The North County Transit District (NCTD) has appointed Lilia Montoya to serve as the agency’s COO of bus. In this role, Montoya is responsible for the operations, oversight and maintenance of the agency’s bus, ADA paratransit and specialized transportation services.
Montoya will also serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO, bringing more than 20 years of experience in nearly every aspect of transit, including operations, safety, regulatory compliance, employee engagement and administration.
“Lilia’s widely established history of leadership and track record of operational excellence will undoubtedly lead the way as we transform our operations into the next phase for the district,” said NCTD CEO Shawn M. Donaghy. “Her experience will enable NCTD to continue toward a 100-percent zero-emissions fleet, transition to the direct management of our bus operations teams and be a voice for our world-class employees who support our incredible communities.”
Montoya most recently served as deputy CEO for Long Beach Transit. In this role, she oversaw daily operations and strategies, led diverse agency planning and completed sustainability initiatives.
Prior to joining Long Beach Transit, Montoya served as deputy COO for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro). While at L.A. Metro, she directed transit operations administration and development, contract services, service planning, internal performance audits and board initiatives.
“I share the district’s vision of operating industry-leading transit services,” Montoya said. “I look forward to working with the team to implement several major initiatives to modernize the district’s fleet and operations.”
Montoya previously held leadership positions with the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Union Pacific Railroad in Los Angeles and Portland, Ore., and TriMet. One key project was successfully positioning Long Beach Transit as an environmentally responsible industry leader through the transition to electric buses to meet California’s goal to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2035.
