Miriam Salerno is a Senior Research Manager with the Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. Ms. Salerno manages the Public Outreach and Engagement Team at Rutgers University (POET), a specialized research center devoted to innovative public engagement practices, through which her team’s work has won national recognition, including from the American Planning Association, the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association, and the Transportation Research Board. Her work with POET has included extensive public outreach and stakeholder engagement projects for variety of clients and projects in the region, including Middlesex County, North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), New York Metropolitan Area Council (NYMTC), Together North Jersey and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), and New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). She is also currently serving as principal investigator for NCHRP 08-142 A Manual for Equitable, Effective, and Efficient Virtual Public Involvement and previously served as principal investigator for Synthesis Topic 49-11: Current State of Practice for Online Public Participation. She has also managed specialized engagement efforts for two regional resiliency projects in New Jersey – NJ FRAMES (Two Rivers, One Future) and Resilient NJ – Atlantic Coastal Communities Region.

Prior to joining VTC she worked extensively in a variety of public policy areas at both nonprofits and for the federal government. She holds a master’s degree in international environmental policy and development Economics from The Johns Hopkins University – School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).