The San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) and the Eno Center for Transportation have made new appointments to their respective leadership teams.

San Joaquin RTD Board appoints next CEO

The San Joaquin RTD Board of Directors has appointed Eric Williams as the agency's next CEO, effective Sept. 18, 2026. Williams had been serving as the agency's acting CEO after previously being appointed COO.

“I'm deeply grateful to the board of directors for placing its confidence in me to lead [San Joaquin] RTD,” Williams said. “I accept this responsibility with humility and with a clear understanding that this position is ultimately about service to our employees, our riders, our communities and the people of San Joaquin County. Transportation is changing, and [San Joaquin] RTD must be willing to evolve with the communities we serve."

The agency says that one of Williams' early priorities has been rebuilding relationships between San Joaquin RTD and cities, transit providers, regional agencies and community partners throughout the county, meeting with local leaders to listen to concerns, address relationships that had become strained and recommit the agency to collaboration, communication, fairness and mutual respect.

“We cannot serve this region effectively by operating in isolation,” Williams said. “[San Joaquin] RTD must be a trusted regional partner. That means showing up, listening, communicating openly, following through on our commitments and working collaboratively to find transportation solutions that benefit the entire region.”

Williams' leadership priorities also include strengthening the agency's financial position and internal operations, completing outstanding audits and corrective actions, improving organizational accountability, recruiting and retaining talented employees, strengthening safety and security and ensuring the district provides reliable and efficient service.

“Before we can become the transit agency we envision for the future, we must make sure our foundation is strong,” Williams said. “That means being financially responsible, operating efficiently, taking care of our employees, strengthening safety, holding ourselves accountable and providing quality service to the public every day.” 

 Williams notes his long-term vision is to position the agency to respond to the significant growth and hanging transportation demands occurring throughout San Joaquin County. That includes examining how transit can work alongside housing and economic development, strengthening connections between communities, exploring new mobility models and making better use of its assets to support the district's transportation mission and long-term financial sustainability.

“As CEO, I am not simply thinking about what [San Joaquin] RTD needs to look like next year,” Williams said. “I am thinking about the RTD we need to build for the next 30 or 40 years. “When people look back decades from now, I want them to see this as a period when [San Joquin] RTD did more than operate buses. I want them to see that we connected communities, created opportunities, built meaningful partnerships and positioned public transportation to serve the next generation of San Joaquin County.” 

Eno Center for Transportation Board appoints next president and CEO 

The Eno Center for Transportation has appointed John Drake as its next president and CEO.

Drake, who is succeeding Paul Wiedefeld, will assume his new role on Oct. 13, 2026. Drake currently serves as vice president of transportation, infrastructure and supply chain policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and brings over 20 years of experience to the role of president and CEO, including nearly a decade serving on Capitol Hill, five years as a senior political appointee at the U.S. Department of Transportation and executive roles in the private sector.

“We are delighted to welcome John Drake to the Eno Center for Transportation,” said Eno Board of Directors Chair Diane Woodend Jones. “John is an exceptional leader whose deep transportation policy expertise and cross-sector experience strongly align with Eno’s mission to deliver independent, objective research, inform public debate and develop the next generation of transportation leaders. He embodies Eno’s core values of independence, collaboration, relevance, excellence and entrepreneurialism. We are confident his vision and leadership will build on Eno’s distinguished legacy, broaden our national impact and advance innovative solutions to current and emerging transportation challenges and opportunities.”

Drake notes that it is "an exciting time to be in transportation, and I am grateful for the trust placed in me by the Eno board and its staff.”