TriMet appoints first female ops executive director

Following a national search, Portland, Ore.’s TriMet has selected Shelly Lomax as its new Executive Director of Operations.

Lomax has served as the interim executive since January. Lomax will have direct responsibility for the Operations division, which includes all bus, MAX and WES operations and maintenance, System Safety and Security, Accessible Transportation, Labor Relations, Facilities and Planning and Development. Operations has 2,100 employees and a $300 million budget. Lomax is the first female to head the Operations division.

"Shelly understands the important work of Operations and knows what it takes to deliver high-quality service every day," said TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen. "Since the start of her career at TriMet, at every level and for every challenge, she has excelled." 

Lomax joined TriMet as a bus operator in 1987. Her career expanded as she took on positions with more responsibility, rising to oversee key departments that included Director of Safety and Security, and most recently Director of Operations Support.

As Director of Safety and Security, Lomax successfully implemented the agency's security initiatives of doubling the number of transit police, improving pedestrian safety along rail lines and reducing crime on MAX by double digits in back-to-back years. She also oversaw the opening of three Transit Police Division precincts in Gresham, Hillsboro and Clackamas County in addition to a Central Transit Police Precinct in downtown Portland.

In her role as Director of Operations Support, Lomax led the effort to use data more strategically to improve the efficiency of operations. Her oversight of training, safety certification and other startup activities ensured a smooth and successful opening of the MAX Green Line.