The Board of Directors of Vallejo, Calif.-based Solano County Transit (SolTrans) selected Beth Kranda as its new executive director, effective August 28, 2017.

Kranda’s appointment follows a nationwide search and she succeeds Mona Babauta who left in April for a position with Golden Gate Transit.

Kranda brings a wealth of experience to her new role. She currently serves as Deputy Director of Transit, the City of Santa Rosa’s senior transit position. There, Kranda is responsible for over 70 employees, a $14 million capital and operating budget, 32 fixed route vehicles and 13 paratransit vehicles.

Previously, she served for five years as the CEO of Valley Transportation Services (VTrans) in San Bernardino County and was responsible for the start up of the agency, hiring all staff, and developing a robust program of services. Under her leadership, VTrans received a National Association of Counties (NACO) achievement award in 2014 and was named by the California Transit Association as “Transit Agency of the Year” in 2015.

In addition to her work at VTrans, Kranda served as a Transit Analyst at the San Bernardino Associated Governments for five years. There she worked closely with six transit agencies in developing projects and funding packages and plans with direct responsibility for local, state and federal transportation funds and projects including Federal Transit Administration and CalTrans grant programs. Kranda also served as the Assistant Transportation Manager with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority and had oversight for over three hundred Metro division operators and six supervisors.

Kranda has served as an elected member of the CalACT Board of Directors and is also an active member of the American Public Transportation Association, California Transit Association and the Community Transportation Association of America. She holds a MBA from University of Redlands.