MTA/RTA Hires India Birdsong as COO

On June 24, the Nashville MTA and the Regional Transportation Authority announced India Birdsong has been hired as the new chief operating officer for the transit agencies.

Birdsong comes to Nashville from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) where she was most recently senior manager of bus supervision and instruction for the central region.  During her tenure with CTA, Birdsong also held positions leading operations for a CTA Operating Division, bus operator instruction, and special events planning.  She began her career there as an operations planner.

"I am delighted to join the MTA team, and look forward to serving the community.  It is my pleasure to live in such a vibrant, growing city such as Nashville while working to advance the region’s public transportation options,” Birdsong said. “Recognizing the significance of connecting communities and local stakeholders is imperative to moving us forward. As such, I look forward to continuing the mantra of good business via safe operations, technological innovation, and attention to customers’ needs."

Birdsong holds a bachelor’s degree from Temple University in Philadelphia and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  She is active in several transit industry organizations, including the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), and Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO).  She is also proficient in Spanish.

“We met with several impressive candidates; however, India’s experience and enthusiasm made her the perfect individual to assist us with the improvements and tough decisions that are needed in order to build a more robust transit system in Nashville and the region,” MTA/RTA CEO Steve Bland said.

Birdsong began her tenure with MTA and RTA on June 24.