Earl honored for Extraordinary Leadership

Joni Earl, CEO emeritus of Seattle’s Sound Transit (ST), will receive APTA’s Extraordinary Leadership Award.

“It is very humbling to be recognized by my peers, especially since I haven’t been particularly active in APTA,” she says. “It’s a great honor.”

Under Earl’s leadership, the agency has built new transit centers, park-and-ride lots and HOV access lanes throughout Central Puget Sound. The agency runs ST Express buses, Sounder commuter trains, Tacoma Link light rail and Central Link light rail trains from downtown Seattle to Sea-Tac Airport.

“My greatest accomplishment was internally-focused,” Earl says of her time at ST. “It was creating a culture of excellence, transparency and accountability. With all the talent at ST, this culture kept us focused on delivering our projects and services.”

In 2005, Earl was named one of Seattle Magazine’s 25 most influential people of the Puget Sound region and one of Puget Sound Business Journal’s 20 Women of Influence.