Lowcounty Regional Transportation Authority (LTRA) Executive Director Mary Lou Franzoni announced her plan to retire effective on November 1. LTRA owns and operates Palmetto Breeze, including daily service across the Lowcounty region using more than 44 commuter and transit-style vehicles.

Franzoni has overseen all operations of the five-county authority on behalf of the LRTA’s eight-member Board of Directors since 2014.

Franzoni’s Career and Acomplishments

Before coming to LTRA, Franzoni was a general manager for First Transit, Inc, transportation director for Chapel Hill Transit in North Carolina, and a supervisor and dispatcher for Blacksburg Transit in Virginia.

During her time leading LTRA, Franzoni launched the Breeze Trolley seasonal transportation service on Hilton Head Island to reduce congestion during the peak travel season, the Easy Breeze complementary ADA paratransit service, and the Bluffton Breeze year-round fixed-route transit service.

Franzoni also secured funding to renovate the administrative and operations facility, bringing rolling stock into a state of good repair, updating IT systems, developing and implementing mobile apps, and increasing the LTRA staff to meet the needs of the growing service.

As executive director she also elevated LRTA’s profile in the Lowcountry to secure stakeholder and grassroot support for public transportation.

“The LRTA and the Lowcountry as a whole owe Mary Lou a debt of gratitude for significantly enhancing the public transit services that Palmetto Breeze has provided under her guidance,” said LRTA Board Chairman Charles Mitchell, Jr. “From managing emergency evacuations, to improving the transit fleet, to making sure we provide the safest, most efficient and timely public transportation, Mary Lou has exemplified what Lowcountry Leadership looks like. Mary Lou will certainly be missed, because we are all better off for her countless contributions here.”

Sullivan Named New Executive Director

The LTRA Board of Directors named transit industry veteran and current LRTA director, marketing and communications, Brian Sullivan as the next executive director.

“We received more than 53 qualified applications, interviewed nine of those, short-listed four of them for in-person interviews, and believe that Brian is the best fit for the next stages of growth at Palmetto Breeze,” said Mitchell.

Sullivan has been a public transportation leader for nearly 30 years, gaining an in-depth knowledge and understanding of all facets of public transit. From 1995 to 2016 Sullivan managed and led marketing and business development teams for First Transit, Tectrans/Keolis, and National Express Transit.

In 2016 Sullivan established Lost Art Communications, LLC, a marketing consultancy with an emphasis on supporting public transportation agencies and suppliers. His assignments with Lost Art have included contracts in South Carolina, California, Arizona, and Virginia, with additional nationwide assignments.

Sullivan joined the LTRA leadership team in 2018 when he started serving as a consultant and began full time in 2020.