UTA board of trustees makes organizational changes
Written by jrood
The Utah Transit Authority board of trustees has appointed Michael Allegra as the agency's new general manager. Allegra succeeds John Inglish, who has served as general manager for the past 13 years. Effective immediately, Allegra will assume all general manager responsibilities, including operations, projects and programs and management of staff. Allegra previously served as assistant general manager and chief capital development officer.
The UTA board of trustees
also appointed John Inglish to a new role as chief executive officer. In his
new capacity, Inglish is charged by the board to focus exclusively on national
transit industry initiatives, to promote transit and influence national
transportation policy and to seek new federal and other funding opportunities for
UTA.
"This is a natural
transition that will move the agency forward at a pivotal time," Larry
Ellertson, UTA board chair said. "A lot of change is taking place in transit
locally and nationally. Making this change now puts the right leadership in the
right place for UTA to work through its challenges and opportunities."
Both Inglish and Allegra
have been with UTA for more than 30 years. They have been instrumental in the
development and expansion of mass transit across the Wasatch Front, serving six
counties and 1,400 square miles. Together, they have built the agency from a
small bus company to a true multi-modal system with more than 600 buses and 70
miles of passenger rail, including TRAX and FrontRunner. Under their
leadership, UTA has received national and international recognition as one of
the most innovative and successful transit agencies in the country.
In addition, Inglish and
Allegra are currently leading the effort to build an additional 70 miles of
rail along the Wasatch Front, with four new light rail lines and the 45-mile
extension of FrontRunner from Salt Lake City to Provo. Over the past five
years, they have brought more than $1 billion in federal discretionary funding
to Utah for mass transit projects.
"UTA is at a crossroads,
facing the significant economic challenges posed by the economic downturn while
simultaneously embarking on major expansion of our programs and services,"
Ellertson said. "Both John and Mike are exceptionally well prepared to meet the
challenges and to take UTA to the next level."
