RTA executive director retires as Illinois transit shake-up takes root

By Talia Soglin | Chicago Tribune (TNS)

A day after the governance shake-up mandated by Illinois’ transit reform legislation took effect, the executive director of the now-defunct Regional Transportation Authority announced her retirement.

Leanne Redden

Leanne Redden, who has helmed the agency since 2014, announced she was stepping down in a news release Wednesday.

Redden’s contract is set to expire at the end of November and her last day hasn’t yet been determined, an agency spokesperson said.

In a statement, Redden touted wins notched for public transit during her tenure, including the more than $1 billion in annual funding secured under the transit legislation. “I leave this agency in the strongest position it has ever been in, and I have complete confidence in NITA’s success,” she said. Redden said she would continue to serve in her leadership role at the American Public Transportation Association, which she chairs.

Redden’s retirement paves the way for the selection of a new executive to lead the nascent Northern Illinois Transit Authority, which officially came into being Tuesday. NITA is intended to be more powerful than the RTA ever was, with broader authority over the goings-on at the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace.

The transit legislation says the NITA executive will be appointed by the chair of the NITA board with the agreement of 11 other members of the 20-member board. The executive will also need to be confirmed by the Illinois State Senate.

The NITA board is expected to select a chair during its first meeting next week.

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