American Public Transport Association hires GC from PBGC

Taria Barron replaces Linda Ford, who departed the organisation in August

Taria Barron Photo courtesy of APTA

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has hired Taria Barron as general counsel, replacing Linda Ford, who left the organisation last year.

Barron joins from US pension insurer the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), where she was attorney-advisor in its general law and ethics division. At APTA she will oversee all legal, policy and regulatory matters.

Washington DC-based APTA is a non-profit association of more than 1,500 public and private member associations across all modes of public transport, including bus, light rail, subways and high-speed passenger rail, among others.

Paul Skoutelas, APTA President and CEO, said: “Taria brings a wealth of legal expertise and leadership experience that will be instrumental in advancing APTA’s mission. Her deep understanding of transportation law and policy will help guide our organisation through today’s evolving regulatory landscape.”

Barron spent more than six years at PBGC, which she joined from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where she was also an attorney-advisor. Prior to that she spent almost 10 years at the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of the Chief Counsel across a number of legal roles.

She also had a two-year fellowship with the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation in Tokyo, where she helped foster US-Japan cooperation on transportation initiatives.

Barron said: “I am honoured to join APTA and contribute to its mission of promoting and advancing public transportation. I look forward to working alongside APTA’s talented team to support our members and strengthen public transportation across America.”

Ford, meantime, departed in August to become CEO at Prism International, an IT services business. She spent more than seven years at APTA, having originally joined from the Department of Transport’s Federal Transit Administration, where was an associate administrator. She also had spells as assistant chief counsel at the FTA and a senior attorney-advisor at the DoT.

In other US transport-related moves, in October rail operator Amtrack promoted Byl Herrmann to GC, replacing Eleanor Acheson. Meantime in July, JetBlue Airways rehired its former associate GC Eileen McCarthy to head up its legal team, replacing Brandon Nelson. Also in July, Greyhound bus-owner Flix North America hired James Bristow as GC from EnLink Midstream, replacing Tricia Martinez.

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