Mansourian to be permanent SMART GM
Written by jrood
San Francisco's North Bay Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit Board of Directors unanimously agreed to make interim Executive Director Farhad Mansourian the new SMART general manager. "After an extensive search of the most qualified applicants in the country, the SMART Board of Directors believes the best candidate for the job is already on the jobm" said SMART Chairwoman, Sonoma County Supervisor Valerie Brown. "We believe that SMART's next steps, especially in the near term, require not only deep transportation and public project experience, which Farhad has, but that the taxpayers will be best served and project success will be maximized with someone at the helm who is already familiar with our local, regional and state agency and regulatory environments. The board was also deeply impressed by the work that the staff has delivered under Farhad's leadership, which has given us viable options for moving forward to deliver the most in the least amount of time." Mansourian said, "I am honored and humbled by the confidence and trust the Board has extended to me. While I am emotional in leaving my Marin County position, I am excited that in this new capacity I can serve the residents of both Marin and Sonoma Counties by bringing SMART to our region."
