Special to The Times
The Interim Executive Director and former Chief of Staff of the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) has been selected as the Executive Director of the state’s largest transit system. The transit agency’s Board of Directors on Thursday voted to appoint Barbara Murdock to the permanent post.
“I am honored to serve the more than 3 million people who utilize MAX buses in the Birmingham Jefferson County area. I want to thank the BJCTA Board of Directors for their trust in me and for this great opportunity to take transit to a new level,” Ms. Murdock said addressing the Board. “It’s now time to roll up our sleeves and make sure we are providing safe, clean and on-time service to the community as well as plan for future growth.”
Ms. Murdock said her top priorities for the system are to execute the goals set by the Board of Directors to: open and manage the Intermodal; continue planning and development of the Bus Rapid Transit system; optimize routes and develop alternate funding sources.
“This is the first time we have hired a Director who is from our community and committed to the system and the area,” said Patrick Sellers, Chairman of the BJCTA Board. “She is an energetic visionary and a servant leader,” said Sellers.
Ms. Murdock grew up in the Titusville area of Birmingham, attended Ramsay High School and graduated from the University of Alabama. She has worked in Washington, D.C. for more than 20 years as a Federal contractor to the U.S. Department of Transportation and other federal agencies. Prior to that, she worked at BJCTA as Director of Marketing.
BJCTA was created in 1972 and operates 109 buses on 38 routes. They system serves: Birmingham, Bessemer, CenterPoint, Homewood, Hoover, Mountain Brook, Tarrant and Vestavia.
