[sustran] Any ideas on new work possibilities?

[Jonathan Richmond]

Dear Colleagues,

I wrote to some of you last October as my assignment in Mauritius was 
coming to an end to seek new avenues. My little mass mailing did in fact 
join me up with the RTA in Dubai and I went on to complete an assignment 
there assisting with procurement of a consultancy to privatize the 
existing public bus system. All ended very well, and I had thought I would 
be returning to Dubai right now, but that prospect has been delayed due to 
Board actions and management changes, and may take a different format or 
even not happen at all, so I am writing once more to see if there might be 
prospects to join any of your teams or projects.

Specialist skills I offer focus in a number of key areas, combining 
technical skills in transportation systems with deep knowledge of and 
experience of managerial, organizational and political systems which date 
from my time at MIT where I completed a Phd in transportation while 
working with with Donald Schon, who was a world leader in the area of 
organizational change. I have facilitated consensus-formation under trying 
circumstances and where others have failed, and I have also produced 
complex plans and Terms of Reference for both establishment of a BRT 
system and regulatory reform and for the development of a new Land 
Transport Authority.

My work in Mauritius was tremendously successful, but ended on an unhappy 
note. I came to Mauritius to run a consensus-forming process in 2006, 
following fifteen years of stalemate on moving things forward in the 
transport arena. Too many reports had been written about Mauritius 
transport issues (one by myself, on an earlier World Bank contract!), but 
action had not been taken, so I decided I had to focus on bringing people 
together to move beyond the impasse.

I brought together twenty major actors in transport for discussion forums. 
I told them that we had to agree on how to proceed if we were to have 
action, and I provided the structure for a negotiated consensus to be 
reached. The group discussed a series of policies, eliminated those where 
there was clear disagreement, and negotiated over the remaining ones 
until, finally, we had eighteen policies endorsed. The recommended actions 
were given to the Mauritius Cabinet, and form the basis for current 
transport policy.

The number one problem for transport policy in Mauritius is a
dysfunctionality brought about by duplicated and uncoordinated functions
in three different transport agencies, which leads to competition rather
than cooperation. The consensus forums group agreed that top priority
should therefore be to dissolve these agencies and instead build a new
Land Transport Authority based on principles of strong management
and integrated transport policy making and implementation.

During a return to Mauritius in the third quarter of 2007 and, during my
subsequent November 2007 - November 2008 contract I developed a
concept for the LTA, and prepared the Terms of Reference for an RFP to
solicit consultant help in LTA implementation. My other major focus was
on lifting public transport services to a new level, and I prepared
the Terms of Reference for a large-scale Bus Modernization program to
bring Bus Rapid Transit to Mauritius as well as overhaul the existing
bus system and its regulatory mechanisms.

Despite remarkable progress, working in Mauritius was overshadowed by the 
fact that I needed to work as part of that very dysfunctional system that 
I sought to reform, and pressures from managers who benefited from the 
unhealthy status quo led to harassment, freezing of the budget to pay me 
(I ended up losing over $18,000), and a political decision not to renew my 
contract. Perhaps someone who must, by the very nature of the job, touch 
raw nerves on a daily basis should not expect otherwise. I would rather 
look on the positive side, and recognize the great deal that has been 
accomplished in transforming inertia into action. I hope the government 
will build on the strong foundations I have established.

Prior to working in Mauritius, I served as adviser to the Government of 
Singapore, where I participated in discussions of priorities for a rethink 
of transport policy and publication of a new White Paper (Earlier in my 
career, I was also adviser to the Chair of the then Los Angeles County 
Transportation Authority). Before the Singapore appointment, I had a 
teaching assignment in Thailand, where I developed new approaches to 
teaching professionalism to Asian students wishing to enter the 
transportation profession.

I am also well-known for my work in the area of transit privatization (I 
wrote a book on the subject) and for my contributions in project 
evaluation methodology assessment. I am equally at home working in 
developed and developing country environments.

I am available for a wide variety of assignments. I have had strong recent
interests not only in BRT but also in overhauling transit system planning
and management and finding innovative ways to improve services while
controlling costs. I have had to write complex and far-ranging technical
documents, and am flexible enough to work in a wide variety of areas.

My interests go beyond public transport to strategic planning in the
transport arena in general and, in particular, to developing complex plans
for balanced comprehensive action.

My other strong interests are in the area of governance and reform as well
as in organizational design. I have had striking success bringing people
together -- and that is certainly sorely needed in many contexts. If you
have projects that involve a need for helping people to come together, to
think, and to decide in a manner that requires both creativity and tact, I
could be the right person for you.

I will also welcome work geared to designing effective new organizations.
Not only did I conduct work on organizational issues as part of my Phd in
transportation planning at MIT and participate in the merger of two major
transport organizations when working as a transport adviser in Los
Angeles, but my recent experience in Mauritius has exposed me to the needs
of the full range of functions that need proper design, including planning
and policymaking, programming and other financial functions, human
resources, government relations, public communications and executive
requirements. Work in the broad area of organizational development
(including in areas outside transportation) would be appropriate for me.

To mention my continuing interests in education: it is vital that
tomorrow's professionals are trained not only in technical areas but in
how to become relective practitioners who can think rigorously and change
their own assumptions. Education is needed not only in the
university, but also in the professional workplace. Any projects in
this area would also be of great interest.

I will look forward to hearing any ideas you might have -- noting that I 
am flexible as to location and would be available for long-term 
assignments in Asia and Africa as well as for opportunities in Europe and 
the States. I am a United States Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) as 
well as a British Citizen, so can legally work in many places.

I can send my cv or work samples to anyone interested.

Thanks for any ideas you might have and best regards,

                                                    --Jonathan!
-----
Jonathan Richmond
+230 707-1134 (Mauritius mobile: most reliable way to reach me)

+1 (617) 395-4360 (US phone number rings at home -- call me in
Mauritius for the price of a call to the US).

e-mail: richmond at alum.mit.edu
http://the-tech.mit.edu/~richmond/



-----
Jonathan Richmond
+230 707-1134 (Mauritius mobile: most reliable way to reach me)

+1 (617) 395-4360 (US phone number rings at home -- call me in
Mauritius for the price of a call to the US).

e-mail: richmond at alum.mit.edu
http://the-tech.mit.edu/~richmond/