Darrell E. Johnson’s ability to keep a $2-billion design-build highway widening on track despite multiple risks and challenges stems partly from his experience by way of commuter rail.

A class in government at University of California, Riverside, helped as well. “It completely changed my thought process regarding the world we live in,” says the CEO of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). Interning for the Riverside County Transportation Commission gave him planning experience regarding transit, streets and roads. But “what got me into transportation full time was Amtrak’s management association program,” he says. “I rotated through every aspect of the organization—operations and maintenance, construction, passenger services, marketing.”