Martin Thies, chair of the Intercity Transit Authority, announced the appointment of Ann Freeman-Manzanares as the interim general manager upon the departure of Mike Harbour this month. Freeman-Manzanares is currently the agency’s director of Development, overseeing many administrative functions for the agency including capital projects, procurement, grants, planning, inventory, and marketing and communications.
“Ann is very talented and will readily step into this new leadership position,” said Thies. “She brings many years of management experience in the public sector and is an established part of Intercity Transit’s senior management team.”
Freeman-Manzanares has been with Intercity Transit since 1993. During this time she was instrumental in completing construction of the Olympia and Lacey transit centers, developing several park-and-ride facilities, and purchasing the agency’s bus and vanpool fleets. She is a founding member of the Intercity Transit’s sustainability committee and is knowledgeable about many aspects of the agency’s internal and external operations.
“I am excited to take on this new leadership role during the agency’s organizational transition and to continue the good work of Intercity Transit,” Freeman-Manzanares said. Freeman-Manzanares will take the Intercity Transit reins on October 29, when Harbour moves on to Sound Transit as the new deputy CEO.
“We are confident Intercity Transit will navigate this transition successfully,” said chair Thies.
Prior to joining Intercity Transit, Freeman-Manzanares worked as a senior planner at the Souris Basin Planning Council in Minot, N.D. and as a housing coordinator with the California State Department of Housing and Community Development. She recently completed a year-long national leadership program through the American Public Transportation Association. Freeman-Manzanares has a Bachelor of Arts degree in public administration and political science from California State University, Long Beach.
