Management

Julie Timm recommended to serve as Sound Transit CEO

June 3, 2022

The Sound Transit Board will consider the recommendation at its June 23 meeting.

Julie Timm has been recommended as the next CEO of Sound Transit; she currently serves as the CEO of GRTC Transit System in Richmond, Va.

Julie Timm, who currently serves as the CEO of Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) in Richmond, Va., has been recommended to be Sound Transit’s next CEO. Timm’s recommendation comes from the Sound Transit Board of Directors CEO Selection Committee and will go before the full Sound Transit Board on June 23.

“I am thrilled and humbled to be considered for the opportunity to support the Sound Transit Board and staff in delivering investments that are truly transformative and historic in their scale and impact,” Timm said. “Public transportation is about serving people and improving lives, and I am eager to work alongside the region’s communities to continue making the region’s vision for its future into reality.”

Should the recommendation be approved, Timm would succeed Peter Rogoff, who announced last fall he was stepping down from his position in 2022.

The CEO Selection Committee was chaired by Sound Transit Board Chair and University Place Mayor Kent Keel and vice chaired by Dow Constantine, who is vice chair of the Sound Transit Board and King County executive. Other board members serving on the committee included: Nancy Backus, Auburn mayor; Bruce Dammeier, Pierce County executive; Debora Juarez, Seattle councilmember; Ed Prince, Renton councilmember; and Dave Somers, vice chair of the Sound Transit Board and Snohomish County executive.

“Julie Timm’s deep experience, leadership skills and passion for public transportation will make her a great leader for Sound Transit as we work to deliver the largest transit expansion program in the nation and dramatically expand our operations in the years ahead,” said Keel.

Timm has more than two decades of strategic planning, capital project management and leadership skills. Sound Transit notes Timm is known as a highly collaborative leader who forges strong relationships with community groups and partners, and for building an agency culture focused on dedication to public service and equity.

Timm was named as CEO of GRTC in 2019, about six months before the COVID-19 pandemic intensified. Timm’s efforts to waive fares at the start of the pandemic and explore ways to maintain a zero-fare system have become an industry benchmark. With Timm at the helm, GRTC has also piloted new on-demand service and negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement with GRTC’s union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1220.

Prior to GRTC, Timm served as transit development officer and Title VI and environmental justice compliance officer for Hampton Roads Transit in Norfolk, Va., where she managed capital projects and strategic planning processes with state, local and federal partners.

Timm’s previous experience includes senior positions developing transit, highway and other projects for Moffat and Nichol, Carter and Burgess and URS Corporation.

About the Author

Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.

She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.

She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.