ARIZONA TRANSIT ASSOCIATION ELECTS NEW OFFICERS

For Immediate Release - January 13, 2012
Contact: Jim Dickey
Executive Director, AzTA
(480) 361-5101
aztadir@cox.net

ARIZONA TRANSIT ASSOCIATION ELECTS NEW OFFICERS

The Arizona Transit Association (AzTA), at their Monday, January 9th board meeting, elected Ron Barnes of Total Transit as their new President and Jeff Meilbeck of the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (NAIPTA) as Vice-President. The two began serving in their new roles immediately as they begin a two-year term.

Ron Barnes joined Total Transit as their National Business Development Leader in April, 2010, a mobility management firm providing innovative transportation services meeting the needs of its clients. Prior, Ron served as a Senior Advisor for Steer Davies Gleaves and as a Regional Vice-President for Veolia Transportation. Ron has also been Chair of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and currently serves as the Chair of APTA’s Mobility Management Committee. He has been on the AzTA board since 2007, is a member of the Maricopa Association of Government’s Regional Planning Agency Transportation Policy Committee and Chair of the Mesa Transportation Advisory Board.

Jeff Meilbeck is currently the General Manager of NAIPTA which provides transit services to Flagstaff, Northern Arizona University and Coconino County. Jeff has a Master’s degree in public administration from Northern Arizona University and has worked as a park ranger, political advocate and budget and management analyst prior to entering the field of public transportation. He has been on the AzTA board since 1998 and provided leadership for Northern Arizona transportation services since 1997.

AzTA is a statewide not-for-profit public/private transit association providing advocacy and education of public transportation services and programs. The 24 member Board of Directors represents over 400 members including operators, service suppliers, vendors, businesses, agencies, local and regional governments. The Association believes a fully funded public transportation network that is accessible to all Arizona residents and visitors is crucial to a sustainable and progressive Arizona. Sound transit infrastructure investments provide travel options for work, education, recreation, health care and more.

For more information on AzTA, please contact Jim Dickey at (480) 361-5101 or visit AzTA’s website at www.azta.org.