Jenny Wang, AICP, is a Project Manager and Transit Planner in VHB’s Atlanta office, where she helps lead complex transit programs that support long term mobility and community outcomes. We recently spent some time with Jenny to hear more about her approach to transit planning, her perspective on leadership, and what it takes to move ambitious ideas toward implementation.
What stood out in our conversation was how openly and thoughtfully Jenny speaks about her work, with a deep engagement in both the technical and human sides of transit planning. She brings a steady, collaborative approach to her role, pairing sound judgment with a strong sense of responsibility to clients and the communities they serve.
To hear more about what inspires her and how she approaches her work, we asked Jenny three questions:
VHB: Transit planning is a constant balancing act. What’s the real-world puzzle you love solving, and why does it keep you engaged after nearly two decades in the field?
Jenny: What I enjoy most is how layered transit planning is. You are not just thinking about a route or a station. You are thinking about how people move through a place, how they arrive, what they experience, and how all those fit into an existing, often constrained, context.
I have always been drawn to work where you need to zoom in and zoom out at the same time. On one hand, you are focused on details like access, operations, safety, and design. On the other hand, you are thinking about how a project supports a community over the long term. Transit projects demand that kind of dual focus because they unfold over many years, shaped by funding cycles, public processes, and the realities of implementation. Staying engaged from early planning through delivery means holding onto the original intent while adapting along the way. When that effort pays off, transit becomes something people can rely on in their everyday lies, and that is what keeps me invested in this work.
VHB: As a project manager, what’s your “signature move”—the skill you offer that makes a complex project run smoother?
Jenny: My signature move is recognizing when it’s time to pause and reassess and helping teams do that early and with intention. I have found that the most important moments on a project are often the quiet ones. Taking time to step back, challenge assumptions, and make thoughtful adjustments early can be the difference between a project that simply moves forward and one that truly succeeds.
Another quiet but powerful moment is when I see my fellow VHBers fully invested in the project outcome. Our teams lean in because they care deeply about what the work will mean for the communities we serve. As a project manager, I am intentional about creating an environment where that sense of ownership and shared purpose can thrive.
My role is to support the team, remove obstacles, and keep everyone aligned around the bigger picture. When VHBers understand the why behind the work and feel trusted to lead in their areas of strength, the quality shows. That collective commitment is what ultimately leads to stronger projects and better outcomes.
VHB: Looking at the work you’re leading now, what value do you focus on bringing and what makes you most proud of your team’s impact?
Jenny: I focus on helping projects move from planning toward something real and deliverable. A lot of transit work has lived on paper for a long time, so being able to guide a project through key milestones, aligning planning, design, and funding requirements, is where I think we can make the most difference.
One project that really stands out for me is the Rapid Southlake Bus Rapid Transit project for Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). It was a moment where everything came together: advancing the planning work, moving into 30 percent design, and supporting the steps needed to position the project for federal funding. That kind of coordination takes focus, trust, and a team that is fully invested.
What I am most proud of is how the team approached the work. People cared deeply about the outcome because they understood what the project could mean for the community it will serve. That sense of shared purpose showed up in the quality of the work and in the way the team supported one another. Being part of a project that is moving toward implementation and will ultimately improve mobility for a community is incredibly rewarding, and it is why this work matters to me.
