{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Harder Than It Looks: Parking Uncovered","title":"EP 5: Parking and Politics: How Maria Irshad Gets All the Stakeholders at the Table","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":4031,"description":"We interviewed Maria Irshad, Deputy Director for Park Houston. We cover various topics related to curbside management, public stakeholder engagement, time management, and Maria's journey in the parking industry. Maria shares her story of how she unexpectedly got into the parking industry and became passionate about it. She also talks about her approach to communicating with government officials and the challenges and priorities of curbside management in Houston. We also touch on the challenges faced during Hurricane Harvey and the importance of building relationships in the parking industry.Maria is not just an ordinary parking professional. She holds a master's degree in public administration and is a certified administrator of public parking. She's also actively involved in parking associations and serves on the board of the International Parking and Mobility Institute. But how did Maria, with a background in journalism, end up in the parking industry?Here are some key takeaways from our conversation:The Power of Stakeholder Engagement: Maria shared a compelling story about winning over a customer who initially opposed the implementation of parking meters. It's a great example of how persistence, open dialogue, and community engagement can lead to positive outcomesSimplifying Complexities: Maria's approach to communicating with government officials is all about simplifying information. She believes in presenting a full picture of options and potential downsides to help officials make informed decisions.Resilience in the Face of Adversity: We discussed the challenges faced by Houston during Hurricane Harvey and the city's resilience plan. Maria emphasized the importance of parking's role in sustainability.Maria Irshad's journey from journalism to becoming the Deputy Director for Park Houston is a testament to her passion and persistence. From her unexpected transition into the parking industry to her offsite with the American Leadership Forum, her story is one...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/Y0XKm5qIfx5wu96cc17w73uLDJ9g38v-oi18WqKq6hY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8zYmYx/ZTU1ZWMyZTdhMzFj/M2VkYTBmNjY5MWYw/NTQ3Ny5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}