Julia Roberts is the CEO and founder of WoMobility. Prior to that role, she served as executive director of the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) of Southeast Michigan.  

As a regular transit rider, she led the RTA of Southeast Michigan’s Regional Transit Master Plan and Providers Advisory Committees, interacting with planning and operations teams to understand problems and confront them with long-term solutions. She was responsible for the distribution of more than $200 million annually for the city of Detroit and its surrounding four counties. In a region-wide survey she led in 2025, support for public transportation increased 10% from its previous watermark five years ago.  

Launching a new downtown-airport express bus service in 2024, Roberts guided the team in the specifics, from identifying convenient stop locations to fighting for lower fares. In subsequent ride-alongs that Roberts led, 97% of passengers reported being satisfied with the service.  

She has secured over 70 community partners’ support en route to a Thriving Communities recognition and led an inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility roadmap. Roberts catalyzed the Access to Transit Program for regional mobility hubs and received notice of award with $3 million in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds for upcoming expansion.  

Roberts helped launch the region’s first multimodal mobility wallet app alongside accessible tap-and-go tech, involving unbanked and underbanked individuals and people without regular smart device connectivity. She formerly worked with the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority on service development, pilots and plans, where she created an organizational innovation plan, tested automated wheelchair securements on board buses and catalyzed microtransit zones that grew into permanent and expanding services.  

During her following appointment as executive director of Western-Washtenaw Area Value Express (WAVE), Roberts secured funding for vehicle electrification alongside fleet charging infrastructure and piloted their one-of a-kind mobility-as-a-service application platform, focusing on people with disabilities. She is currently completing the agency’s inaugural community engagement plan based on her participation in the Federal Transit Authority’s workshop on practices for meaningful public involvement.   

Roberts was the Young Professionals in Transportation Detroit Chapter chair, building collaboration, and in 2024, she was the Frank L Lichtanski Memorial Scholar and graduated from the Eno Transit Senior Executive leadership program. As an ongoing Champion for Change through the Nonprofit Enterprise at Work, a COMTO and WTS supporter, and a board officer with Our House foster youth empowerment, she advances social justice in transit and beyond. Prior to her stint at WAVE, Julia founded WoMobility Consulting, as a first-generation tech founder, focused on access to community transportation. 

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

A little over five years ago, my previous boss asked where I saw myself professionally in the next five years. I shared a goal of leading planning and innovation at a regional level, preferably in Southeast Michigan. While the path that got me to where I am today wasn’t what I would have chosen or anticipated then—starting a consulting business and later stepping into an executive directorship role—the outcome aligned with that vision, and the end result is the same. Looking ahead to the upcoming five years, I am inspired to establish a travel app that encourages meaningful cultural exchange while simplifying public transport trips, both locally and beyond our comfort zones. 

What do you enjoy most about your job? 

What I enjoy most is engaging with community. Being present at events raises my spirits; sharing the value of transit and learning how we can improve people’s lives is incredibly fulfilling. I love turning these insights into action, advancing both big-picture initiatives and smaller, incremental improvements. Those connections and moments of progress are what sustains the work, even through the challenges. 

What’s the most challenging part of your job? 

Navigating the political landscape is often the most challenging aspect. Advancing solutions requires balancing diverse perspectives while recognizing that not every outcome will meet all expectations. It takes collaboration, ingenuity and resilience. A wise friend once shared that leadership is inherently political. The most rewarding work often comes with the greatest challenges—well worth the endeavor.  

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

One of my proudest accomplishments was being unanimously selected by colleagues to represent our group in a senior executive setting during a peer exchange. It marked the first time a cohort achieved a fully collective, consensus-driven agreement that benefited all parties. Earning that trust, and delivering on it was both humbling and deeply rewarding. Best applying my contributions to the fullest and being trusted to lead in that environment is one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received in my career to date. 

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

I am inspired by my grandmothers as I strive to walk in their footsteps. Both women were strong advocates for others and a force for good to be reckoned with. Whether they were supporting foster youth through CASA representation or advancing justice by passing the torch to my mom in front of the supreme court, I am committed to strengthening the connection between housing and transportation access by following their example. A goal of mine is to help shape a more equitable, integrated system that supports future generations and the communities they serve. It is my dream to pave the way for a better network of driven and reflective planners in the future.  

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

Some of the best advisory words I could impart from my expertise is leverage every stage—whether planning, growing or adapting as an opportunity to prepare for what comes after. When progress isn’t immediately possible, focus on developing thoughtful alternatives. Our preparations create momentum and position us to move forward with clarity and purpose for realization.