2025 40 Under 40: Michelle Robertson

Michelle Robertson, principal marketing representative, communications department, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), has been with the agency for three years after a career in journalism. Colleagues say Robertson is known as the “storyteller” at BART. She writes the press releases and blogs on BART’s website and oversees social media and website management, as well as speaks to the media, produces and directs videos, helps plan events, manages projects and facilitates and/or supports multiple rider engagement programs. She also speaks to other agencies about storytelling best practices, presents at conferences and talks to youth about careers in transportation.    

Robertson worked with BART’s planning team to develop the Role in the Region Report, a document outlining BART’s contributions to the Bay Area. Additionally, she has developed two major marketing campaigns (BART Connects and Transit Saves), restarted BART’s Poster Art Program, created BART’s adult and youth writing contests and created BART's book club, One Book One BART. Robertson hosted multiple events for the 2025 book club, which was centered around getting people outdoors. She was also instrumental in the execution of BART’s 50th anniversary festival, Valentine’s Day train speed dating, a paper ticket fashion show, the legacy car retirement party and the Autism Transit Project. 

Her role on BART Connects had a significant impact on the program, as a rider survey found 57 percent of people who had previously seen the campaign said it made them have a more positive opinion of BART; 32 percent of that same group said it made them more likely to use BART and 48 percent said it enhanced their understanding of BART’s impact on the region. 

In 2025, Robertson launched a new series that uses interactive maps with interviews from local business owners, commuters and families that use first-person narratives to illustrate transit’s impact on the Bay Area. 

Robertson is the co-chair of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Storytelling Forum. She facilitates and organizes in-person and virtual meetings for forum members to share their work in marketing, communications and customer experience fields. Presentations have included economic impact storytelling, storytelling ahead of ballot measures and how to tell the right stories for the right audiences.  

She has presented and moderated panels at APTA conferences, spoken to national transit agencies about storytelling best practices, attended leadership and diversity trainings and regularly speaks to students and youth about exploring careers in transportation. 

Is there a specific experience that led you to where you are today?  

Before I joined BART communications, I was a local news reporter who sometimes wrote stories about BART.  

A few months before my current position opened, BART invited me to climb a wind turbine whose green energy was being used to power our trains and write a story about the experience. Without hesitation, I drove six hours from the Bay Area to the Mojave Desert and spent hours climbing hand over hand up a tiny ladder to the top of a 300-foot turbine. By the end of it, I could barely lift my arms, but the view at the top was breathtaking. Throughout the day, I also had a lot of conversations with BART employees about what it was like working at a transit agency. That could be fun to do one day, I thought.  

A handful of weeks later, I saw a job listing pop up for a role in the communications department and immediately submitted an application. During the interview, I joked they owed me one after that terrifying (and admittedly once-in-a-lifetime) wind turbine experience.  

What do you enjoy most about your job?  

The best part of my job is working with youth. They remind me that riding transit is an experience of wonder, fun and discovery. Trains are magic! 

What’s the most challenging part of your job?  

Having too many ideas and not enough time to get them all done! 

What is the accomplishment you’re most proud of and why?  

I’m proud of BART Connects. I got to spend hours talking to more than 20 people about how their lives have been changed by BART. There was a lot of laughing and crying during these interviews; they truly drove home that public transportation is important to people for many different reasons.   

Being able to translate these conversations into stories was a moving experience. I do not take the responsibility of telling another person’s story lightly. In fact, I think of it as a gift from one human being to another. Sharing your story with a stranger is an act of profound trust. 

What is an accomplishment you would like to work towards in your career?  

I would like to no longer have to make the case for transit’s value and importance. I hope one day that’s simply an explicit  “duh, of course transit is essential!”  

Not everyone values public transportation. A significant piece of my job is convincing people, especially those who don’t use transit themselves, that our service is essential to the region’s economy, culture, sustainability goals and overall well-being. One day, I hope to live in a society where transit’s value is so obvious that it’s embedded in the public consciousness, requiring neither explanation nor justification. I want everyone to understand that access to equitable, reliable transportation matters to them, their friends, families and neighbors. 

What is your best advice/tip/best practice you can share from your area of expertise?  

Hone your writing skills. It’s an under-sung skill in the workplace, but it will help you succeed in everything you do. Good writers stand out, whether you’re in communications, engineering or operations. Also know that artificial intelligence can be a useful tool, but don’t let it make you lazy. Good writing is the result of care, study and practice. You can’t cut corners when it comes to communicating clearly.  

Most importantly, be kind. Being friendly, welcoming and inclusive in the workplace is one of my key values. People will forget the mistakes you made at work, but they won’t forget the thoughtful gesture, act of support or word of kindness you offered them during a challenging moment.