Nov 18, 2021
CLEVELAND, OH – The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has been selected for the 2021 WTS Northeast Ohio Employer of the Year Award.
The award was presented Thursday, Nov. 18 at the International Women’s Air and Space Museum.
RTA is being honored for its commitment to recruit, retain, and advance women in the workplace.
Of RTA’s approximate 2,100 employees, 30 percent are female, with three percent working in senior management positions. In 2019, RTA hired India Birdsong as CEO and General Manager as the first female General Manager and CEO in the organization’s history.
In 2021, RTA hired Deirdre Jones, the first female Chief of Police. Also brought on board was Natoya Walker Minor as Deputy General Manager of External Affairs. Of note was the promotion of Teresa Muti to Director of Power and Way, one of the few females holding such a unique role in the transportation industry.
“I am proud of the efforts and strides that RTA has made in increasing the number of women at the executive/management levels of the organization,” said RTA CEO and General Manager India Birdsong.
“But just as important, RTA has increased its outreach efforts to encourage more women to apply for positions in the technical and mechanical areas of the organization,” Birdsong said.
“RTA is also proud of its career advancement and outreach programs done in conjunction with Cleveland State University and Tri-C, which are designed to assist employees in obtaining the skills, education and training required to get hired and to move up through the organization,” she said.
As the recipient of the local chapter award, RTA will be nominated for the WTS International Employer of the Year Award. The recipient of that award will be announced at the WTS Annual Conference to be held in Seattle, WA in May 2022.
RTA was formed in 1974 with the mission of providing public transit services to the 59 communities and 1.2 million residents of Cuyahoga County. As the largest public transit agency in the State of Ohio, and the only one with rail service, RTA’s service options include bus, BRT, trolley, paratransit and three rail lines. Providing more than 17 million trips per year, RTA has an operating budget of approximately $250 million and a capital budget of $40 million.
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