FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 22, 2011
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Jason Spain (615) 347-1528
or Patricia Harris-Morehead
(615) 880-3943
State Transportation Association Elects New Officers
Nashville MTA and RTA CEO Paul J. Ballard elected president
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Public Transportation Association (TPTA) Board of Directors recently elected
new officers for two-year terms.
Paul J. Ballard, Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)
CEO, is the newly-elected president.
TPTA is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to improving public transportation in all Tennessee
communities. TPTA is committed to increasing the use of public transportation, securing adequate funding
for public transportation, encouraging the use of best practices in public transportation among members and
disseminating public transportation research and information to the public, members, and to elected officials.
The association is comprised of four large urban, 11 small urban and 10 rural public transit systems that
provide service in all 95 counties of the state.
Ballard has served as the MTA CEO since January 2002. In December 2008, he became the CEO of the R TA,
which manages the Music City Star and regional express bus services to Middle Tennessee counties.
Since taking the helm in 2002 of the state's second largest public transit agency, Ballard and his team have
increased ridership from 6.4 million annual trips to a high of 9.4 million. More than 100 new buses, including
the system's first hybrid buses, have been added to the fleet during his tenure; and, MTA's AccessRide
paratransit service for persons with disabilities is now the largest service of its kind in Tennessee with over
340,000 annual trips provided to residents of Metro Nashville/Davidson County.
Ballard's early work with the RTA as past Chair of its Commuter Rail Committee resulted in the successful
construction and start up of the Music City Star regional train to Donelson, Hermitage, Mt. Juliet, Martha, and
Lebanon in Wilson County. Today, Ballard and his management team are working diligently to ensure the
train's continued success and that of the other RTA regional bus routes in Middle Tennessee.
With more than 30 years of professional experience in public transportation, Ballard also possesses a Bachelor
of Science Degree in Business, Transportation and Public Utilities management from Indiana University School
of Business and a Master of Arts Degree in Public Administration (With Distinction) from Webster University in
St. Louis.
The other TPTA officers elected for two-year terms include:
Tommy Bradberry (Martin) was elected Vice President. Bradberry is the Northwest Human Resource
Agency's Transportation Director and has served in this role for almost 30 years. Under his leadership the
program has grown from a small program with nine vans to one with a $3.5 million dollar budget and 90 vans.
In addition to being elected TPTA Vice President, Bradberry was inducted into the TPTA Hall of Fame for his
lifelong commitment to public transportation.
Cindy McGinnis (Knoxville) was elected Secretary. McGinnis is the General Manager of the Knoxville Area
Transit (KAT) system and has served as the GM for the past five years. During last year's annual TPTA
conference, she was awarded the association's 2010 Manager of the Year award for recent accomplishments
at KAT including its new John J. Duncan Jr. Transit Center, which opened in August 2010. After graduating
from the University of Georgia, she moved to Savannah, GA where over the next 20 years her career included
leadership positions at Chatham Area Transit, Georgia Transit Association, and Manager of the Piedmont
Wagon Transit System in Hickory, NC.
Jimmy Smith (Clarksville) was elected Treasurer. Smith is the Clarksville Transit System's Transportation
Director and has served in that role for 24 years. He also is responsible for the city's Fleet Maintenance and
has managed this division for eight years. The Clarksville Transit System operates nine bus routes and a
paratransit service for people with disabilities with its 34 buses and vans. Smith has been an active member of
TPTA for several years and has served in a number of leadership positions for the association including that of
president from 2005 – 2007 and vice president prior to that. He is a charter member of the association and one
of the original founding directors of TPTA when it merged with the TAST (Tennessee Association of Special
Transportation) several years ago.
William Hudson, Jr. (Memphis) is immediate past president of TPTA. Hudson is the President/General
Manager of the state's largest public transportation system, Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA). He
has 47 years in public transit and has worked in nearly every aspect of MATA including bus operator. Since
Hudson assumed leadership of MATA in 1993, major projects such as Central Station, Riverfront Loop,
the North End Terminal, American Way Transit Center, daily service to West Memphis, Arkansas and the
Madison Avenue Rail line have been completed. In 2009, Hudson was inducted into the Tennessee Public
Transportation Hall of Fame by TPTA.
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