About
Our Expertise
Building Bridges Across Planning Practices
Bridge Collaborative brings together seasoned professionals whose complementary expertise strengthens every aspect of regional transportation planning. Our founder's nationally recognized work with Regional and Transportation Planning Organizations demonstrates how thoughtful engagement frameworks can transform planning challenges into opportunities for innovation. This sophisticated understanding of planning processes has earned her recognition as a trusted resource for organizations seeking to strengthen both community connections and regulatory compliance.
Our team's diverse experience creates natural bridges between different aspects of planning practice. Decades of work in public engagement, civil rights, and environmental justice inform our approach to meaningful community participation. This expertise combines with extensive experience in nonprofit advocacy and community development to help planning organizations build stronger relationships with diverse stakeholders. Additional perspective gained from military sector experience strengthens our approach to project implementation and organizational effectiveness.
At Bridge Collaborative, we recognize that successful planning requires careful attention to both community aspirations and regulatory requirements. Our integrated approach helps organizations develop engagement frameworks that naturally align federal compliance with meaningful public participation. This sophisticated understanding of planning practice helps our clients move beyond basic requirements to create lasting value for their communities while maintaining excellence in regulatory compliance.
Meet Our Experts
We are the brave dreamers
Kendall Miller
Founder, CEO
Kendall Miller's approach to transportation planning emerges from a deep understanding of how regulatory frameworks can strengthen community engagement. Over two decades of experience with Metropolitan Planning Organizations has taught her that meaningful public participation grows from careful attention to both technical excellence and human connection.
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Her innovative work in public involvement has earned recognition from the Federal Highway Administration as a national resource. By developing engagement frameworks that naturally align with federal requirements while remaining accessible to diverse communities, she helps planning organizations transform compliance obligations into opportunities for deeper community dialogue.
This integrated approach to planning engagement has yielded particular success in Environmental Justice initiatives. Drawing from extensive experience with both regional and federal methodologies, she helps organizations develop equity frameworks that strengthen planning outcomes while meeting oversight requirements. Her expertise proved especially valuable during Quadrennial Certification processes, where her methodologies helped transform substantial corrective actions into opportunities for program innovation.
Kendall's understanding of planning engagement benefits from unique perspective gained across sectors. A decade of work with social justice organizations informed her approach to community relationships, while senior-level experience with Parsons Brinkerhoff Quade and Douglas deepened her technical expertise. This combination proved especially valuable in developing Community Impact Assessment Guidelines and School Outreach Programs that bridge technical requirements with authentic community needs.
At Bridge Collaborative, Kendall leads development of integrated support systems for Regional Transportation Planning organizations. Her approach naturally weaves together public involvement, environmental justice, civil rights, and Title VI requirements to create planning processes that serve both compliance needs and community aspirations. This sophisticated understanding helps planning organizations build stronger relationships with their communities while maintaining excellence in federal compliance.
Richard Carroll
Principal Strategist, Government Policy and Project Implementation
Richard Carroll approaches community development through the lens of practical implementation, understanding that even the most thoughtfully designed plans create value only when successfully executed. His three decades of experience across housing, community safety, and development sectors has taught him that effective planning requires careful attention to both policy frameworks and operational realities.
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Working extensively with housing insecurity initiatives has given Richard unique insight into how planning decisions affect vulnerable communities. This experience informs his approach to project delivery, where he helps planning organizations develop implementation strategies that align regulatory requirements with community needs. His proven ability to navigate complex challenges while maintaining focus on practical outcomes makes him particularly valuable in helping planning organizations move from concept to implementation.
Richard's strategic perspective emerges from deep experience with operational systems and regulatory relationships. He brings sophisticated understanding of how business continuity and resiliency principles can strengthen planning implementation. This operational expertise helps planning organizations develop more robust implementation frameworks while maintaining compliance with evolving regulatory requirements.
At Bridge Collaborative, Richard leads development of implementation strategies that transform planning concepts into community realities. His approach naturally complements the firm's engagement expertise by ensuring that community input shapes not just planning documents, but actual implementation decisions. This integration of strategic thinking and practical execution helps planning organizations maintain momentum through complex, multi-year initiatives while building trust through consistent delivery.
Margo Hannah
Strategist, Social Media
Margo Hannah approaches social media not just as a communication tool, but as a vital extension of the planning engagement process. Her understanding of digital community building helps planning organizations transform traditional outreach methods into dynamic, ongoing conversations about community future.
Drawing from deep experience with planning communication, she recognizes that effective social media engagement requires careful balance between professional credibility and community accessibility. Her methodology helps organizations develop digital presence that makes complex planning concepts approachable while maintaining the sophistication necessary for meaningful public participation.
At Bridge Collaborative, Margo develops comprehensive digital engagement strategies that naturally complement traditional planning processes. She helps organizations create multi-channel approaches that meet community members where they are, whether through carefully crafted social media campaigns or strategic website optimization. This integrated approach ensures digital engagement strengthens rather than simply supplements existing planning relationships.
Her work focuses particularly on creating digital touchpoints that transform occasional participation into sustained dialogue. By developing content strategies that connect immediate planning activities to longer-term community vision, she helps organizations maintain engagement between formal planning milestones. This attention to ongoing digital relationship building proves especially valuable for long-range planning initiatives that require sustained community interest.
BRIDGE COLLABORATIVE CONNECTORS
Veronica Lawrence Ortega
Bridge Collaborative is thrilled to welcome Ms. Veronica Lawrence Ortega to our team! With her impressive background as a retired Navy Master Chief, Veronica brings over 24 years of dedicated service to our country, along with a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will undoubtedly enhance our mission.
Throughout her military career, Veronica distinguished herself as the Navy’s premier subject matter expert on culture, climate, and inclusion. Her role as the senior program assessor in the Office of the Naval Inspector General has equipped her with invaluable insights into fostering environments that promote equity and community engagement.
With a remarkable track record as a mentor and coach for 110 Command Climate Specialists, Veronica has excelled as a subject matter expert in Navy Equal Opportunity and Sexual Harassment Prevention matters, as well as Military Equal Opportunity Programs.
Veronica's commitment to enhancing interpersonal relationships shines through her development and delivery of training programs tailored for senior commanders and enlisted leaders. By focusing on both interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships, she empowers individuals to optimize workplace relations, ultimately leading to increased cohesion among teams. Her academic credentials, including a bachelor's degree in Technical Management with a specialization in Criminal Justice and a graduate degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, complement her professional journey, making her a Certified Diversity Professional and a Distinguished Graduate of the Defense Culture Institute.
Bridge Collaborative will include Veronica’s expertise in recognizing the significance of inclusive practices not only in our everyday business operations but in our creation of meaningful public engagement strategies within the realms of transportation planning and environmental justice initiatives. Additionally, Veronica will be partnering with us in our Title VI and Equity Training and Federal Certification programs.
Veronica’s undergraduate major is in Technical Management with a specialization in Criminal Justice, and her graduate degree is in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and a Certified Diversity Professional. She is a Distinguished Graduate of the Defense Culture Institute (previously known as Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute). Veronica is pursuing her doctoral degree in Organizational Change and Leadership at University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education. Additional qualifications include:
- Coaching Certification, Coaching Academy
- Department of Defense Certified Mediator, Certified Small Group Facilitator
- Diversity Trainer, Command Climate Specialist, Equal Employment Opportunity
- (EEO) Counselor,
- Certified Workshop Facilitator, and Certified Facilitator Evaluator/Trainer
- Change Management Certificate Management and Strategy
- Psychology of Diversity and Unconscious Bias, Udemy Certification
- Certified Conflict Manager, Management and Strategy Institute
- Executive Management Certified, Management and Strategy Institute
- Certified Continuous Improvement Manager, Management and Strategy Institute
- Strategic Organizational Leadership Certification, Management and Strategy Institute
- Project Management & Leadership Communication Course, George Washington University
She is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Inclusivity EQ, a company dedicated to helping people do their best work by leveraging organic and artificial intelligence.
Tomette L. Herring
We are thrilled to announce that Tomette L. Herring has joined the Bridge Collaborative team! With over 20 years of extensive experience in the Government Contracting sector, Tomette brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership that perfectly aligns with our mission of fostering inclusive partnerships and enhancing public and stakeholder engagement in our initiatives.
Starting her illustrious career at industry giants like Lockheed Martin-IT and General Dynamics-AIS, Tomette managed contracts in IT services of $145M and sold cyber solutions, IT solutions and satellite solutions and services valued between an impressive 18
million and 2.5 billion dollars. Her expertise does not stop there; she has led business development wins in the Department of Homeland Security, DHS since its inception, displaying her deep understanding of government operations and community needs.
In late 2023, Ms. Herring joined the executive leadership team as the Senior Director of Business Development, West Region, focusing on B2B services for strategic business development efforts to include Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business
Technology Transfer (STTR), and support to economic development.
Ms. Herring, an award-winning business professional, is most proud of her community service work. As an abuse survivor, she used her experiences to enhance her service efforts, leading to her groundbreaking 2007 article, “When Love Hurts.” Recognized by national
organizations for her work with women, children, and incarcerated individuals, she has addressed issues like violence prevention, education, and empowerment. A published writer, former National Press Member, performer, TV producer, and radio co-host, she has
also supported military personnel through various workshops, training programs, and speaking engagements at key military locations including the Pentagon. Her vision is to continue supporting military families and advancing STEM/Arts education and opportunities
for women and children in underserved communities.
Tomette's recent achievement, winning a 93-million-dollar Blanket Purchase Agreement with NASAs Earth Sciences Group for Synthetic Aperture Radar, SAR for small satellites, solutions, and related services, highlights her strong connections and credibility within
the industry. This accolade not only underscores her technical capabilities supporting challenging National Security concerns but also enhances Bridge Collaborative's ability to serve diverse communities, clients, stakeholders and tackle complex challenges
effectively.
As we welcome Tomette to our team, we invite you all to engage with us in this exciting journey. Together, we can create meaningful collaborations that prioritize transparency and community-driven solutions.
Our Industry Lens
Why we stand out
Uniquely Positioned to Strengthen Planning Practices
Bridge Collaborative brings an unprecedented integration of planning expertise, engagement methodology, and practical implementation experience to regional transportation organizations. While traditional firms focus on individual aspects of planning support, our approach recognizes that meaningful community engagement emerges from the thoughtful integration of technical excellence, authentic communication, and sustainable frameworks.
Our distinctive perspective emerges from decades of experience across multiple sectors - from federal compliance to grassroots advocacy, from transportation planning to community development. This diverse expertise allows us to see connections others miss and create engagement frameworks that naturally align regulatory requirements with community aspirations.
What sets us apart isn't just the comprehensive nature of our services, but our sophisticated understanding of how different aspects of planning practice can strengthen each other. Whether developing public participation plans, supporting federal certification, or creating engagement strategies, we help organizations transform routine requirements into opportunities for meaningful community connection.
The Art Collective
Our Planning Visualization Studio Transforms complex planning data into compelling community stories
At Bridge Collaborative, we combine MPO and transportation planning expertise with professional visualization capabilities to help planning organizations communicate effectively with stakeholders. Our team brings 20 years of specialized experience in transportation and land use planning visualization.
Core Services:
- Transportation corridor studies and multi-modal analyses
- Land use and growth scenario visualizations
- Environmental impact assessment graphics
- Public engagement materials and presentations
Our approach integrates local design talent in client communities, ensuring visualizations reflect regional context while supporting local creative economies. Every deliverable is crafted to resonate with stakeholders and facilitate informed community decisions.
Bridge Collaborative specializes in transforming complex planning concepts into clear, compelling visuals that drive understanding and engagement across:
- Long-range transportation plans
- Comprehensive plan updates
- Corridor studies
- Public outreach campaigns
Let us help your organization communicate planning initiatives more effectively through professional visualization services tailored to your community's needs.
Connect With Us
Every planning organization faces unique challenges. Let's explore solutions together.
OUR OFFICES
20 F St
7th Floor
NW, Washington, DC 20001
999 Waterside Dr
Suite 2525
Norfolk, VA 23510