FACT Staff
FACT’s team is lead by the Executive Director
who reports to the Board of Directors.
FACT was formed in 2005 due to the efforts of community advocates who believed that many San Diego residents did not have access to affordable transportation. FACT coordinates with existing services and provides some services that fill in the gaps.

Arun Prem - Executive Director
Arun joined FACT in 2010. He began his transportation career 22 years ago with New York City DOT where he managed the franchised bus performance contracts, civil rights, and alternate fuel programs. He developed the ADA compliance program for NYCDOT.
Before joining FACT, Arun worked with Access Services, Los Angeles County’s CTSA and ADA Paratransit service provider for 13 years, where he served as Director of Strategic Planning. He serves on the Board of Directors of CalACT and APTA. He is Vice Chair of APTA’s Mobility Management Resource Committee. Arun has an MBA in Management Information Systems from CUNY.

Meagan Schmidt - Director of Operations
Meagan holds a B.A. in Communication and began her career in transportation with FACT as Administrative Assistant in 2011. She quickly developed a passion for specialized transportation and transitioned to a Mobility Coordinator, working directly with riders on their mobility challenges and needs. She obtained a Transit Paratransit Management Certification from The University of the Pacific. Meagan was promoted to Service Planner and then Operations Manager in 2013.
Currently, Meagan manages a call center team of Mobility Coordinators, brokerage contractors, as well as the RideFACT and contracted services programs. She oversees all aspects of FACT’s transportation brokerage and leads FACT’s Service Development Committee.
Meagan is Chair of San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG’s) Social Services Transportation Advisory Council (SSTAC), and participates in APTA’s Mobility Management Committee and several CalACT Committees.

Budd Anderson - Director of Grants & Procurement
Budd joined FACT in January 2012. His duties at FACT include qualifying grant opportunities that advance FACT’s mission, developing grant projects, writing grant applications, managing grant agreements and compliance, developing FACT’s Title VI Plan and annual Business Plan, managing FACT’s vehicle sharing program and vehicle fleet, and is the CAM Liaison and Human Resource Manager. He was formerly with the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation. Budd has earned the degree of Bachelor of Science Business Administration with an emphasis in Management from California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), a Transit and Paratransit Management Certificate from the University Of The Pacific, and a Human Resource Management Certificate from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

Cynthia Pedersen - Manager of Administration & Human Resources
Cynthia joined FACT in September, 2019. Her duties include office administration, purchasing and inventory, Board Meeting minutes, vendor and IT coordination, and event/meeting coordination.
She earned an Associate degree in Secretarial Sciences from the University of Puerto Rico and an Associate degree in Communications from Puerto Rico’s Sacred Heart University. Cynthia has experience in both retail and administrative positions, and is fluent in Spanish.

Ali Poorman - Mobility Manager
Ali joined FACT in April 2018 as Office Manager. She was promoted to Business Coordinator in July 2019. Her duties include reviewing invoices submitted by FACT transportation vendors, preparing invoices for FACT agency clients, and customer service. She also assists clients in trip planning and referrals. In February 2022, Ali was promoted to FACT's Mobility Manager. She continues her previous duties and manages the call center and dispatch.
Ali has a BA from San Diego State University in Home Economics. She has over 20 years of retail management experience. She’s previously worked for Meals-on-Wheels as an Immediate Response Coordinator and The Walt Disney Co. as a Store Manager.

Julius Burgos - Accountant
Julius joined FACT in September 2016. His duties at FACT include all grant billing, accounts receivables, payables, payroll, bank reconciliations, monthly financial reporting to the Board, annual TDA & Internal auditing, and financial control.
He is currently registered with the Internal Revenue Service and CTEC as a tax preparer and highly experienced with non-profit organizations. Julius is a veteran with the United States Marine Corps, has over 25 years of experience in accounting, and studied at Kapiolani Community College (KCC) and Honolulu Community College (HCC).

Christian Hernandez - Safety & Compliance Coordinator
Christian joined FACT in May 2015. His duties include telephone referrals, trip planning, and transportation dispatching. He has several years of transportation experience including dispatching, routing, and customer service. He assists with RideFACT’s Safety Management Program, attended CalACT Maintenance Conference, and completed Reasonable Suspicion Training.

Kalin Alston - Mobility Coordinator
Kalin joined FACT in February 2017. His duties include telephone referrals, trip planning, and transportation dispatching. He has a Bachelor’s degree in visual communication from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle Washington. Kalin has experience assisting seniors in both assisted living and memory care communities as a volunteer. He has previously worked with Silverado Senior Living, Brookdale Senior Living Solutions and Fairwinds Ivey Ranch.

Farah Rizvi - Mobility Coordinator
Farah joined FACT in March 2022. Her duties include transportation dispatching, referrals, and trip planning. She has several years of experience working with and volunteering for seniors and individuals with disabilities.
Presently she studies linguistics and communications, and studied developmental psychology at Rutgers University (New Brunswick).

Jocelyn Barrueta - Mobility Coordinator
Jocelyn joined FACT in April 2022. Her duties include telephone referrals, trip planning, and transportation dispatching.
Jocelyn has experience working with seniors as a resident services coordinator and case manager. She previously worked at Interfaith Community Services.

Paola Zilli - Mobility Coordinator
Paola joined FACT in July 2022. Her duties include trip planning, referrals, transportation dispatching, and data entry. She previously performed volunteer work at Tri-City Hospital and has worked in customer service for over eight years.
Paola studied biology at San Diego State University and psychology at Mira Costa College