Carrin Patman, a highly respected Houston attorney, adds another title as she is sworn as the Chair of Metro's board. She is the first woman to hold that title at Metro.
"It's nice to be the first Chairwoman of Metro. I thank Mayor Turner for breaking that barrier," Patman remarked during a special board meeting. "Providing first-rate transportation is a vital mission. It’s literally the path to opportunity, education, employment and health care."
Patman takes over just as Metro is "on a roll." Bolstered by the launch of a successful new bus network, increasing ridership and the introduction of a Q-Mobile Ticketing app, momentum continues to build as Metro gains national attention.
"Maybe if we can reimagine the bus network, we can reimagine the regional transportation plan as well. The more we can bring all the players to the table to focus on improving the transit plan for the region, the sooner we can work to improve mobility," remarked Patman.
Patman's appointment is, in fact, a homecoming. She served as a Metro board member from 2010 to early 2014 when she left Houston for a year-long leadership program at Harvard University.
Mayor Turner has also chosen Lex Frieden and Troi Taylor to serve on the nine-member board.
Frieden's reputation as an advocate for people with disabilities is well established. Additionally, he helped author the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Taylor's solutions-oriented approach and on-time project delivery have made him stand out as a rising star in the local construction industry. Sanjay Ramabhadran and Christof Spieler are Mayor Turner’s reappointments to the Metro board.
Following the brief, special board meeting, Patman hosted a reception to welcome the new members and say goodbye to outgoing Chair Gilbert Garcia and board members Diann Lewter and Barron Wallace.
Patman thanked the outgoing members for their contributions to public service and transit She stressed her gratitude to Garcia for his tireless work to build regional consensus. Under his leadership the board also focused on improving Metro’s finances, transparency and the build-out of three rail lines.
The new board's regularly scheduled meeting is Thursday April 28.
