Antelope Valley Transit Authority selects private industry veteran as new leader

Macy Neshati, left, with outgoing AVTA Executive Director Len Engel. Photo: BYD Facebook Page

The Antelope Valley Transit Authority in Lancaster, Calif., has hired Macy Neshati, currently senior vice president for BYD Coach and Bus, as its new executive director and CEO. Neshati, whose tenure at AVTA will begin June 1, will be taking over for Len Engel, who is retiring after six years at AVTA.

Neshati's transit industry experience is mainly in bus sales, having spent the past 3 1/2 years at BYD, an electric-vehicle manufacturer based in China, and more than 17 years as a sales executive at Complete Coach Works, a bus remanufacturing company in Riverside, Calif.

“Macy Neshati is eminently qualified,” said Marvin Crist, chair of the AVTA board. “Nobody knows more about electric buses than Macy, and I’m excited for the opportunity to continue AVTA’s groundbreaking work to deliver extraordinary service to the residents of the Antelope Valley.”

Neshati has more than 35 years of experience in the transit industry. As head of BYD America’s Heavy Industries division, Neshati oversaw the rapid growth of the company, and directly managed a factory with more than 700 employees.

Neshati recently joined the Board of the California Clean Air Coalition, becoming the only representative from the electric vehicle industry on the board.

“I am honored to be taking the helm of such a forward-thinking agency that is charting a new future for sustainable transportation,” said Neshati. “I look forward to serving the great people of the Antelope Valley.”

AVTA provides local, commuter and dial-a-ride service to a population of more than 450,000 residents in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale as well as the unincorporated portions of northern Los Angeles County.

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