A subcommittee of Island Transit board members identified three finalists for the position of interim executive director.
A public reception will be held 5-6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, in the front lobby area of the Island Transit building, near Coupeville. Members of the public and employees who are not on shift can meet each candidate, ask questions and provide comments.
The following are the names of the finalists and a short biography:
Ken Graska is an accomplished transit executive who has been in the industry for over 35 years. During his career, Graska has developed and managed a wide range of transit programs. His areas of expertise include policy development, capital development programs, paratransit services, and creating and managing annual operating budgets. For the past seven years, Graska was the assistant general manager with MV Transportation, assisting in the development and management of the Microsoft employee commuter bus and transportation services. In this position, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations, as well as service planning and customer relations. Before holding this position, Graska has been the general manager at several transit agencies in California, Vermont, Oklahoma and Washington state. He currently resides in Valencia, Calif.
Chris Fowler is a senior civil engineering project/program manager with over 35 years of local, national and international civil planning, design, project and construction management experience. He specializes in mentoring team members while managing multiple projects and finding solutions to complex challenges. Fowler has worked with the Municipality of Abu Dhabi, WSDOT, BART, Sound Transit, Denver RTA, FT, and St. Louis County Department of Highways and Traffic. He currently resides in the Seattle area.
Jim Perez has worked in public transportation for more than 30 years, with the past 10 years in executive level management. His most recent position was as CEO of Central Maryland Regional Transit. His background includes developing budgets, regional goal setting and organizational leadership. Perez has an extensive history of state and federal grant management, as well as being responsible for personnel and resources needed for a successful transit agency. Perez has an MBA in organization development and currently resides in Illinois.
