Director of Transportation Paula Melester was appointed to the Virginia Transit Service Delivery Advisory Committee (TSDAC) by the director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. TSDAC members represent transit agencies of all sizes from across the Commonwealth, as well as a liaison to the Commonwealth Transportation Board.
Authorized in the Code of Virginia, the TSDAC advises DRPT in the development of a distribution process for transit capital and operating funds. Ms. Melester’s appointment to the Committee is emblematic of her engagement with matters of transit funding policy and thorough understanding of the needs of smaller, rural systems like CSPDC’s BRITE Transit. “I’m honored to serve on TSDAC and contribute to Virginia’s transit funding policy development,” said Melester. “Because CSPDC operates transit differently than most agencies in the state, we’re always closely tracking how policy and formula changes affect us. Running BRITE Transit with a small but highly capable team means we handle everything from FTA compliance to day-to-day operations, which gives me a ground-level understanding of how funding decisions translate into actual service delivery for our community.”