LIT%20Leadership%20Summit%20Program%202023 Final PRINT.pdf - Flipbook - Page 15
Leadership Luncheon Keynote Address
Nuria I. Fernandez,
Administrator, Federal Transit Administration
Nuria Fernandez was con昀椀rmed by the U.S. Senate as the 15th Administrator of the
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on June 10, 2021. She was previously appointed
as Deputy Administrator and senior FTA o昀케cial on January 20, 2021. With more
than 35 years of experience, Fernandez made a name for herself as an inspiring
leader in the transportation industry. She came to FTA a昀琀er serving as General
Manager and CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), where
she was responsible for 2,100 employees and oversaw projects, programs, and
transit services that provide mobility solutions for more than two million people
who live and work in the Silicon Valley.
Among the highlights of her tenure at VTA was the completion of the 昀椀rst Bay
Area Rapid Transit (BART) heavy rail service into Silicon Valley, a 10-mile, $3 billion
line that opened to passenger service in June 2020. She also received federal
approval in 2018 to extend the heavy rail service for another six miles. When
completed in 2026, the heavy rail service will total 16 miles of rail and six stations
that will provide transit alternatives for tens of thousands of commuters in and
around the Silicon Valley.
Fernandez is also responsible for the creation of VTA’s Innovation Center, an
incubator to encourage collaboration, test the latest technology, and imagine
new ways to keep the valley moving forward by leveraging the expertise of Silicon
Valley’s high-tech corporations and universities.
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