CCTA Board Decision on Hiring a New General Manager

At a special meeting of the CCTA Board of Commissioners Oct. 30 member unanimously agreed to offer the position of general manager to Karen Walton.

Board Chair, Catherine Dimitruk, executive director of the Northwest Regional Planning Commission, stated, “The board is very pleased to offer the position to Karen after an inclusive process that included personnel and a member of the public on the search committee. The search was exhaustive and attracted nearly 70 applicants from across the country and Canada. The high degree of interest in the position is testament to the reputation of CCTA as a high functioning organization and its location in one of the most livable cities in the United States. We particularly want to thank Mark Sousa, current operations manager at CCTA, for standing for this position. He was a strong candidate and we are very fortunate to have Mark on our staff and look forward to his continuing leadership within the organization.”

Karen Walton is currently the general manager of the Greater Lynchburg Transit Co. in Lynchburg, Va. Walton started her career in transit in 2001 in Wasilla, Alaska and has steadily been promoted to larger transit systems and more responsibility. Walton said that, “This is an exciting opportunity for me both professionally and personally. I look forward to putting down roots in the Burlington area and working with the board and all of the staff to help CCTA continue to move forward and be the exemplary transit system of its size in the country.”

Paul Bohne, currently the interim general manager at CCTA commented, “I was impressed by the high number of qualified candidates that applied for this position. After being here for three months, I can understand why there was such great interest in being the next general manager of CCTA. It is truly a fine organization and although it has gone through some tough times in the past year, there is a dedicated board and a highly qualified staff that is ready to move this organization forward to fully realize it’s potential. I consider it a privilege to have served CCTA and look forward to working with Karen for a smooth transition to her leadership."