RT General Manager/CEO Mike Wiley to Retire August 1, 2016
In October 2015, Mike Wiley, general manager/CEO of the Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT), announced his intention to retire in December 2016, which would cap a nearly 39-year career with RT and ensure a smooth transition to a new GM/CEO. The RT board of directors also included a personal services contract to take advantage of Wiley’s institutional knowledge both for the transition and the opening of the Golden 1 Center, as well as to fulfill his obligations as Chair of the Executive Committee of the California Transit Association (CTA) until November 2017.
On June 13, 2016, the RT board of directors approved the employment agreement for Henry Li as RT’s new GM/CEO. Li, who will begin his tenure as GM/CEO on July 1, 2016, is an experienced transit executive who had the opportunity to work for RT, as a member of the executive management team, for three months before he was selected as the new GM/CEO.
Given Li’s high level of experience, and RT’s current fiscal challenges, Li and Wiley have agreed that the position of special assistant is not essential to a successful leadership transition. Pending board approval on June 27, Wiley is willing to advance his retirement date to August 1, 2016, which will result in a significant cost savings to RT in Fiscal Year 2017, and will result in additional cost savings in future years in the form of reduced supplemental retirement benefits.
In November 2015, Wiley was elected as Chair of the Executive Committee of the CTA for a two-year term ending in November 2017. He was selected by the 24-member CTA Executive Committee, because of his experience and knowledge of the transit industry in the capital region. Wiley is a strong advocate for RT, and the CTA Chair position is pivotal at this time for RT. Wiley is committed to not bill RT for his CTA-related activities unless his time is spent on matters exclusively for RT.
Wiley’s 15-month personal services contract would be capped at $25,000, although there is no guarantee or requirement that RT will utilize his services.
“Four decades of service to RT is a commendable achievement,” Jay Schenirer, RT board chair, stated. “This is a testament to Mike’s dedication and unwavering commitment to public transit and the Sacramento region.”