APTA 2026 Nominating Committee Selects Leadership Slate, Names Chair and Vice Chair Nominees
Leadership changes will help shape the association’s priorities and its representation of the transportation industry during the 2026–2027 term.
APTA members will vote on the 2026–2027 leadership slate on October 3 during the association’s TRANSform Conference & EXPO in Chicago.
METRO
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has nominated Joel B. Young and Randy Clarke to serve as the association’s chair and vice chair, respectively, for 2026–2027.
Young, a board member of AC Transit in Oakland, California, has been nominated as APTA Chair. Clarke, general manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), has been nominated as Vice Chair.
The nominations were selected by APTA’s 2026 Nominating Committee, which met September 2 to develop the slate for the association’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors.
Jannet Walker-Ford, advisory and planning business line executive at WSP USA, will continue her 2025–2028 term as Secretary-Treasurer. Leanne Redden will serve as Immediate Past Chair.
Executive Committee Nominees
The following members have been nominated for three-year terms on APTA’s Executive Committee:
- Jessica Mefford-Miller, CEO, Valley Metro, Phoenix — Rail Transit CEOs Committee Representative
- Shawn Donaghy, CEO, North County Transit District, Oceanside, California — Bus and Paratransit CEOs Committee Representative
- Raquel Olivier, president and CEO, Olivier Inc., Houston — Business Member Board of Governors Representative
- Kevin Quinn, CEO, TransLink, Vancouver, British Columbia — Canadian Member
- Denise Figueroa, board member, Capital District Transportation Authority, Albany, New York — At-Large Transit Board Member
- Buddy Coleman, chief customer officer, Clever Devices — At-Large Business Member
- Randall Bryant, board chair, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Dallas — At-Large Member
Board of Directors Nominees
APTA also announced nominees for three-year terms on its Board of Directors.
Transit System Directors
- Margaret Abe-Koga, county supervisor, County of Santa Clara, San Jose, California
- David Armijo, executive director, South Central Regional Transit District, Anthony, New Mexico
- Monica Backmon, CEO, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, Fairfax, Virginia
- Jordan Hess, CEO and general manager, Missoula Urban Transportation District/Mountain Line, Missoula, Montana
- Charles “Chuck” Reeves, chief transportation officer, Pittsburgh Regional Transit, Pittsburgh
- Charlotte Shaw, executive director and CEO, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, Birmingham, Alabama
Business Member Directors
- Charles Di Maggio, CEO, Greystone Real Estate Advisory Group, New York
- Emily Guill, director of business development, Transdev U.S., Lombard, Illinois
- Tom LeBeau, national rail and transit market director, Sundt Construction, Dallas
- Kim Slaughter, senior vice president and transportation leader for North America, TYLin, Houston
- Ryan Snow, P.E., senior vice president, pursuits, Stacy Witbeck, Salt Lake City
- Frank White III, founder and managing partner, Praxis Advisors Group, Kansas City, Missouri
APTA members will vote on the 2026–2027 slate on October 3 during the Annual Meeting of the Members, held as part of APTA’s TRANSform Conference & EXPO in Chicago.
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