Flowers has been named the new Transit Executive Director and CEO for
Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS).
Flowers will be leaving her post as Chief Operations Officer for the
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) where
she oversees Metro Bus operations, Freeway Service Patrol and SAFE
call box programs, and an annual operating budget of $900 million and
more than 6,000 employees.
Her illustrious career at MTA includes holding the positions of
Executive Officer of Administration and Deputy Executive Officer for
Finance. As Executive Officer she was responsible for Real Estate,
General Services, Human Resources, Organizational Development,
Strategic Planning and ADA Compliance functions. As Deputy Executive
Officer for Finance she managed the Office of Management and Budget.
Prior to joining the transit agency, Ms. Flowers held financial
positions in both the public and private sectors. She served as budget
director for the City of Beverly Hills, as a financial manager at Wang
Laboratories, and as a financial analyst and budget officer at
Rockwell International Automotive Operations.
A total of 70 candidates from across the country applied with seven
finalists interviewed. Charlotte City Manager Curt Walton attributes
the interest and caliber of candidates as a testament to what the City
has built in terms of an efficient, responsive, accountable and
integrated regional transit system.
Walton says that Flowers resonated among the other candidates because
of her experience and the number of key leadership roles held.
"Her reputation for proactive education programs, innovative customer
relations programs and building positive working relationships with
employees and her board will continue to build our national and
international reputation in the transit industry," adds Walton.
Flowers will report to the City Manager and provide support services
to the MTC. The position oversees County-wide transit planning and
transit management activities including developing and promoting a
long-term regional vision for transit services; managing existing
transit services; designing and managing the future transit system;
and providing oversight on in-house contracted transit services.
The Transit Director and CEO of CATS is responsible for building
partnerships and strong working relationships with Mecklenburg County,
the six incorporated Towns located in Mecklenburg County, and other
key City business units.
"I look forward to leading CATS and working with our experienced staff
to continue building one of the finest transit systems in the country,
says Flowers. "The people in the Charlotte region can count on my
experience and commitment to continue to provide service and make our
system world-class."
Selection of the Transit Director/CEO is a City Manager appointment
with the concurrence of the Mecklenburg County Manager and a
Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) member representative in
accordance with the Transit Governance Interlocal Agreement. Since the
MTC member representative cannot be a City of Charlotte or Mecklenburg
County Representative, Mayor Pat McCrory, who serves as the MTC chair,
appointed Mayor John Woods, Town of Davidson, to be the MTC
replacement. Also serving on the selection panel were Hazen Blodgett,
Matthews Town Manager, and Harry Jones, Mecklenburg County Manager.
Flowers earned a bachelor's of art from UCLA in History and Political
Science and a master's in business administration from the UCLA
Anderson School of Management. She currently serves as vice-chair of
the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Diversity
Committee. She is a member of the American Public Transportation's
"Passenger Transport" publication advisory committee.
Among her many accomplishments she was named "Woman of the Year" by
the Los Angeles Chapter of the Women's Transportation Seminar in 2008.
She also received the Ambassador award for her volunteer work with the
American Stroke Association and was given a special recognition award
by the Greater Los Angeles African-American Chamber of Commerce.
Flowers will begin her new role with CATS early January. Her salary is
$197,500.
