WA: Pierce Transit Names CEO Finalists

March 25, 2015

The number of finalists vying to run Pierce County’s public transit system has dropped from three to two, and the agency released their names and backgrounds on Tuesday after initially withholding them last week.

The two finalists — Michael D. Griffus and Susan Dreier —will visit Tacoma for a Pierce Transit tour, meetings with staff and “a community stakeholder meeting at a date to be determined,” according to agency spokesman Justin Leighton.

A committee of Pierce Transit board members voted for its three preferred CEO candidates on Friday, but at first identified them only by letters of the alphabet to protect their privacy. On Tuesday, committee chairman Steve Vermillion said the field had narrowed.

“Of the three, one withdrew due after accepting another offer, leaving us with two highly qualified and diverse finalists — either one very capable of serving as the next Pierce Transit CEO,” Vermillion said.

The two finalists are:

• Griffus, the former chief executive (2010-2014) of Keolis Transit America, a Los Angeles-based company that manages transit and rail operations across North America.

• Dreier, the current chief operating officer (2010-present) at Salem-Keizer Transit, a public transportation system based in Oregon’s capital city.

Read the complete article at The News Tribune: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/03/24/3706884/pierce-transit-has-diverse-ceo.html