-1139 | [email protected]
Gabriella Kolodzy has been working in the field of communications and nonprofit leadership for over seven years. Her professional experience is in public relations, graphic communications, and outreach. Mrs. Kolodzy has extensive experience in delivering traffic safety messaging from conceptualizing, collaborating, producing, and managing a wide range of multimedia content. Mrs. Kolodzy is the principal investigator for the Statewide Youth Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety grant, she helps manage the U in the Driver Seat program and is the regional representative for Central Texas and Colorado. With her background in communications and traffic safety outreach, Gabriella oversees all public relations for the Youth Transportation Safety Program. Gabriella holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Texas A&M Bush School of Government and Public Service. She is also a Certified Peer Program Educator. In her free time, Gabriella serves as a Safe Kids Austin Board Member, sharing her skills in public awareness and her passion for young road user safety.
Christy Thomas, CPPE – Program Leader III
817-462-0512 | [email protected]
Christy Thomas is a Program Leader III for the Youth Transportation Safety (YTS) program at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). She has over 35 years of experience at the Institute and has been a part of the YTS team since 2011 where she serves as a Regional Representative for both the Teens in the Driver Seat and U in the Driver Seat programs, assisting with project deployment in North Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. She also assists with the research and development of peer-to-peer educational outreach materials for young drivers and regularly participates in community outreach events to promote traffic safety. Christy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas, has served as a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) and is a Certified Peer Program Educator (CPPE).
Christine Yager – Project Specialist II
979-314-9571 | [email protected]
Ms. Yager joined the Youth Transportation Safety (YTS) Program in 2021 and serves as a Regional Representative for the Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) program where she supports students and teachers who are active in the program, and regularly participates in community outreach events to promote traffic safety. Her regions include Southeast Texas, Washington state, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Connecticut. Prior to joining YTS, Ms. Yager worked in the Human Factors Group at TTI, where she served as a Principal Investigator, Project Manager, and Researcher on a wide variety of transportation safety projects. With her background in human factors and transportation safety research, Ms. Yager oversees the data collection and analysis activities for the YTS Program’s Annual Surveys, Zero Hero pre- and post-observational activities, You in the Driver Seat smartphone app, and overall TDS program evaluations. Ms. Yager holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering.
Therese Standard – Program Specialist III
912-245-2289 | [email protected]
Mrs. Standard is a retired educator working part-time serving as the South Georgia Regional Representative for Teens in the Driver Seat. Her primary responsibilities are recruiting schools to the TDS family, working with teacher-sponsors, advisers, and students, delivering presentations, workshops, and assisting with project deployment in her home state of Georgia. After 31+ years as a certified teacher in broad field Science 6-12, Health & Physical Education P-12, Family and Consumer Science Education 6-12, being an FCCLA (Family Career and Community Leaders of America) Adviser with State and Region officers, and successfully coaching numerous sports teams for Georgia High School Association and AAU Track & Field, she has added becoming a Certified Peer Program Educator for TDS. Therese holds both her Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education and Master’s degree of Education with an emphasis in Exercise Physiology, from Georgia Southern University.
Cesar Caballero – Program Specialist II
702-462-0855 | [email protected]
Mr. Caballero joined the Youth Transportation Safety (YTS) Program in 2021 and serves in the Communication Team as the Social Media Coordinator for the organization. He manages the social media channels for Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS), U in the Driver Seat (UDS), and the Youth Transportation Safety Program for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety. Mr. Caballero has over thirteen years of experience as a public education teacher in the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Nevada. In addition, he has served as a social media manager for a variety of non-profit organizations and businesses both nationally and internationally. In addition to being fully certified in the state of Texas in the areas of Spanish (6-12), ELA (4-12), and Bilingual Generalist (4-8), he has served as presenter and consultant for a wide array of nationwide conferences in the areas of education, social media, entertainment, and curriculum development. He holds a Bachelor’s in Bilingual Education (4-8) from Texas A & M International University and a Master’s in Social Media and Public Relations from Southern Utah University.
Andrea Chacon – Program Specialist I
210-321-1220 | [email protected]
Andrea Chacon has been part of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute since March 2009. She first worked in administrative positions in the El Paso and Dallas Urban Offices before joining the Youth Transportation Safety (YTS) Program in 2021. With a background in graphic design and resource management, Ms. Chacon serves as a member of the Communications Team, where she assists with resource development and deployment, website development and maintenance, and communication planning for both the Teens in the Driver Seat and U in the Driver Seat programs. Ms. Chacon holds a Bachelor’s in Graphic Design from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas.
Valeria Martinez – Associate Transportation Researcher
[email protected]
Valeria Martinez joined Texas A&M Transportation Institute in March 2019 as a Senior Research Associate at the urban office of El Paso, TX. Her background consists of Geological Sciences for educational applications. Her background involves Geographical Information System (GIS), Structure-from-Motion models, small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (sUAV), Deep Learning ArcGIS Pro, imagery analysis, and teaching teachers new teaching applications for science education. Mrs. Martinez obtained her Geological Science Bachelor’s and Master’s from the University of El Paso, Texas. Mrs. Martinez will receive her Ph.D. on December 2022.
Office Staff
 Anna Hernandez |
 Talia Pim |
 Daniel Espinoza |
Part-Time Staff
Pam Morrison
Student Workers
Brittany Uribe – Catherine Badillo – Karla Garcia
Program Aides
Thomas Beran – Psiquis Beran