Joe Milazzo II, PERTA executive director
Joe leads the regional business community’s advocacy efforts on transportation issues, policy, funding, and strategy.
His primary role is to accelerate success on key priorities for our growing region by leveraging the strength of the regional business community – including a cadre of executives from 100+ leading companies – in concert with local, regional, state, and federal elected officials and transportation partners.
RTA represents many of the region’s largest and most prominent employers, including: IBM, Google, Forge Nano, SAS, Lenovo, Amgen, United Therapeutics, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, Duke Energy, Fidelity Investments, First Citizens Bank, Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State University, the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, and more.
Joe holds master’s degrees in both management and civil engineering from NC State University and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Penn State. He has been a licensed professional engineer in North Carolina since 1998, and a registered lobbyist in North Carolina for more than 20 years.
Joe has served as RTA executive director since 2002, and he and his family live in Cary. You can read Joe’s perspectives in the RTA “Thursday Thoughts at 3” weekly blog. Download a one-page bio here.
RTA
Jacob RiggRTA membership operations coordinator
Jacob enhances the membership experience and sustains program efficiency for the RTA business coalition. He provides dedicated organizational management through high-level administrative support of the RTA executive director, primary coordination of RTA events and meetings, and ongoing membership program operations.
Jacob has a BS in Communication from the University of North Florida and an AA/AS degree in digital media from Eastern Florida State College. Jacob joined the RTA in 2022.
Michael HoganRTA policy and research coordinator
Michael Hogan, an economist in the Center for Applied Economics and Strategy at RTI International, serves as RTA’s policy and research coordinator through a contract with RTI. Mr. Hogan is responsible for performing research and analysis to advance the priorities and focus areas of the RTA business coalition. He commenced his work for the RTA team in 2022.
Michael’s key professional focus areas include the linkage between the regional economy and urban development, including transit access, workforce, and economic inclusion. He has a BA in Economics from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in City and Regional Planning from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Raleigh Chamber colleaguesRTA is a regional program of the Raleigh Chamber
The Regional Transportation Alliance has been a regional program of the Raleigh Chamber for more than two decades. We rely on our fellow Chamber staff colleagues for administrative, information technology, communications, billing and financial, event management, and other support and expertise including government affairs, economic development and innovation.
You can view the entire Raleigh Chamber staff directory here.
The mission of the Raleigh Chamber is to sustain and further develop a thriving economy and to enhance our community’s quality of life. RTA supports the Chamber’s mission, and the complementary missions of our more than 25 member chambers of commerce across central and eastern North Carolina by delivering business leadership to get our region moving faster.
