Community Advocate Spotlight:
Meet Transportation Academy Grad & Transit Advocate, Abigail Tessmann
Abigail (Abby) Tessmann is a Madison resident and a passionate advocate for transit and access, especially for people with disabilities, people experiencing changes in mobility, and people who can’t drive.
In a recent Capital Times opinion piece, Abby shares her lived experience and highlights why reliable transportation and meaningful employment opportunities are essential to independence, freedom, and full participation in the community.
Abby was a member of our Madison Community Transportation Academy cohort in the spring of 2026 (photos below).
When she’s not working as a substitute teacher with the Madison Metropolitan School District, she runs Transit2Go, a business that she founded to help people learn how to confidently use Madison Metro and gain greater independence in their daily lives.
Advocacy is a defining core of Abby's identity. In fact, the only time she missed a Transportation Academy session was because she had a meeting with Governor Tony Evers to receive an award for her work! She also served on the Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization's Week Without Driving Planning Committee. And she meets regularly with state and local elected officials to share firsthand why fully funding essential programs and community infrastructure (including public transit) is critical to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to shape their own lives.
We're thrilled to see advocates gain a platform and share their stories, as Abby was able to do through the Cap Times article.
Congratulations, Abby, on this success, and thank you for continually using your voice to make Madison a better and more inclusive place for all residents.
Besides reading Abby's Cap Times story here, you can also learn more about her consulting work at Transit2Go, and hear from her in her own words in a recording of her final project from our Madison Community Transportation Academy (video below).
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