Charles "Chuck" MacNeil will take the helm of Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority as executive director on Oct. 2. The PDRTA board of directors selected MacNeil to lead the organization after a nation-wide search.
MacNeil currently serves as deputy executive director of operations at Capital District Transportation Authority in Albany, N.Y. and previously served as the administrator and CEO of Berkshire Regional Transit Authority in Pittsfield, Mass.
MacNeil began his 30-year career in public transportation as a bus driver while an undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts. He has been active in a wide variety of national and local transportation and civic organizations.
MacNeil replaces Janice Baroody who is retiring after 16 years of service to the community with PDRTA. Baroody joined the Authority in 1995 as director of human resources, became deputy executive director in 2002, and was named executive director in 2006. PDRTA has thrived under her leadership with significant increases in ridership and service expansions.
"We're very pleased to have someone of Chuck's caliber to lead the authority," Baroody said. "PDRTA is experiencing record demand for public transportation, and we believe that Chuck's background and experience will be a tremendous asset in meeting the need for increased transportation choices for Pee Dee residents."
PDRTA is South Carolina's oldest transportation authority, formed in 1975 when the Sout Carolina legislature authorized the formation of RTAs throughout the state. PDRTA serves Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion, and Marlboro counties and has offices in Cheraw, Florence, and Marion. In FY 2010-2011, the Authority provided over 363,000 trips throughout the region and received South Carolina Department of Transportation's Best Urban Public Transportation System awards in 2010 and 2011 for the Florence Transit System.
