Sharon Cooney, CEO of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, was appointed Wednesday chair of the California Transit Association’s executive committee.
Cooney succeeds Karen King, CEO of Golden Empire Transit District in Bakersfield. She will serve a two-year term.
“It’s an honor to take the helm as chair of the California Transit Association, building upon the tremendous milestones reached as an organization and industry in recent years under the leadership of Karen King,” Cooney said in a statement. “This year was marked by a formidable effort led by the association to save public transit from a devastating budget crisis, resulting in a $5.1 billion lifeline from the state of California to recover the ridership agencies lost from the pandemic.”
Cooney was named the first woman CEO of MTS in 2020 after a 15-year career with the organization where she held positions such as director of government affairs, director of planning, chief of staff and deputy chief executive officer.
Cooney was elected alongside new vice chair, Erin Rogers, the CEO and general manager of Omnitrans headquartered in San Bernadino Valley. They will lead a 25-member executive committee responsible for managing the association — an advocacy organization for public transit in California.
The California Transit Association has more than 220 member organizations include transit operators, commuter rail agencies, transit support groups, national and international transit suppliers and government agencies. It represents transit’s interests before the state Legislature, the governor and regulatory agencies on the local, state and federal levels.
–City News Service
