The Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority (StanRTA) announced that as of January 1, 2022, Adam Barth will be the CEO of the regional transit service. Barth will replace Interim CEO Philip McGuire, who was hired by the StanRTA Board to provide leadership when Stanislaus County and the City of Modesto first formed the joint powers agency in January 2021 as they merged their then separate public transit services.

The StanRTA Board of Directors approved Barth’s appointment as the new CEO at its December board meeting. The position plans, organizes, manages, supervises, and administers the activities, operations, and services of StanRTA in addition to ensuring that the service provided by StanRTA effectively meets the needs of users.

Barth will also be responsible for the effective implementation of Board policies and for the development of organizational objectives designed to ensure the success of the agency’s future operation.

Barth was the transit manager for the City of Modesto’s Modesto Area Express (MAX) before it combined services with Stanislaus Regional Transit (StaRT) to form the Authority last January. He has served as StanRTA’s director of Operations and Planning since July 2021.

“Adam is approachable, effective, and is passionate about the Stanislaus community,” said Jenny Kenoyer, chair of the StanRTA board. “He has proven to be a proactive leader who takes initiative and is confident in his decision-making, which is exactly what we were looking for.”

Before becoming the transit manager in Modesto in 2016, Barth was the transportation manager of Fairbanks North Star Borough in Alaska from June 2010 to April 2016. He was responsible for the operation of the Metropolitan Area Commuter System (MACS) fixed route and ADA paratransit systems. 

Barth previously held several positions at Holland America/Princess Cruises in Alaska from 2000 to 2010, including transportation manager.