Local Light Rail Focus of Speech

Local Light Rail Focus of Speech

METRO leader Shirley DeLibero will speak at Rice on a topic that could have a significant local impact.

DeLibero, president and chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, will deliver the talk "Light Rail and its Potential Impact on Houston" at 4 p.m. Feb. 28 in Room 124 of Herring Hall. The presentation is part of the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management Dean’s Lecture Series.

DeLibero, who joined METRO in January 1999, has spent more than 25 years in the transit industry. She spent eight years as executive director of New Jersey Transit before coming to Houston. She was the first black woman to serve as chair of the American Public Transportation Association.

Upon her arrival at METRO, DeLibero reorganized the agency to run it like a business, making safety and customer service priorities. Her efforts paid off with record ridership and safety levels in 1999. She spearheaded the push for light rail, resulting in the METRO board’s unanimous vote to approve the region’s first light rail line. In February, she received the Trans Texas Alliance’s Most Effective Advocate Award in honor of this accomplishment.