Traffic & Emergency Management Consultant

When the stakes are
too high to get wrong

30+ years directing traffic management and emergency operations for the world's largest events and most complex infrastructure projects.

Super Bowl US Open LA28 Olympics SoundStorm Riyadh Metro Rail Construction Public Utilities Space Shuttle Endeavor
30+ Years Experience
1000+ Events Managed
4M City Residents Served
4 Languages
Super Bowl US Open NBA All-Star Game Academy Awards SoundStorm Riyadh Space Shuttle Endeavor DCTM Committee Chair Metro Rail Subway & Light Rail Construction Pasadena Gold Line Fiber Optics & Utilities Dodger Stadium Mass Vaccination LA Convention Center Field Hospital RYLAN Preparedness Program Wildfire & Mudslide Response LA28 Olympics FIFA World Cup Super Bowl US Open NBA All-Star Game Academy Awards SoundStorm Riyadh Space Shuttle Endeavor DCTM Committee Chair Metro Rail Subway & Light Rail Construction Pasadena Gold Line Fiber Optics & Utilities Dodger Stadium Mass Vaccination LA Convention Center Field Hospital RYLAN Preparedness Program Wildfire & Mudslide Response LA28 Olympics FIFA World Cup
Aram Sahakian

The person they call when a plan has to work

When the NBA needed to move 110 buses from Staples Center to North Hollywood, I closed the 101 Freeway and got them there in 11 minutes. In traffic, that journey takes an hour.

When the Space Shuttle Endeavor needed to travel from LAX to the California Science Center, I served as Incident Commander alongside LAPD and LAFD — coordinating 80 stakeholders, relocating infrastructure, and managing live traffic for a year-long project that the world was watching.

As General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department — the second largest city in the United States — I led the city's entire emergency preparedness, response, and recovery operations. Under my leadership, the department managed wildfires, mudslides, post-earthquake response, and major public safety crises. I created and launched RYLAN (Ready Your LA Neighborhood), an innovative citywide disaster preparedness program that brought emergency managers directly into neighborhoods across Los Angeles and is still active today.

During COVID-19, I activated and ran the Emergency Operations Center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for nearly two years. I built the largest mass vaccination site in the United States at Dodger Stadium. I converted the Los Angeles Convention Center into a field hospital. I signed over $100 million in emergency contracts for logistics, medical personnel, N95 masks, and critical supplies — managing the full scope of a city-scale crisis response in real time.

My construction traffic management experience is as deep as my events work — and far broader than most people realize. I chaired the City of Los Angeles Downtown Construction Traffic Management (DCTM) Committee, a citywide body created to coordinate and minimize the cumulative traffic impact of all simultaneous construction activity across downtown Los Angeles. Under my leadership, the committee managed traffic flow across projects ranging from fiber optic installations and public utility upgrades to major infrastructure improvements, private development, and public works — ensuring that contractors, city agencies, and utility companies operated in coordination rather than chaos.

Beyond downtown, I designed and directed traffic management plans for Metro Rail subway construction, Metro Rail light rail construction, street decking operations, and major infrastructure corridors across all of Los Angeles — managing live traffic through some of the most complex urban construction environments in the United States. I served as Project Manager for the Metro Rail Pasadena Gold Line and administered the City's Rail Transit Construction Traffic Management Ordinance.

Today I bring that expertise to major events, construction projects, and emergency operations worldwide — including the United States, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Education USC — Electrical Engineering
Harvard Kennedy School — Leadership in Crisis
Languages English · French · Arabic · Armenian
Based in Los Angeles, CA
Available internationally
Organizations ITE · IAEM
Big City Emergency Managers
What I Do

Expert consulting across
three critical disciplines

🚦

Special Event Traffic Management

End-to-end traffic planning and on-site direction for major events — from concept through execution.

  • Transportation plan design
  • Signal timing & preemption
  • Multi-agency coordination
  • VIP & motorcade logistics
  • Crowd ingress/egress strategy
  • Real-time incident response
🏗️

Construction Zone Traffic Management

Protecting workers, drivers, and communities during complex construction — minimizing impact while maximizing safety.

  • Traffic diversion plans (TDP/TCP/TMP)
  • Construction zone safety audits
  • Street closure management
  • Decking operation traffic control
  • Signal timing for work zones
  • Stakeholder & community liaison
🚨

Emergency Management & EOC Operations

City-scale crisis leadership — from disaster preparedness and wildfire response to pandemic operations and field hospital construction.

  • Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activation & direction
  • Mass casualty & mass vaccination site operations
  • Wildfire, mudslide & earthquake response
  • Multi-agency command coordination
  • Emergency preparedness program development
  • Crisis communications & media spokesperson
  • $100M+ emergency contract management
  • International training & exercises

Selected events & projects

A career defined by high-stakes, high-visibility assignments — where failure was never an option.

Super Bowl
Special Event
Traffic Management Consultant
US Open
Special Event
Traffic Management Consultant
SoundStorm
Special Event · Riyadh, KSA
Senior Traffic Consultant
NBA All-Star Game
Special Event
Traffic Operations Director
Academy Awards
Special Event
Traffic Management Director
Space Shuttle Endeavor
Special Operations
Incident Commander
DCTM Committee
Construction Traffic · City of Los Angeles
Committee Chair — Citywide Construction Coordination
Metro Rail Subway
Construction Traffic · LADOT
Traffic Management Designer
Metro Rail Light Rail
Construction Traffic · LADOT
Traffic Management Designer
Pasadena Gold Line
Rail Construction · LADOT
Project Manager
Fiber Optics & Utilities
Infrastructure · Downtown LA
Traffic Control Plan Designer
Street Decking Operations
Construction Traffic · Citywide
Traffic Operations Director
COVID-19 Response
Emergency Management · LA
EOC Director — 24/7 for Nearly 2 Years
Dodger Stadium Vaccination
Public Health · Los Angeles
Built Largest Mass Vaccination Site in US
LA Convention Center Hospital
Emergency Operations · COVID-19
Converted Venue into Field Hospital
RYLAN Program
Emergency Preparedness · Citywide
Creator & Program Director
Wildfires & Mudslides
Emergency Response · Los Angeles
General Manager, Emergency Management
Why It Matters

Two stories that define the work

A pandemic. A stadium. A hospital. $100M in 90 days.

When COVID-19 hit Los Angeles, I activated the Emergency Operations Center and ran it 24/7 for nearly two years. I built the largest mass vaccination site in the United States at Dodger Stadium. I converted the Los Angeles Convention Center into a field hospital. I signed over $100 million in emergency contracts — logistics, nurses, N95 masks, critical supplies — managing a city-scale crisis for 4 million residents in real time. I also created RYLAN (Ready Your LA Neighborhood), a citywide disaster preparedness program still active today.

110 buses. 11 minutes. One closed freeway.

The NBA All-Star Game needed to transport 110 buses from Staples Center to North Hollywood. In normal traffic, that's close to an hour. I designed a plan that temporarily closed the 101 Freeway. We moved all 110 buses in 11 minutes. That's what precision traffic management looks like when everything is on the line.

A city under construction — kept moving.

I chaired the City of Los Angeles Downtown Construction Traffic Management (DCTM) Committee — a citywide body coordinating the traffic impact of ALL simultaneous construction across downtown: fiber optics, utilities, infrastructure, private development, and public works. Beyond downtown, I managed traffic for Metro Rail subway and light rail construction, street decking operations, and major infrastructure corridors across all of Los Angeles — keeping 4 million people moving while the city rebuilt itself beneath their feet.

80 stakeholders. One shuttle. The whole world watching.

Moving the Space Shuttle Endeavor from LAX to the California Science Center required over a year of planning, coordination with 80 stakeholders — including utilities, tree services, LAPD, LAFD, and the City — plus live traffic management across the entire route. I served as Incident Commander. The shuttle arrived safely. The city watched in awe.

Get in Touch

Let's discuss your next major event or project

Available for consulting engagements in the United States, Middle East, and internationally. Project-based, retainer, and on-site arrangements considered.

Based in
Los Angeles, CA · Available Worldwide
Send a Message