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Katherine Freund (born May 5, 1950) is an American activist for community based non-profit transportation for older adults and people with special needs. She founded the Independent Transportation Network (ITN) in 1995, which in 2005 grew into ITNAmerica, which leads a national network for sustainable community-based transportation grounded in policy, research, education and technology. ITNAmerica promotes lifelong mobility for seniors.
Katherine Freund | |
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| Born | Katherine Freund May 5, 1950 |
| Alma mater | University at Buffalo (B.A.) University of Southern Maine (M.A.) |
| Occupation | President of ITNAmerica |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | Official website |
Freund was born on Mitchel Field Air Force Base, Long Island, New York. She attended Levittown Memorial High School and completed her degree in English Literature at The State University of New York at Buffalo in 1972. She studied English literature at the University of Washington from 1972-1974. After working in horticulture and free-lance journalism, hosting gardening programs on Television and radio show, she received a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine.
In 1988 Freund's three-year-old son, Ryan, was run over by an 84-year-old driver who claimed to have mistaken him for a dog. Ryan survived a traumatic brain injury from the accident and he ultimately made a full recovery from his injuries. Freund drew inspiration from the incident to seek alternative means of transportation for older adults who limit or stop driving because of age related changes. The ITN model operates on a system of rides in private automobiles, with the comfort, independence and dignity riders experienced when they drove their own cars. Freund later added services for people with special transportation needs. She chaired the Task Force to Study the Safe Mobility of Maine's Aging Population, created by the Maine Legislature in 1993. In 1995 she founded the Independent Transportation Network (ITN), initially funded by AARP, the Federal Transit Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Transportation Research Board and numerous private philanthropies.
In 2005 Freund was appointed by former President George W. Bush to the Advisory Committee for the White House Conference on Aging. At the same time, with a business planning grant from the Federal Transit Administration and the Atlantic Philanthropies, Freund founded ITNAmerica. The following year, the Atlantic Philanthropies helped fund the creation of a nationwide ITNAmerica transportation network. Freund served for twelve years on the Transportation Research Board's Committee on the Safe Mobility of Seniors, and Chaired the Joint Subcommittee on Transportation Options for Seniors.
Freund created ITNAmerica with a goal to focus on research, policy, and education to improve the safety and mobility of older people.
As a recognized expert in the field of transportation for older adults, Katherine Freund has spent three decades offering her services as a public speaker to educate the public on the problems associated with senior transportation and mobility. Katherine is a 2012 Askoka Fellow. She was featured in the Wall Street Journal as one of the “12 People Who Are Changing Your Retirement,” and on CNN’s “Breakthrough Women” series. In 2013, Katherine testified about ITNAmerica and sustainable senior transportation before the US Senate Special Committee on Aging. She has received the AARP Inspire Award, the Maxwell Pollack Award from the Gerontological Society of America, and the Social Enterprise Alliance Award for Leadership in Innovative Enterprise Ideas. Katherine is also the recipient of the Access Award from the American Foundation for the Blind, the Archstone Award for Excellence in Program Innovation from the American Public Health Association, and the Giraffe Award for sticking her neck out for the common good. Katherine has participated in more than 150 national and international panels and conference sessions on alternative transportation for older adults and people with special transportation needs. She has spoken in Canada, Australia, Germany, Ireland, England, Switzerland, South Korea, Taiwan, India and the United Arab Emirates. Her speaking engagements are a key part of ITN’s educational efforts.
Freund lives in Portland, Maine. She has one daughter, one son, and three grandchildren.
Freund has conducted 14 National Transit Institute Workshops, and participated in more than 150 national and international panels, conference sessions, and speaking engagements on alternative transportation for seniors. Among other places, she has presented on her organization's work in Australia, Canada, Ireland, England, Germany, Switzerland, South Korea and Taiwan.
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