Taulby Roach assumed the position of president/CEO at Bi-State Development on January 1, 2019. The Board of Commissioners selected Roach to succeed President/CEO John Nations as the head of Bi-State Development, which operates the Metro Transit public transportation system in the St. Louis region. Bi-State Development also operates four other enterprises: St. Louis Downtown Airport, Gateway Arch Riverfront ticket, tram and riverboat operations, St. Louis Regional Freightway, and Bi-State Development Research Institute.

Roach, who resides in St. Louis, is a public transit advocate and a frequent Metro Transit rider. For the past year and a half, he has served as the chief financial officer at St. Clair County Transit District. St. Clair County Transit District contracts with Bi-State Development and Metro Transit for MetroLink and MetroBus services in St. Clair County.     

Roach has worked closely with Bi-State Development for more than 20 years on a variety of Metro Transit capital projects in St. Clair County, Illinois.

• In the last year, he played a key role in the St. Clair County security mobilization initiative to establish cross-jurisdictional police support for officers on MetroLink trains in Illinois and Missouri.

• He has contributed to a wide range of other projects over the years including securing transit vehicle purchases and maintenance improvements with Metro Transit and the Illinois Department of Transportation.

• Three years ago, he successfully reorganized the St. Clair County MetroLink extension project refunding revenue to take advantage of favorable market shifts and superior credit ratings to improve the financial health of a public project.

• Roach also played a major role in coordinating slope mitigation projects to maintain the structural integrity and long-term viability of transit assets on the Illinois MetroLink alignment.

Roach, who is an avid cyclist, developed and was the project manager for MetroBikeLink, a 15-mile bicycle and recreational trail that is located along MetroLink in St. Clair County. The trail was constructed in sections on right-a-ways from existing light rail and abandoned rail corridors. MetroBikeLink conveniently connects neighborhoods and communities with public transit in St. Clair County.      

Roach is also committed to improving access to educational opportunities through public transit. He assisted in implementing the campus improvement plan at Southwestern Illinois College from 2011 to 2014. That project included negotiating an active student transit pass program and campus infrastructure which enhanced student access and campus logistics.    

Another priority of Roach’s has been promoting economic growth, not only through public transit access, but through transportation infrastructure development. For the past seven years, he was involved in the multi-million dollar River Bridge District infrastructure project in East St. Louis, which utilized public and private sector funding to support economic growth.