Monday, Sept. 2, 2024
By: Kyle Niblett
Transitioning culturally from the Indian education system to the University of Florida was tough for Yash Nagal. With a self-described “strong accent,” it was tough to engage with people and speak publicly.
However, with the help of fellow students and a great support system at the UF College of Design, Construction and Planning, he was able to overcome those challenges. Even more so, those relationships formed at DCP made him feel close to home again.
“The quality relationships you form in Gainesville stay with you long after college,” Nagal said. “Everyone there shares a common vision of creating better places without settling for the status quo.”
Before DCP, he started his career as a civil engineer trainee at Gammon India, but it was not until he moved to Orlando that he felt the calling toward public transit planning. During his first bus trip he took when he came to America, Nagal saw people utilize the bus for work and medical trips. This was his introduction to the value of public transportation, which ultimately led him to UF.
Armed with a 2017 master’s degree from the UF Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Nagal joined the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority (LYNX) as a planning technician fresh out of college. He then moved to Palm Beach County to work for the government with Palm Tran, where he has been promoted multiple times in the past five years. After having roles of transit planner, senior transit planner and manager of transit planning, Nagal is currently the director of transit planning for Palm Tran.
In his current role, he oversees the divisions of service planning and scheduling and strategic planning. Nagal has a team of seven “fantastic” individuals who work diligently to improve public transportation in his local community. Working with community partners to bridge these gaps is a big part of his role.
“Public transportation advocacy continues to be my most significant cause, especially in areas where frequent transit is unavailable,” he said. “Due to low frequencies and land use misalignments, the systems continue to underperform and face even more threats of service reductions. To grow transit ridership and usage, we must build a frequent and reliable system that the public can trust.”
As a result of the trust he has developed in Palm Beach County, he has established himself as one of the brightest young minds in his field. Earlier this month, he was recognized in the 2024 40 Under 40 list of Mass Transit magazine.
“I am grateful to be amongst the company of dedicated individuals in public transportation focused on creating access to opportunities for our passengers,” Nagal said humbly. “Since my early days at UF, using public transportation meant I had access to education, internships, and friends when I needed it the most. This opportunity will allow me to grow my network and serve the passengers by giving them access to the same opportunities I had.”
Those opportunities arose in Gainesville where the former member of the UF Student Planning Association learned the importance of advocacy in planning policy, the role of data in influencing decision-making both at a macro and micro level and how imperative working in teams was.
“The value of achieving things as a group is believing that what you see today doesn’t have to be the same tomorrow,” he explained. “Planning for a better future is leaving the world a better place than we found it.”
Some of his favorite classes involved learning about Geographic Information Systems (GIS) due to its easy translation to core skills in the marketplace, and his planning history course because it taught him the importance of planners in influential policy positions.
With his transitioning days long behind him, Nagal tells potential new Gators that it’s completely normal to feel uncomfortable and anxious when you grow and learn. After all, he stresses that if you believe in what you are doing and have good intentions, everything else will fall into place.
“Anyone who comes to DCP will receive a quality education as well as mentors who will help you professionally and personally in all aspects of your life.”
