Small Operators Awards
The Small Operators Awards are presented annually during our Fall Conference & Expo. The Transit Professional of the Year Award honors an outstanding individual who has provided strong leadership and vision. The Transit Agency of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding program or service that demonstrates innovative concepts, effective problem-solving techniques, or promotes a positive image of transit in the community. Two new honors, the Transit Innovation Award and the Distinguished Service Award, were added in 2014.
Recent winners include:
Transit Professional of the Year Award (formerly the Transit Leadership Award)
2023 - Greg Pratt, Humboldt Transit Authority
2022 - Gamaliel Anguiano, Santa Maria Regional Transit
2021 - Jeanne Krieg, Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority
2020 - Transit Frontline Workers
2019 - Michael Tree, Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority
2018 - Art Ida, City of Culver City
2017 - Alex Clifford, Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District
2016 - Len Engel, Antelope Valley Transit Authority
2015 - Dustin Strandberg, Victor Valley Transit Authority
2014 - Mona Babauta, Solano County Transit (SolTrans)
2013 - Carl Sedoryk, Monterey-Salinas Transit
2012 - Kevin Kane, Victor Valley Transit Authority
2011 - Bruce Richard, Mendocino Transit Authority
2010 - Joe Meer, Morongo Basin Transit Authority
2009 - Terry Bassett, Yolo County Transportation District
2008 - Michael Bair, San Bernardino Association of Governments
2007 - Dave Ashcraft, Transportation Consultant
2006 - Leslie White, Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District
2005 - Jim Ditch, Long Beach Transit
2004 - Frank Lichtanski, Monterey-Salinas Transit
2003 - Jim McElroy, Unitrans, and Virendra “Vic” K. Sood, Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority
Transit Agency of the Year Award (formerly the Transit Excellence Award)
2023 - Ventura County Transportation Commission
2022 - SunLine Transit Agency
2021 - Antelope Valley Transit Authority
2020 - Culver CityBus
2019 - Torrance Transit System
2018 - Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority
2017 - Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District
2016 - Thousand Oaks Transit
2015 - Valley Transportation Services
2014 - Gold Coast Transit
2013 - Placer County Transit
2012 - Marin County Transit District and Antelope Valley Transit Authority
2011 - Unitrans
2010 - Western Contra Costa Transit Authority
2009 - City of Visalia
2008 - Santa Rosa CityBus
2007 - Monterey-Salinas Transit and Sunline Transit Agency
2006 - City of Lompoc and City of San Luis Obispo
2005 - City of Elk Grove
2004 - Visalia City Coach
2003 - Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority and Merced County Transit
Transit Innovation Award
2023 - Torrance Transit System
2022 - Monterey-Salinas Transit
2021 - Golden Empire Transit District
2020 - Monterey–Salinas Transit
2019 - San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority
2018 - San Joaquin Regional Transit District
2017 - SunLine Transit Agency
2016 - Victor Valley Transit Needles CarShare Program
2015 - Golden Empire Transit District and the Southern California Regional Transit Training Consortium
2014 - SunLine Transit Agency
Distinguished Service Award
2023 - Keith Martin, Yuba-Sutter Transit Authority
2022 - Chris James, Golden Empire Transit District
2021 - Steve Brown, Gold Coast Transit District
2020 - Scott Haggerty, Alameda County Supervisor
2019 - Jim Mastin, Mendocino Transit Authority
2018 - Karen King, Golden Empire Transit District
2017 - Kevin Kane, Victor Valley Transit Authority
2016 - Congressman Sam Farr
2015 - Leslie T. Rogers, Federal Transit Administration
2014 - Jeffrey Webster, Fresno County Rural Transit Agency
Small Sized Operator Member Organizations
ANTELOPE VALLEY TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Martin J. Tompkins
42210 6th St. West
Lancaster, CA 93534
CITY OF ARCADIA-ARCADIA TRANSIT
Philip Wray
P.O. Box 60021
Arcadia, CA 91066
CITY OF COMMERCE
Claude McFerguson
5555 Jillson Street
Commerce, CA 90040
CITY OF CULVER CITY
Kate Saunders
4343 Duquesne Avenue
Culver City, CA 90232
CITY OF DELANO/DELANO AREA RAPID TRANSIT
Viviana Zamora
P.O. Box 3010
Delano, CA 93216
CITY OF MANTECA, PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, TRANSIT DIVISION
Juan Portillo
220 Moffat Boulevard
Manteca, CA 95337
CITY OF PETALUMA
Jared Hall
555 N. McDowell Blvd
Petaluma, CA 94954
CITY OF REDONDO BEACH - TRANSIT DIVISION
Joyce Rooney
415 Diamond Street
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
Megan Weeks
919 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
Adrian Aguilar
28250 Constellation Road
Santa Clarita, CA 91355
CITY OF TURLOCK
Wayne York
1418 N. Golden State Blvd., Suite 1
Turlock, CA 95380
EASTERN CONTRA COSTA TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Rashidi Barnes
801 Wilbur Avenue
Antioch, CA 94509
FAIRFIELD AND SUISUN TRANSIT
Diane Feinstein
2000 Cadenasso Drive
Fairfield, CA 94533
FRESNO COUNTY RURAL TRANSIT AGENCY
Moses Stites
2035 Tulare St., Ste. 201
Fresno, CA 93721
GOLD COAST TRANSIT DISTRICT
Vanessa Rauschenberger
1901 Auto Center Drive
Oxnard, CA 93036
GOLDEN EMPIRE TRANSIT DISTRICT
Karen King
1830 Golden State Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93301
GTRANS
Dana Pynn
13999 S. Western Avenue
Gardena, CA 90249
HUMBOLDT TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Greg Pratt
133 V Street
Eureka, CA 95501
KINGS COUNTY AREA RURAL TRANSIT
Angie Dow
629 Davis St
Hanford, CA 93230
LAKE TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Lisa Davey-Bates
367 N State Street, #204
Ukiah, CA 95482
LIVERMORE/AMADOR VALLEY TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Tamara Edwards
1362 Rutan Court Suite 100
Livermore, CA 94550
MARIN TRANSIT
Nancy Whelan
711 Grand Ave, Ste. 110
San Rafael, CA 94901
MENDOCINO TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Jacob King, Sr
241 Plant Road
Ukiah, CA 95482
MONTEBELLO BUS LINES
Anthony Rodriguez
400 S. Taylor Avenue
Montebello, CA 90640
MORONGO BASIN TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Sandy Benson
P.O. Box 1501
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
MOUNTAIN AREA REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Joe Meer
62405 Verbena Rd.
Joshua Tree, CA 92252
NAPA VALLEY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY
Kate Miller
625 Burnell Street
Napa, CA 94559
NORWALK TRANSIT SYSTEM
James C. Parker
12700 Norwalk Blvd.
Norwalk, CA 90650
PASADENA AREA RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM
Valerie Gibson
221 E. Walnut Street, Suite 199
Pasadena, CA 91101
PLACER COUNTY TRANSIT/TAHOE AREA REGIONAL TRANSIT
Will Garner
3091 County Center Drive, Suite 220
Auburn, CA 95603
REDDING AREA BUS AUTHORITY
Steve Bade
777 Cypress Avenue
Redding, CA 96001
ROSEVILLE ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION DIVISION
Ed Scofield
316 Vernon St., Suite 150
Roseville, CA 95678
SAN LUIS OBISPO REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Geoff Straw
179 Cross Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
SANTA BARBARA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT DISTRICT
Jerry Estrada
550 Olive Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
SANTA MARIA REGIONAL TRANSIT
Cindy Ransdell
110 S. Pine Street, Suite 101
Santa Maria, CA 93458
SANTA ROSA CITYBUS
Rachel Ede
100 Santa Rosa Avenue, Room 6
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
SIMI VALLEY TRANSIT
Ben Gonzales
2929 Tapo Canyon Road
Simi Valley, CA 93063
SISKIYOU COUNTY TRANSIT
Angie Stumbaugh
190 Greenhorn Rd
Yreka, CA 96097
SOLANO COUNTY TRANSIT (SOLTRANS)
Beth Kranda
311 Sacramento Street
Vallejo, CA 94590
SOLANO TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY
Ron Grassi
423 Main Street
Suisun City, CA 94585
SONOMA COUNTY TRANSIT
Bryan Albee
355 West Robles Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95407
STANISLAUS REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Adam Barth
912 11th Street, Suite 100
Modesto, CA 95354
TAHOE TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT
Carl Hasty
128 Market Street, P.O. Box 5310
Stateline, NV 89449
THOUSAND OAKS TRANSIT
Mike Houser
2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
TORRANCE TRANSIT SYSTEM
Kim Turner
20500 Madrona Avenue
Torrance, CA 90503
TRANSIT JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY FOR MERCED COUNTY
Christine Chavez
369 W. 18th St.
Merced, CA 95340
UNION CITY TRANSIT
Steve Adams
34009 Alvarado-Niles Road
Union City, CA 94587
UNITRANS
Jeff Flynn
One Shields Avenue
5 South Hall
Davis, CA 95616
VENTURA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
Martin Erickson
751 E. Daily Drive, Suite 420
Camarillo, CA 93010
VICTOR VALLEY TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Kevin Kane
17150 Smoke Tree Street
Hesperia, CA 92345
VISALIA TRANSIT
Angelina Soper
425 E Oak Avenue, Suite 201
Visalia, CA 93291
WESTERN CONTRA COSTA TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Robert Thompson
601 Walter Avenue
Pinole, CA 94564
YOLO COUNTY TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT
Autumn Bernstein
350 Industrial Way
Woodland, CA 95776
YUBA-SUTTER TRANSIT
Keith Martin
2100 B Street
Marysville, CA 95901