Capital Metro Board Chairman Lee Walker Announces Retirement
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Lee Walker Announces Retirement from Capital Metro Board of Directors
March 31, 2008|
Austin, Texas - Today Capital Metro Board Chairman Lee Walker announced his retirement effective May 31. Walker was appointed to the board by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) in 1997. Chairman Walker submitted the following letter to Sen. Kirk Watson, CAMPO Board Chairman: | |
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Dear Senator Watson: Thank you for the opportunity and privilege to serve as chairman of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors for more than 10 years. When I became chair in 1997, the authority was in great turmoil, facing indictments, and on the edge of imploding. Many in the community openly questioned Capital Metro's value to Central Texas and its trustworthiness as a public service organization. The debate frequently fell back to whether Central Texas would provide public transit, and whether the agency should exist at all. Since then, my colleagues and I have worked to create an agency that provides a critical service to our community and to do so in an accountable and transparent manner. I believe we have shifted the debate that is no longer whether to offer transit, but how: what mix of modes to use, what role to play in the system, where to serve more people. Furthermore I see a growing understanding that transit is about land use and how we shape a different future from business as usual. I'm grateful to the many citizen leaders including the Alliance for Public Transportation, Envision Central Texas, the Downtown Austin Alliance, the Access Advisory Committee, the Customer Service Advisory Committee and other neighborhood groups for their vigorous participation in these important and complex discussions. In addition to improving Cap Metro services, we have set an ethical standard for our business operations that permeates every corner of the agency, from our procurements to our budgets. I hope my service has helped bring stability to the organization and integrity to its processes. I want to thank my fellow board members, especially those who served with me from the beginning: Commissioner Margaret Gomez and Mayor Pro Tem John Trevino for all we have accomplished. I also want to thank our current board members, Council Member Jamie Allen, Mayor John Cowman, Council Member Mike Martinez, and Council Member Brewster McCracken. I also want to thank President/CEO Fred Gilliam for his outstanding leadership. I believe the talent level of the staff is as strong as it has even been. And I appreciate all of their efforts. Over the past decade, I have seen a major shift in the region's approach to mobility. I couldn¿t be more pleased to see our different agencies and leaders coming together to identify and build a comprehensive mobility system. The burgeoning partnerships range from the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the agency you chair; to Mayor Will Wynn, whose vision for a downtown rail circulator system led you to create the CAMPO Transit Working Group, to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Take on Traffic group, and the Real Estate Council of Austin, which has developed a mass transit circulator proposal. As this energy and enthusiasm demonstrates, transportation in Central Texas is no longer a zero-sum, roads-only discussion. We are now coming together to explore the ways that roads, rail, and buses should work together. I am honored to have played a part in that vital evolution. As you know, the only constant in this community is change; I believe Capital Metro is doing well in response to this new landscape. With that said, I believe these changes create an opportune moment for a new direction. While there is never a right time to leave, I nevertheless feel my time has come. I would like nothing more than to stay on until the day I take my first train ride. But that would not be fair to the agency. I believe that whoever chairs Capital Metro's Board of Directors will need as much time as possible to grasp the complex issues facing the agency, and to prepare for the next legislative session. The new Chair also will need to work with the CAMPO Peer Review Committee ¿ which you appointed to study the agency and its peers across the country ¿ and to act swiftly and decisively on the recommendations that come out of that process. And likely new air quality rules, which would accompany Central Texas' expected non-compliance with the federal Clean Air Act, will require new strategies by Capital Metro and the rest of Central Texas. My leaving now will allow this time. All of these are exciting challenges. But I think it is time for someone else to take them on. Senator, please accept this as my official letter of resignation as chair of the Capital Metro Board of Directors effective May 31, 2008. Again, I gratefully thank you for the opportunity and privilege to serve my community. Sincerely, E. Lee Walker | |
QUOTES
- "I encouraged Lee Walker to take on this vital public service role at a time of enormous challenges. It was so long ago, and it was a time so much more contentious and painful than now, that it's easy to forget what a huge task he faced. Capital Metro is better off because of his leadership, and Central Texas is better positioned to let public transit play its essential part in our region's comprehensive transportation plan."
-- Sen. Kirk Watson, CAMPO Board Chairman
- "Twelve years ago I was Chair of the Transportation Committee of the Downtown Austin Alliance, a regular bus commuter and a frequent critic of Capital Metro. Now we find ourselves in a very different and much better place -- and the vast bulk of the credit goes to Lee Walker for his exceptional vision and tireless volunteer service. Under his leadership, we've seen a watershed shift not only at Capital Metro -- but also recognition in the community that transit can transform a region."
-- Mayor Will Wynn, City of Austin
- "Lee Walker is a true visionary who cares deeply about the citizens of Central Texas and the future of transportation in our region. His many accomplishments will have a tremendous effect on our community for years to come. With his keen insight, guidance and leadership, Chairman Walker will leave Capital Metro well-positioned for the future."
-- Fred Gilliam, Capital Metro President/CEO
- "Chairman Walker has made an incredible and very personal investment in Central Texas, leading Capital Metro with intelligence, energy and integrity. I don't know of anyone else who could have brought the success to the agency that he did. He brought credibility, transparency and accountability to a troubled agency in the late '90s and helped the community navigate the often choppy waters of rail debates. MetroRail is a crowning achievement, among many, for which Central Texans are indebted to him and his family. He sacrificed a great deal for the good of the community."
-- Brandon Janes, Take on Traffic Chairman
- "Lee Walker has made significant contributions to expand transportation options for Central Texas commuters. His leadership at Capital Metro has had a profound impact on how our citizens get around."
-- Bob Daigh, TxDOT Austin District Engineer
Lee Walker was appointed to the Capital Metro Board in September 1997 and currently serves as the Board's chairperson.
Walker came to Capital Metro with a reputation for community service and keen financial insight. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1964 and from the Harvard Business School in 1967. Walker served as president of a startup company called PC Limited, which eventually transformed into the Dell Computer Corporation, one of the most successful computer companies in the world.
In addition to his responsibilities at Capital Metro, Walker is a professor in the Graduate School of Business Management Department at The University of Texas at Austin. The success of his "Elements of Entrepreneurship" course has earned him Best Teaching Award three times. Walker also teaches a course entitled "Community and Place" in the Plan II Honors Program where he discusses a myriad of issues around the topics of effective collaboration, empowerment, and advocacy.
The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce honored Walker as the 1998 "Austinite of the Year" in recognition of his community leadership, and he is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Nature Conservancy. His activities include board chairmanships in several community-based and business organizations, including Westcave Preserve and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Walker and his wife, Jennifer Vickers, founded the Community Investment Corporation, or "CIC," in the interest of merging the principles of business and community within the Austin municipal area.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING LEE WALKER'S CHAIRMANSHIP
- Returned stability to Capital Metro after the 1997 FBI investigations
- Brought integrity to the agency's procurement process
- Upgraded the talent level of staff
- Greatly increased transparency of the budgeting process
- Began a commuter rail initiative for the region
- Helped launch Envision Central Texas to offer a more comprehensive way to examine transportation and planning.
- Improved agency's core business - buses run on time; highest ridership per capita in Texas
- Guided the agency through the tech downturn in 2000 and declining sales tax revenue without reducing service
- Helped lead the agency in supporting environmentally-focused initiatives: ultra-low sulfur diesel buses, bike racks, hybrid buses, vanpool/carpool programs, making it the largest environmentally-friendly fleet in the region
- Made major quality improvements to fleet
- Launched independent audit function that reports directly to the board
- Engaged strategic land acquisition practices
- Championed Transit Oriented Development throughout Central Texas
- Improved freight-rail cost recovery
- Always came in on budget
ABOUT CAPITAL METRO Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority provides bus service on flexible, convenient schedules at more than 3,000 bus stops throughout Central Texas, providing riders with an average of 140,000 one-way trips each day. Capital Metro's fixed route bus service includes 54 metro and flyer routes, 24 special routes, five downtown circulator 'Dillo routes, seven express routes and 20 UT shuttle routes. Capital Metro also offers 56 AISD school routes, van and carpooling coordination, shuttles to special events, special transit services for the disabled, and freight rail. Capital MetroRail passenger service from Leander to Downtown Austin will begin in fall 2008. For more information, including an online trip planner and a commute cost calculator, visit www.capmetro.org or call (512) 474-1200.
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
2910 East 5th Street | Austin, Texas 78702 | (512) 389-7400
Specific Route Information | (512) 474-1200