Gabriel J. Lopez-Bernal

About Gabriel J. Lopez-Bernal

I work at the intersection of transportation technology, P&L management, and government policy; a combination that\'s increasingly hard to separate in regulated industries. As President of Icomera North America, I\'ve spent the past decade building out this region from scratch, working with transit agencies, passenger railroads, and OEMs like Siemens Mobility and Prevost Car Inc. The work spans operations across the U.S. and Canada, and it involves as much policy navigation as it does commercial execution. Three things tend to define how I work: Business building in complex markets. I\'ve started from zero more than once; building teams, negotiating multi-stakeholder contracts, and figuring out go-to-market in industries where the procurement rules weren\'t written with innovation in mind. Policy and government affairs. As Treasurer of the Commuter Rail Coalition, I engage regularly with Congress, FRA, FTA, and state DOTs on funding frameworks and regulatory direction. I try to understand where policy is going before it gets there. Technical and commercial fluency. I\'m comfortable on both sides of the table; understanding how connectivity systems are architected and how transit agencies actually make buying decisions. Bridging those two worlds is most of the job. My foundation was at the U.S. Department of Transportation, working across FRA, FTA, and ITS-JPO on early connected vehicle policy. That experience still shapes how I think about technology adoption in regulated environments. I contribute regularly to Fast Company and industry publications on procurement reform, mobility innovation, and what public-sector technology adoption actually looks like in practice. Recognized by Railway Age (25 Fast Trackers Under 40, 2025), Mass Transit Magazine (40 Under 40, 2021), and U.S. DOT\'s John A. Volpe Award (2009).

Experience

1. Treasurer

   Commuter Rail Coalition

   Jul 2023 — Present · US

   Manages financial oversight and lead federal advocacy initiatives for national coalition representing commuter rail operators- Engages with Congressional Transportation Committees, FRA, FTA, and state DOTs on rail modernization funding and regulatory policy- Advances coalition priorities on safety regulations, technology adoption, and outcome-based procurement reform

Education

• Tufts University

  Master’s Degree, Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning

  2008 — 2010

• University of Florida

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Civil Engineering

  2003 — 2008

Skills

• Sales Operations
• Transit Planning
• New Business Development
• Policy
• Building Relationships
• Project Planning
• Spanish
• Traffic Engineering
• Business Planning
• Policy Analysis
• Transportation Engineering
• Arcgis
• Strategic Planning
• Government
• Nonprofits
• Rail
• Economic Development
• Gis
• Program Management
• Urban Planning
• Planning
• Efficiency Analysis
• Research
• Business Analysis
• Business Strategy
• Management
• Technology Transfer
• Analysis
• Public Transport
• Management Consulting
• Social Media
• Sustainability
• Transit-Oriented Development
• Leadership
• Environmental Awareness
• Technology Development
• Data Analysis
• Access
• Sales Support
• Public Policy