The California Transit Association has selected San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) General Manager/CEO Donna DeMartino to serve as chair of its executive committee. The association selected DeMartino to the two-year term Oct. 17 at its 2013 Fall Conference and Expo in Anaheim, Calif.
The California Transit Association is an organization that works to promote multi-year transit funding and to represent transit’s interests before the California State Legislature, the governor, and regulatory agencies on the local, state, and federal levels. Its nearly 200 member organizations include all of California’s largest urban transit operators, dozens of agencies in suburban and rural areas, commuter rail agencies, transit support groups, national and international transit suppliers, and government agencies. The California Transit Association Executive Committee is responsible for managing the association’s affairs, including setting policies and directing staff.
Upon her election, DeMartino remarked, “I’m truly honored to be elected to this leadership position by my esteemed peers in the transit industry. In this role, I plan to enhance the message and the visibility of California transit agencies with our federal representatives and to advocate for dependable transit funding streams and legislative issues that affect transit.” The most recent such issue affecting transit funding was the U.S. Department of Labor’s threat to withhold up to $1.6 billion in grant funds from California public transit agencies.
DeMartino’s selection as the association’s executive committee chair follows just after the recent conclusion of her two-year term as the chair of the American Public Transportation (APTA) CEO Committee. She also serves on the National Transit Institute Board.
