C-Tran board agrees to 3-year contract with executive director

Shawn M. Donaghy is set to become C-Tran’s new executive director/CEO on June 26.

The C-Tran Board of Directors approved a three-year contract with the 38-year-old Donaghy on Friday morning. Donaghy’s base salary is set at $176,250.

The vote was unanimous. Vancouver City Councilman Bart Hansen was absent.

“Everybody’s excited about the choice,” said Christine Selk C-Tran spokeswoman.

Donaghy is a third-generation transportation executive. He was most recently employed as chief operating officer of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority in Fort Worth, Texas. His previous position included oversight of fixed-route and paratransit operations, maintenance, information technology, safety and risk management, transit police, service scheduling and vanpool/contract management.

Prior to working in Fort Worth, Donaghy served as chief operations officer for the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority in Cincinnati.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Northern Kentucky University. Last year he was named one of Mass Transit magazine’s Top 40-Under-40.

Donaghy will inherit a transit agency that is operating debt-free but looking for ways to boost its declining ridership and recruit and retain more drivers.

C-Tran is also looking ahead to future projects including a bus-on-shoulder pilot program, transit-oriented development at Fisher’s Landing Transit Center and the consideration of another bus rapid transit route.

Donaghy will lead the agency as it works through challenges including paratransit costs, congestion and reliability issues.

Donaghy will replace outgoing CEO Jeff Hamm, who is retiring on June 30.

Hamm led C-Tran for more than 10 years, making him one of the agency’s longest-serving executive directors.