Description

The August Chamber Luncheon will feature Monica Tellez-Fowler, President/CEO of the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), along with Kelsey Ellingsen, Director of Local Government Affairs. This lunch we will also include a presentation on LinkUS. 

With the massive growth within our region, Columbus is the largest city in the country without an extensive train or bus system and this topic brings to light great impacts for the future of our workforce, economic development and accessibility.

The Luncheon will also include updates on Worthington Works and the Chamber's DEI&B initiative, among other Chamber happenings.

What is LinkUS? A plan to increase COTA service and transportation options across central Ohio. LinkUS would include hundreds of miles of improved sidewalks, bikelanes, trails, along with construction of COTA Bus Rapid Transit lines and so much more.

Early bird pricing ends Monday, July 29. Registration closes Wednesday, August 21. No refunds after August 22.

MEET MONICA: Monica Tellez-Fowler is the President/CEO of the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), the regional mobility organization providing service to Columbus and the Central Ohio region. Since joining COTA in March 2023, she has served as Chief Operating Officer before she was promoted to Deputy CEO in May 2023. In May 2024, she became COTA’s new President/CEO, after a unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees.

During her time at COTA, Monica has successfully negotiated an industry-leading labor contract with Transport Workers Union 208, implemented and overseen the organization’s transformative Paid Family Leave Policy, and led improvements to transit service following a national workforce shortage. She also leads COTA in the LinkUS Mobility Initiative, which is the region’s mobility plan to bring rapid transit solutions and transportation options to accommodate major population growth in Central Ohio.

Prior to COTA, she served as the Deputy CEO/Treasurer of Clark County Public Transit Benefit Area Authority (C-TRAN) in Vancouver, Washington. While at C-TRAN, Tellez-Fowler was responsible for more than $100 million in annual operations and capital budgets and represented the authority on a $3.5 billion Interstate 5 bridge replacement megaproject across the Columbia River on the Washington-Oregon border. While at C-TRAN, the organization earned Outstanding Transportation System of the Year twice, first in 2019 and again in 2022. 

Before joining C-TRAN, Tellez-Fowler was the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Trinity Metro in Fort Worth, Texas, where she oversaw the New Starts Federal Transit Administration grant application process for TEXRail, a $1 billion, 27-mile commuter rail between downtown Fort Worth and the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Tellez-Fowler earned a Masters of Business Administration from Texas A&M University and a bachelor’s of Business Administration from Tarleton State University, graduating as a distinguished scholar. She lives in Gahanna.

MEET KELSEY: Kelsey Ellingsen is the Director of Local Government Affairs at the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), an organization serving a region of more than 1.3 million people. As a dedicated member of the Central Ohio community experienced in the local civic and public policy landscape, Kelsey plays a critical role in driving COTA’s priorities forward through advocacy and partnerships with valued community stakeholders and elected officials. 

Kelsey has a long history of serving Central Ohio, previously working as a legislative aide at Columbus City Council, serving in public policy roles for the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Department of Education, as well as working on campaigns for the Ohio Democratic Party, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, We Are Ohio, and more. 

Kelsey earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration from The Ohio State University. She is also a 2024 graduate of Leadership Columbus and the President-elect of The Ohio State University John Glenn College of Public Affairs Alumni Association.