Board of Directors

Veronica Castro de Barrera is the founding principal of VCdB Architecture & Art, a design consulting practice in Austin. She is a licensed architect who has dedicated her career to guiding public investment decisions toward more walkable, inclusive urban design and transit-friendly communities. In her 23-year career, she has designed a diverse portfolio of civic projects including housing, recreational and mass transit. The majority of her work has been focused on the architecture of mobility in an effort to humanize the built environment, connecting the most vulnerable in our communities to opportunities.

Castro de Barrera has studied in Mexico, the United States, Italy and, most recently, a masterclass in Denmark with Gehl Architects. She has led the transit studio for a national design-build firm and worked alongside teams of engineers and artists in the successful design, documentation and construction administration of transit programs and active mobility investments for Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth and St. Louis.

She has called Austin home for the past two decades and has raised her two children, Andrea and Sebastian, with her husband, Martin.

You can email the ATP board of directors at  atpboardinfo@atptx.org. Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all members of the board by ATP staff.

For three decades, Kirk Watson has been immersed in public policy, spanning local and state government in Texas. He served in the Texas Senate for over 13 years, leading on a wide range of issues and serving as a member and vice-chair of multiple standing and special committees and the Sunset Advisory Commission. His peers elected him President Pro Tempore of the Senate in 2019.

Juan Garza has extensive experience leading governmental entities and serving the public. Mr. Garza has served as a city manager of Corpus Christi, Texas, as an interim hospital administrator, and as the chief executive of two electric power companies. He also served as the VP of Finance and Development for Central Health where he led financial functions, contract negotiations, community relations, and project management, and was extensively involved in the redevelopment of the Brackenridge Hospital site. He has extensive experience working with citizens on complex and challenging projects, including, for example, the closing of the Holly Power Plant and the development of Evanston’s comprehensive plan.

You can email the ATP board of directors at  atpboardinfo@atptx.org. Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all members of the board by ATP staff.

Kammy Horne is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mpact, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to building vibrant communities around transit. She brings extensive experience in the transit industry, having worked at many levels of government and in both the private and public sectors. Before joining Mpact, Horne served as the Senior Vice President for Development and Planning at VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio. In this role, she led multiple departments and spearheaded the development of new projects under the “Keep San Antonio Moving” initiative.  Her career also includes significant roles as a consultant with HNTB, AECOM, and Michael Baker International, where she worked on various transit projects across different cities including for Capital Metro on Project Connect. Additionally, she has experience with the Federal Transit Administration and the Texas Department of Transportation.  Horne holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Biology from Long Island University and a Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin.

You can email the ATP board of directors at atpboardinfo@atptx.org. Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all members of the board by ATP staff.

Jeffrey W. Travillion was elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court representing Precinct 1 in November 2016 and took office on the first day of 2017. He had spent the previous 16 years working for the city of Austin, retiring as team lead for the Code Department’s Neighborhood Enhancement Team. He was responsible for developing protocols to address compliance issues within the city’s health, safety and welfare codes. His term will expire in June 2024.

He has more than 30 years’ experience providing management solutions in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Travillion has conducted extensive operational reviews of state agencies and city departments, and worked on teams that produced recommendations adopted by the Texas Legislature and which saved the state of Texas more than $8 billion.

A graduate of Jackson State University’s W.E.B. Dubois Honors Program, Travillion also was an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow at Carnegie-Mellon University’s Heinz College School of Public Policy and Management, as well as a fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He has a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Travillion is involved in a number of civic activities, including serving as a deacon at the Abundant Life Community Baptist Church. He is a graduate of Leadership Austin, chairman of the Communications Committee for the Texas State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a member of the board of directors of the Austin Project. He and his wife, Perri, have 3 children: Jeffrey Jr., Paige and Andrew.

You can email the ATP board of directors at  atpboardinfo@atptx.org. Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all members of the board by ATP staff.