Memphis Area Transit Authority searches for new leader to 'think outside the bus'

With the January retirement of Memphis Area Transit Authority President and General Manager William Hudson Jr., MATA’s nine-member board of commissioners is now on the hunt for a new leader to fill his shoes – preferably one who can “think outside the bus,” to quote the position recruitment language. It's a big job; via fixed-route bus, paratransit, and vintage rail trolleys downtown, MATA annually moves around 11 million riders around the Mid-South.

“Mr. Hudson was an icon at MATA,” said Sean Healy, board chair. “He started off as a driver 49 years ago and then was a general manager for roughly 19 years, so he’s seen a lot and done a lot and he definitely will be a tough one to replace.”

Healy said the position is evolving somewhat to accommodate funding challenges. The ideal candidate should be particularly savvy in pursuing public and private partnerships and making the most of existing and potential financial resources.

“We rely very heavily on the city, state and federal government for the majority of our funding, and for the last several years, that’s continued to shrink,” he said. “So we’re going to find a leader who can help generate some other funding opportunities and who can be a spokesperson for trying to get more of a dedicated funding source for the transit authority.”

In addition, a rebranding is on the horizon. The job description lists “an experienced marketer of transit who can bring MATA into the 21st century” as a desired qualification, and Healy said putting a new face on public transportation is a priority for the board.

“We’d like to work on our image. We’re a service provider. We move people from one place to another, so we have to have a high standard of excellence when it comes to service. I think this is a great opportunity for us to build on that image.”

On Feb. 13, the board hosted a public meeting for input on other requirements and criteria to be used in evaluating prospective candidates. The audience of mostly transit riders had many suggestions for the qualities an ideal general manager should have, including someone who could help eliminate the stigma that MATA is only for residents in a low-income bracket and someone who could communicate with people on every level.

Meanwhile, the board has tasked Kensington, Md.-based KL Executive Search, which specializes in filling executive positions in the transit industry, with heading the nationwide recruitment effort. The scope of the search doesn’t mean local hopefuls should rule out the opportunity, Healy said. “Both the board and the mayor agreed that it was in our best interest to do a full search. That doesn’t mean that we won’t find somebody here locally or somebody who’s already at MATA to fill the role, but we really needed to do that due diligence and look everywhere,” Healy said.

Healy and the rest of the board are excited about what the new hire could mean for MATA. “It’ll definitely be fulfilling for us to find that leader who has that balance of those areas: a strong communicator, a change agent, somebody who can get in there and really advocate for us with the different governmental authorities that we rely on, and then somebody who can connect with the people, and that’s ALL of the people,” Healy said. “Our service area has about 700,000 people in it.”