AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Transit Partnership, charged with implementing Project Connect, announced its newest interim leader after announcing its search for a new executive director last week.
The search started after the ATP Board settled on a leadership structure for the partnership, made up of the City of Austin and Capital Metro (CapMetro).
Greg Canally, the agency’s current chief financial officer and chief development officer, will be serving as the interim executive director. His appointment takes effect on May 2.
“Greg will provide the steady leadership and smooth, effective and efficient transition that ATP – and all of Austin – need as we work to implement voters’ vision for this program,” said Veronica Castro de Barrera, chair of the Austin Transit Partnership Board of Directors. “This will be a critical year for ATP, along with our partners at the City of Austin and CapMetro, as we all work together to deliver on the promise of Project Connect.”
CapMetro President and CEO Randy Clarke filled the position after the project was approved in 2020. Last fall, a joint power agreement was approved, which outlined the process for the future transition of leadership for ATP.
Since then, ATP worked with the Eno Center for Transportation to help the board determine the new leadership structure. That process was recently completed, according to a release.
With a new ATP executive director position being filled, the CapMetro Board, Austin City Council and the ATP Board will consider creating an ex-officio role on the ATP Board that will be filled by the CapMetro president and CEO.
“Project Connect will transform our city and provide residents with greatly expanded mobility options, thanks in significant part to the leadership and vision of Randy Clarke," City of Austin Mayor Steve Adler said in a release. "Over the last year and a half, we asked him to serve in two separate executive positions, and now he can transition back to his primary job of leading CapMetro. ATP has successfully launched and with a new interim director will continue to evolve into its intended independent entity. I am committed to fulfilling our promise to voters and I count on Randy’s continued leadership as an ex-officio member of the ATP board to help us get the job done.”
Clarke sent out a letter to the three boards following the announcement of the ATP's intention to recruit a new, separate executive director.
Dear CapMetro Board, ATP Board and Austin City Council members,
It has been my honor to serve as the initial Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) Executive Director following the 2020 historic voter-approved referendum to invest in expanding our community’s transit system. Today it is my privilege to share with you more information about the future of this leadership role.
Last fall, the three bodies approved the Joint Powers Agreement, which outlined the process for finalizing an appropriate and sustainable leadership model for ATP. The process was required to be completed in April and I’m happy to report that we have successfully completed that process. On behalf of Mayor Adler, CapMetro Board Chair Travillion, ATP Board Chair Castro de Barrera I am sharing the attached announcement about the future of the ATP Executive Director and ATP Board.
I thank you for entrusting me with the responsibility to setup the ATP organization. As we move forward, I am excited about the opportunity to transition to a position on the ATP Board to continue our work in a collaborative, unified way to deliver the Project Connect program to our community.
On a personal note, serving in two executive roles has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my career. I want to thank the CapMetro leadership team for providing such a strong foundation that afforded me the opportunity to span two separate roles for the past year and a half. I also want to thank the ATP management team for their collaboration and efforts starting up the organization. And finally, I want to thank our colleagues at the City of Austin for their support and partnership.
I look forward to our continued collaboration and the good work we’ll continue to do together for our community. Onward!
Sincerely,
Randy Clarke
The ATP was set to meet on April 13 to discuss the direction of the executive director position with possible action on an interim appointment happening on April 20. Then, the CapMetro Board and city council would need to approve the appointment of Clarke as an ex-officio member.
Project Connect was approved by Austin voters in November 2020 with initial plans to fund a $7.1 billion transit system that includes a light rail system, tunnels, rapid bus routes and more. Just earlier this month, a new report indicated the light rail and tunnel would cost nearly double the initial amount.
The report claimed real estate, inflation, supply chain issues and changes to the projects are the reasons the cost increased.
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