The city of Phoenix Public Transit Department has promoted Joseph Bowar as deputy director of the Facilities and Oversight division. The division includes 23 employees who oversee construction and maintenance of new and existing facilities, procurement, and Title VI and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and oversight of more than 50 federal funds recipients, including Valley Metro and other Valley cities and agencies.
"Working to help customers have safe and efficient public transit options is motivating and exciting for me. I’m looking forward to helping the division be even more efficient and assisting in the development of our talented staff,” Bowar said.
Prior to this, Bowar, who was interim public transit director for nine months, has been with Phoenix for almost nine years. During his tenure with Public Transit, Bowar has overseen service planning and scheduling as well as the local, federal and state environmental compliance at the transit facilities as the Transit’s Environmental Programs Coordinator in the Operations division. He also has been heavily involved in community outreach, preparation and planning for the voter-approved $31 billion Transportation 2050 plan that already is helping Phoenix with major transit, rail and street improvements.
Bowar brings 36 years of professional experience working in both public and private sector, including 11 years at the South Dakota Department of Environmental and Natural Resources and 17 years of environmental consulting in the private sector. Bowar did major remediation environmental work on a hotel in New Orleans for 18 months after it was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “The magnitude of the project was intense and the logistics were very challenging,” said Bowar.
He is a Certified Environmental Professional (CEP) and serves as a board member for the American Council for Accredited Certification which offers certifications to professionals in the indoor air quality and environmental industries. Bowar also is a current member of Women in Transportation Seminar.
