Pierce Transit CEO Sue Dreier announced plans to retire in summer 2021 after 30 years in the transit industry.
Dreier started as a bus operator and will complete her career as CEO.
“Sue Dreier has been an excellent leader for Pierce Transit these past six years,” said Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards, who serves as Pierce Transit Board chair. “Her deep knowledge of the industry, ability to form strong partnerships, innovative thinking and success in bringing Pierce Transit back to a thriving, community-focused agency following the Great Recession has set the agency on a very positive course for the future. She will be greatly missed, but the board wishes her well as she moves on to a new chapter of her life.”
Dreier has served as Pierce Transit CEO since May 2015, where she oversees an agency of 971 employees with a $154-million budget. Dreier came to Pierce Transit from Salem-Keizer Transit in Salem, Ore., where she served as chief operating officer. Prior to that, Dreier served at Lane Transit District in Eugene, where she began her career as a transit operator. She held several positions at Lane, ending her tenure as transit services manager.
Dreier has been a member of the American Public Transportation Association Board of Directors since 2016. She also serves on several other boards, including the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County, the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board and The Grand Cinema. As a member of the United Way of Pierce County Board, she is serving as co-chair of the 2020 Annual Campaign.
Under Dreier’s leadership, Pierce Transit redesigned its entire bus route system to be more efficient and added 16 percent more bus service, the largest single service enhancement in Pierce Transit history. The agency has developed innovative new services, such as a partnership with Lyft to provide on-demand rides to access transit, and has created a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to advance those pillars across the agency. Pierce Transit is on track to build one of the biggest projects in its history with the new Bus Rapid Transit line, and the agency is moving into the future with new technologies and a robust professional development program for agency employees.
“It has been my honor to serve in the role of chief executive officer at Pierce Transit,” said Dreier. “My thirty-year career in transit has been rewarding and satisfying. I am confident that the extraordinary employees at Pierce Transit will continue to move forward with their innovative and dedicated service to the community. My husband and I look forward to the next chapter in life, traveling and spending time with our five adult children and four grandchildren.”
In the coming weeks, the Pierce Transit Board of Commissioners will begin the recruitment process for a new CEO. Dreier has committed to remaining at the agency until a transition plan is in place, likely in late May or early June.
