Her Story
About Yolanda
Yolanda Gregg is a transportation operations and public-sector management professional with 27 years of experience in state government transportation. She currently serves as Program Manager at the Maryland Transit Administration, a role she has held for three years, overseeing bus, metro, and light rail operations overnight in the control center to ensure adequate service and manage emergencies such as breakdowns or derailments. Her career began at the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration where she started as a temp, was hired permanently, and advanced from Customer Agent 1 to Customer Agent 4 Supervisor. She later joined the Maryland Transit Administration as a DOT non-exempt 4 supervisor in the control center, progressed to assistant superintendent, and returned as a manager at the request of her former boss. She holds a Master's in Human Resource Management and a Master's in Business Administration. She has earned certifications including Contract Manager Certification, completed the Leadership Development Pathways Program and the Procurement Program, and received awards such as the Best Trainer Award, Exceptional Leadership Award, and Change Leadership Award. She attributes her success to determination and values empathy and positive energy in her work and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Yolanda
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say determination. I'm not listening to the naysayers that tell you no. I've always been determined when I get it in my mind to achieve something, I always try to figure out a path forward, so I don't give up easily.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Unless you're really looking to stay in this field for a long time, I wouldn't advise women to get into this industry because you kind of get... Because there's not as many positions. So if you're career-driven in everything, I would tell them to get into different fields because you're able to move up quicker. But I would encourage them to take advantage of any type of training or educational opportunity that they come upon because the state of Maryland offers a lot of them.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is how you stand out amongst other people because so many people have the degrees and the time and experience. The opportunities are that a lot of people are retiring now so there is a lot of opportunity out there for people to move up.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Do unto others as you would want done unto you, so I'm always empathizing with people's situations and problems and just trying to lend a hand. I believe what you put out into the universe comes back to you. So if you put out positive energy, you get that back.
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