Four new members have been appointed to the VIA Metropolitan Transit Board of Trustees. The Bexar County Commissioners Court appointed Jordana Decamps Mathews to the VIA Board, and the San Antonio City Council selected Brian C. Dillard, Ezra A. Johnson, and Amanda Merck. They join recent new appointees Louis R. Cooper (Greater Bexar County Council of Cities) and Marina Alderete Gavito (Bexar County) on the Board. The City of San Antonio also re-appointed incumbent Trustees Bob Comeaux and Patricia Y. Rodriguez
“New ideas, new perspectives – on transportation as with any public service – are always welcome and needed, and these new Trustees provide a wide range of experiences and capabilities,” VIA Board Chair Hope Andrade said. “We are excited to work with these dedicated individuals, who embody the values that will help advance VIA’s mission to connect our communities to opportunity, support economic vitality, and plan for the transportation needs of our region.”
Trustee Mathews is the chief executive officer of The Mathews Consulting Group, and she was previously the director of economic development for Bexar County. She has extensive experience in public service, including time spent working for a U.S. Senator and a Texas Senator.
Trustee Dillard, an associate at Delta Risk LLC, has been the Chair of the VIA Transit Community Council since July 2017. He has previously worked on cyber security systems for Lockheed Martin and Shell Oil Company in Houston, and he served on the board of the Dignowity Hill Neighborhood Association.
Trustee Johnson is a law partner at Uhl, Fitzsimons, Jewett & Burton PLLC, and he is an adjunct professor at St. Mary’s University School of Law. Previously, he was an associate attorney at Cox Smith Matthews, Inc. and an instructor at the University of Texas Center for Professional Education.
Trustee Merck curates content for ¡Salud America! as a research area specialist at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. She is also a public health representative for the City of San Antonio’s Active Living Council for a Healthier San Antonio, and she teaches group fitness classes for Fitness in the Park.
The 11-member VIA Board of Trustees meets monthly to discuss policy issues and hear comments from the community. VIA Board meetings are generally held on the fourth Tuesday of each month.
