The Yampa Valley Regional Transportation Authority’s board of directors has officially identified four finalists for its first executive director, with community members valleywide invited to meet the candidates at two community meet-and-greet events on Oct. 23, according to a recent statement. 

The candidates are William Higdon, transit division manager for Okaloosa County, Florida; Charles Odimgbe, COO for the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority; Carson Priest, executive director of the Smart Commute Transportation Management Organization in north Denver; and Brent Timm, general manager of the Okanogan County Transit Authority in Washington. 

In late March, the RTA board formed an executive director hiring committee composed of Steamboat Springs City Councilor John Agosta and Hayden Mayor Ryan Banks, as well as Steamboat Springs Transit Manager Jonathan Flint. 

The committee helped draft a job description and chose national search firm GMP Consultants to aid in the hiring process. In early August, the RTA posted the executive director job listing, with a salary range of $150,000-$180,000. First reviews of applications began on Sept. 8. 

Following the meet-and-greet events and candidate interviews, which will be viewable to the public, the board plans to choose the RTA’s director by the end of the month. 

The job description, which bases the role in Craig, states that the executive director will serve as the authority’s founding chief executive who will lead the organization from start-up. The executive director will work closely with the board to establish the RTA’s “culture, strategic direction, administrative systems, financial framework and approach to regional service delivery.” 

“This executive director will be the face of regional transportation throughout the Yampa Valley, so we want constituents across the YVRTA to have a chance to meet them,” said RTA Board Chair Sonja Macys in the statement. “We invite residents, riders, and employers to shake hands with the finalists, ask questions, and tell us what they need from regional transit.”

The finalists will visit the Yampa Valley on Friday, Oct. 23 for two community open houses: one from 8:30-10 a.m. in the Citizen’s Room at Centennial Hall, 124 10th St. in downtown Steamboat Springs, and another from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Magnolia Room and Juniper Room in the Hayden Center, 95 West Jefferson Ave. in Hayden. 

The finalists — whittled down from a field of 30 applicants — are also tentatively slated to make stops in Oak Creek, Yampa and Craig that same day, with more information to come, said Macys in the statement. 

The formal board interviews will take place the following day — Saturday, Oct. 24 — in the Town Council Meeting Room at the Hayden Town Hall, 178 West Jefferson Ave. While community members may attend in person or via Zoom, they will not be allowed to ask questions or make comments.

Higdon will be interviewed at 9 a.m., Odimgbe at 10 a.m., Priest at 11 a.m. and Timm at 12:30 p.m., with each interview scheduled for one hour.

The main goal of the RTA is to improve bus service between communities, add new local routes and make public transportation more reliable and accessible for residents, workers and visitors.

A top objective is the introduction of fixed-route bus service on Colorado Highway 131 between Steamboat, Oak Creek and Yampa. 

Plans also include establishing a new local circulator bus route within Craig, ground transportation options to and from the Yampa Valley Regional Airport, and creating park-and-ride lots for commuters accessing both the U.S. Highway 40 bus route and other new routes.

“From day one, we committed to a process that is thorough, fair and transparent,” said Banks in the statement. “I’m thrilled to be taking this big step towards our main leadership position and I look forward to meeting them all and working with the board to choose the right candidate to help the RTA take its next big steps.”

Flint, in the statement, said all four candidates bring the “rare combination this role demands: real transit expertise and the entrepreneurial drive to build something new.” 

“Any one of these candidates will be ready to hit the ground running and build a system that connects our communities,” added Flint, “and we are incredibly excited about the opportunity ahead.”

About the candidates

As the transit division manager for Florida’s Okaloosa County, William Higdon oversees public transportation operations, budgeting, grants, regulatory compliance, contractor performance, fleet coordination, service planning and community partnerships. 

His career in public transportation includes senior leadership positions with Montgomery County Transit, as well as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, where he worked as superintendent of bus operations and led roughly 460 employees at one of the agency’s largest bus divisions. 

Higdon’s experience encompasses agency safety planning, operations, labor relations, emergency management, contract mobilization, federal compliance and organizational change.

Charles Odimgbe, with over 30 years in transportation in both the public and private sector, has led transit organizations through growth, operational improvement and organizational transformation. His experience ranges from transportation, maintenance and technology to capital programs, financial stewardship and workforce development.

He has served as the CEO of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, Ohio’s Stark Area Regional Transit Authority and Chatham Area Transit, with his most recent position being COO of the Toledo Area Regional Transportation Authority. 

Odimgbe holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Concordia University and a master of business administration from George Fox University. 

Tennessee native Priest has worked at the Smart Commute Transportation Management Organization in the north Denver metro area since 2019, serving as its executive director since 2022, where he leads the 13-jurisdiction North Area Transportation Alliance and helped implement worker-focused transportation demand strategies across the region. 

Carson Priest, who is passionate about common-sense transportation solutions that improve individuals’ quality of life, has also strengthened the organization’s budget through a variety of federal and state grants.

He holds a bachelor of arts in political science from Furman University and a master of public administration from American University. 

Brent Timm, who has over 11 years of experience building and leading rural transit systems, was Washington’s Okanogan County Transit Authority’s first operations manager, having helped design and build the organization from the ground up before advancing to the role of general manager. 

A Washington native raised on a cattle ranch, Timm has been instrumental in building collaborative partnerships with local governments, community organizations, business leaders, tribal partners and state agencies alike, with such relationships helping secure funding, expand services and deliver major capital projects for what is now a successful transit authority. 

Timm prides himself especially on bringing a comprehensive understanding of rural communities and their unique transportation needs. 

The narrowing of the candidates comes less than two months before voters in Steamboat Springs, unincorporated Routt County, Hayden, Yampa, Oak Creek and Craig will be asked to consider a half-cent sales tax measure to help make regional transit service a reality.

To view the finalist interviews on Oct. 24, visit tinyurl.com/3rthn25d.