On Board With… CTC Chair Lee Ann Eager
Lee Ann Eager serves as Chair of the California Transportation Commission. She is also President/CEO of the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation (EDC). Her work includes attracting investment to the area, industry recruitment and retention, rural business expansion, and public policy initiatives as part of the region’s vision to create long-term economic resiliency.
Prior to the EDC, Ms. Eager served as Executive Director of Rape Counseling Services of Fresno, growing the organization’s influence and programs for 12 years, empowering and supporting survivors of sexual violence. She also practiced law at the law firm of Lang, Richert and Patch. A fourth-generation Fresnan, Ms. Eager plays a key strategic and leadership role within Fresno County’s local landscape, working with stakeholders within the private, public, philanthropic and academic sectors—nationally and internationally. She serves as Co-Chair of Fresno Works, an initiative to galvanize investments around high-speed rail in Fresno County.
Governor Brown appointed Ms. Eager to the California Workforce Development Board, California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, and to the Governor’s Advisory Council on International Trade and Investment. Ms. Eager serves as the President of the Board for Access Plus Capital and holds several Board positions including the California Central Valley Economic Development Corporation, Fresno State Transportation Institute, Lyles College of Engineering, Department of Geography and City and Regional Planning Advisory Council, Fresno City College President Commission on Industry, the Fresno Mayor’s Advisory Council, and Fresno State Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Transit California: 
You wear (and have worn) many hats in the transportation industry but have also worked on issues that intersect with transportation, including education, workforce development, and economic development. How did you first begin your civic life? What principles or values have guided your work?
Lee Ann Eager:
My civic work began in the 1980s when I started working at the local rape crisis center. I knew then that I wanted to make my community a better place for all. My principles and values have not changed over the years—live your life ethically and with empathy for others. These values have guided me in my personal life and professional life.
Transit California:
Our readers know you best as a vocal champion for the Central Valley and for your role as President/CEO of the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation. Of what key initiatives in these roles are you most proud? How have you shared learnings from these initiatives with a broader statewide audience?
Lee Ann Eager:
I started my career at the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) in 2009 during the recession. This brought many challenges, along with opportunities to do things differently. I knew that one of the major challenges here in Fresno County and throughout the Central Valley was ensuring we had a qualified workforce. Along with the Director of the County Department of Social Services, we developed an innovative program to bring industry and welfare clients together to solve the workforce issues. The EDC developed a computer program designed to match job seekers with job postings from businesses. We also offer job training to match those specific hiring needs. Our retention rate for our trained clients is about 78 percent, where the norm across the country is around 30 percent. We track those placed individuals for 18 months to ensure success. This retention piece was a priority of mine, as we see other workforce training programs fall short on long-term employment goals. This program won the International Economic Development Council’s high honor for this type of program. We have been sharing our successes and our processes with others throughout the state.
Another project that I am very proud of is our High-Speed Rail (HSR) assistance program. As Fresno County was the first area where HSR was negotiating land acquisitions, the City and County of Fresno knew the businesses that were in the path of the HSR would be in need of advocates to assist them in relocation. The EDC assisted 333 businesses along that alignment. We were able to either assist them in finding a new location or with reconfiguring their current property to accommodate the HSR alignment. We only lost 3 businesses to closures. Thirty percent of those companies we assisted were actually able to expand into larger facilities. We understand this is the model for the entire country.
Transit California:
You’ve been an active proponent of HSR over the past decade. How else have you been able to help prepare the county?
Lee Ann Eager:
In addition to the assistance program, I listed above, I have been advocating for additional investments from the Federal Government for the California system for many years. I have also traveled around the world visiting high-speed rail agencies. I have met with agencies from France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Japan, and China. Learning best practices has been essential in our work here in California and specifically in Fresno, where the first HSR station in the country will be built in the next few years. My travels have also included meeting with potential investors for our station and surrounding areas.
Transit California:
What role does transportation play in your vision for the county’s economic development and resilience?
Lee Ann Eager:
Well, obviously, transportation plays a major role in economic development throughout the country, but it is vital in the Central Valley. As we are the top agricultural county in the United States, getting our products into the market is essential to our sustainability. In addition, the Central Valley is the fastest growing area in California; as such, transportation is crucial for our growth. Currently, the Central Valley relies heavily on its freeway system, but I am certain that future transit plans will help in alleviating that reliance. With HSR in the near future and a multi-modal transit station in the planning stages, Fresno is poised to be a model for the entire valley, state, and country.
Transit California:
Governor Newsom appointed you to the California Transportation Commission in 2020, and you recently assumed the role of Chair. Thus far in your term, what have been your priorities for the state’s transportation network? How does public transit fit in?
Lee Ann Eager:
Across the state of California, there is consensus that our goals need to move along a ‘high-road’ leading to a more equitable and sustainable future. In California, we have led the nation in confronting climate change, and we will continue to do so. Transportation is key to our statewide strategy to do this, and one of my priorities has been to emphasize multi-modal projects that move people and goods in a sustainable and equitable way.
Although the move by so many Californians to electric vehicles has been hugely beneficial to our environment, fuel tax revenues play an important role in the safe and sustainable use of our transportation infrastructure. Sustainability means not only careful considerations of environmental impacts but also investing with a “fix-it-first” philosophy that keeps our assets in good working condition. Given the significant costs of our transportation infrastructure and the importance of these assets in our daily lives, we have to make sure there is enough funding to keep this infrastructure operating. This is especially important because the quality of our roads, trains, bus networks, and bike lanes is directly related to our public safety.
We all rely on regional and statewide transportation infrastructure not only to get to work but also to have the goods we need brought to us. For historically underserved communities, transportation infrastructure on the large scale and the neighborhood scale has not met their needs, and we’re working to address that.
Public transportation is a huge part of addressing these goals. We have seen how labor shortages or insufficient supplies in just one region and in one specific industry can create negative impacts throughout the state, country, and even the world. Products we need either won’t be on the shelves or if they are on the shelves, people won’t be able to afford them. So we have to continue to invest in moving people and goods in efficient, equitable, and sustainable ways.
Transit California:
Are there priorities you have not yet been able to pursue that you hope to advance as Chair?
Lee Ann Eager:
Ensuring that all modes of transportation are available to the entire state will always be a priority.
Transit California:
As you know, Governor Newsom has proposed a significant new investment in transportation infrastructure, which includes at its core a proposed investment of $4.2 billion for the California HSR project. How are you engaging to shape the final package of investments?
Lee Ann Eager:
I have advocated with the administration and Legislature to support increased funding for transportation infrastructure. We have been successful in getting the Governor’s proposed funding for the Active Transportation Program increased from $500 million to $1 billion ; however, more is still needed to meet the needs. I will continue to advocate for increased funding for transit and other priorities.
My goal is to ensure that we put transportation funds to work quickly and effectively in the areas where they are most needed, based on recent experience implementing the SB 1 programs.
Transit California:
You served for 12 years as Executive Director of Rape Counseling Services for Fresno, and during that time served as Board Chair of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, assisting then Senator Biden in drafting the first Violence Against Women Act. What are your thoughts on legislative efforts to further elevate the safety of women transit riders (e.g. SB 1161)?
Lee Ann Eager:
As one of the first members of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault and a ‘founding mother’ in the Central Valley, I am an eternal advocate for the safety and well-being of all women and vulnerable populations. My goal has always been to see the eradication in my lifetime of all types of violence against women, children, and those that have historically been the victims of harassment and assault. This bill certainly is a step forward in those efforts and I applaud the legislators for taking these essential steps in providing for the safety of all on public transportation in California.