Gabriel Parker and Stephanie Castro. (Lee Pellegrini)

‘It’s the people that make the job’

At BC Transportation and Parking Services, collaboration and community are key for a campus constantly on the move

For the most part, parking and transportation are services we only notice when something is slowing us down, like a stuck garage entry gate or a malfunctioning card reader.

But in reality, AVŐďËů College Transportation and Parking Services, administered by Auxiliary Services, is a constantly evolving 24/7 operation—and it's led by just two people: Director of Transportation, Parking, and Contracted Services Gabriel Parker and Assistant Director of Transportation and Parking Stephanie Castro.

They’ll be the first to tell you that parking and transportation aren’t most people’s passion—and yet, they love their jobs.

“It always seems like a cliche to say it’s about the people, but here, it really is. I just really love my coworkers,” said Parker.

After working externally for BC’s parking vendor for 15 years, when an opportunity came up at BC, Parker knew he wanted it. BC, after all, had been his favorite account while in commercial parking; it was just something about the people and the mission, he says. Castro, who had been working in commercial parking with him, felt the same way. She  was ready for something bigger that might help people.

“It’s the people that make the job,” she said, echoing Parker's sentiments. “We work with BC Police, the Office of Residential Life, Student Affairs, Dining Services, and Athletics—everyone. I love the sense of community at BC and collaborating with so many departments.”

That sense of collaboration and community is particularly important for the team of two because, as Parker explained, parking policy isn’t meant to be made in a vacuum.

“You want to talk to people,” said Parker. “We work to make sure people are heard and their opinions are valued, even if we can’t do what they want right away.”

On a campus of nearly 20,000 students, faculty, and staff, there are a lot of voices and opinions. Parker and Castro take them all in stride, finding  different approaches to seeking and encouraging feedback, such as a monthly parking advisory council meeting, which offers a line of communication from the campus community to Transportation and Parking Services. On the council are representatives for different campuses and offices, as well as students, graduate students, and faculty, ensuring that Parker and Castro can get feedback from across the University.

Castro also makes it a part of her routine to collect real-time feedback. She treks across campus every day to scope out possible issues, from picking up leftover parking cones to making sure bus stop heaters are working. For her, it’s the best part of the day.

“There’s never a dull moment. I love that part of my job. I always like to have a visual of what we’re doing.”

Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Services Patricia Bando describes Castro as the service’s front line. As well as making rounds on campus daily, Castro also manages a team of BC students who answer calls from parents, faculty, staff, students, and visitors with parking and transit questions.

“Steph helps to guide and mentor this team of students. They’re the first in line for fielding concerns and answering questions,” said Bando.

And after concerns and questions come in?

“Gabe brings a keen sense of data processing,” Bando said. “Once he learns about an issue, he uses the specific concerns and questions and turns them into solutions. Together, Gabe and Steph make such an impact on the community and they do it in such a way that reflects BC values, with a smile.”

Take the Messina College shuttle bus, for example: It’s a new, complex route that must maneuver through heavy traffic and streets with vehicle weight limits, and as Messina College grows, the bus’s ridership will grow, too. In collaboration with BC’s external bus service, Parker and Castro have updated the schedule to respond to students’ needs, making tweaks to the route, timing, and pick-up and drop-off locations all while balancing the ride to be as express as possible while still getting students to where they want to go.

For Parker and Castro, that’s the whole goal.

“Nobody is going to say, ‘Wow, that garage door opened so well!’” said Parker. “That’s okay. We want to make parking and transportation a seamless experience. We’re all here because of you—the students. We care about you very much and we are always listening.”

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