The Board of Directors for the North American Transit Alliance (NATA) has elected First Transit President and current NATA Vice Chair Brad Thomas as the new chair to replace outgoing Transdev CEO and NATA Chair Dick Alexander. Current board member and CEO of Keolis, Clément Michel, will replace Thomas in the vice-chair position.
Alexander played an integral role in the formation of the alliance and provided vital guidance in advocating on behalf of the more than 154,000 employees represented by the group. The alliance is immensely grateful for his leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic put the industry under tremendous pressure while also bringing attention to the importance of public transportation. We are grateful for the role Dick played in both creating the alliance and leading us through this time,” said Thomas. “Going forward, NATA will continue focusing on the pandemic response, while providing innovative solutions that address the challenges facing public transit.”
The board also welcomed incoming Transdev CEO Laura Hendricks and National Express COO Matthew Wood as new representatives for their respective organizations. As a board member, Wood will replace outgoing National Express CEO Judith Crawford as treasurer. The Board of Directors includes one seat for each of the six private contracting firms: First Transit, Keolis, MV Transportation, National Express, RATP Dev and Transdev. MV Transportation CEO Tom Egan and RATP Dev CEO Arnaud Legrand continue to serve on the board.
Though the goals of the alliance have not changed, the recently approved mission and vision statements will serve as the guidelines for the alliance moving forward.
Mission
NATA represents the largest private transit contractors in North America. We advocate on their behalf and that of our combined workforce to promote the efficiency and value of private contracting and pave the way for new innovative business models and standards in service of building better communities.
NATA will work to educate lawmakers and communities about this demonstrated value and connect our partners with the future of mobility.
Vision
NATA is working to accomplish:
- Restoring service safely and helping agencies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic
- Improving the current value of transit
- Evolving public transit and future mobility solutions