SLO Regional Transit Authority hires new executive director

Geoff Straw, who managed the largest student-run public transit system in the nation, has been named executive director of the San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority.

The SLORTA board selected Straw after a nationwide search that drew 30 applicants.

As general manager at UC Davis’ Unitrans, Straw oversaw a $4.5 million operating budget that served more than 22,000 riders daily and 3.5 million annually.

Before his tenure at Unitrans, Straw managed bus systems in California and Utah and served as a transportation consultant, focusing on transit needs of university and resort communities in the American West.

Bruce Gibson, president of the SLORTA board of directors, called Straw “an exceptional manager with a proven track record in operations management, capital and transportation planning and proven abilities to develop and mentor staff.”

“He began his career as a driver for Unitrans at UC Davis, and worked his way up. Geoff knows the ins and outs of this business,” Gibson said in a news release. Straw describes himself as “an avid bicycle commuter.”

He and his wife, Nancy, have a 15-year-old daughter.

Straw, who begins Jan. 30, will earn $116,709 per year.

RTA is a joint powers authority in San Luis Obispo County that operates public transit fixed-route bus and ADA Paratransit services. It connects residents in cities throughout San Luis Obispo County, serving 60,000 people per month, according to Aimee Wyatt of SLORTA.

This story was originally published December 22, 2011 at 11:40 AM with the headline "SLO Regional Transit Authority hires new executive director."