TriMet’s Board of Directors will convene a special meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018 to announce the next step in the search for the agency’s new general manager. The single finalist in the search, current TriMet Chief Operating Officer (COO) Doug Kelsey, met with members of community then took questions from the public during a Board of Directors meeting. The Board will now consider the public’s comments as well as input from various stakeholders. At the meeting on January 31, the Directors will either authorize the Board Chair to negotiate a contract with Kelsey or choose to continue the general manager search.
General Manager search process
During the Board meeting, Celia Kupersmith, with KL2 Connects LLC, explained her agency’s search for general manager candidates. KL2 Connects posted ads in several public transportation-related venues and conducted direct outreach to leaders in the transportation industry. KL2 Connects evaluated the applicants on the following criteria:
Industry Expertise
- Bus and paratransit operations and maintenance
- Rail operations and maintenance
- Experience addressing “State of Good Repair” challenges
- Large capital project management
- Experience successfully rolling out new technologies (such as smart cards, alternative fuel
vehicles, and new partnerships with mobility providers like Uber and Lyft)
Financial/Planning/Visioning Expertise
- Long-term visioning/planning
- Financial stewardship
- Land use/transportation integration and Transit Oriented Development
External Relations
- Experience developing and maintaining successful relationships with regional partners,
business/special interest groups - Experience working directly with neighborhood associations, rider groups, advisory committees,
other stakeholders - Ability to manage an organization internally while focusing outwardly into the community
- Experience working with the media
Labor/Employee Relations
- Approach to team building, inspiring staff, implementing cultural change
- Labor-management experience
Leadership Qualities
- Experience working directly with a Board of Directors
- Experience balancing competing interests, building consensus among business community,
advocacy groups, Board, etc. - Approach to demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion
Leadership, executive presence - Communications and interpersonal skills
- Passion, energy, dynamism, enthusiasm
- Education
The KL2 Connects team also put together a Leadership Profile based on in-depth discussions with the TriMet Board of Directors.
Of 36 applicants, KL2 Connects brought forward to TriMet seven most qualified candidates. Four of the candidates were Caucasian males, two were African-American females and one was an African-American male. The TriMet Board of Directors identified three finalists for in-person interviews. Two of those finalists were Caucasian males and one was an African-American woman.
Following the interviews, the Board of Directors identified Kelsey as the top finalist.
Kelsey joined TriMet in November 2015, to direct the agency’s operations and improve the overall on-time performance of the transit system.
Current TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane announced on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017 that he would retire early this year. McFarlane has been with TriMet since February 1991, serving as general manager since July 1, 2010.
