Monica Backmon, CEO of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, has a unique job in the transit world. Her agency plans and funds transportation projects as small as traffic calming and as big as Bus Rapid Transit. And she does it across cities, towns, and counties in Northern Virginia. While often compared to a Municipal Planning Organization, NVTA has no close comparators in the United States. Her responsibility is broad and so is her mandate to help move people across her region. From supporting a town of 123 people to cities of millions with planning and funding, Monica juggles the needs of a diverse set of people in one of the fastest growing regions of the U.S.

Her extraordinary vision gives helps with diverse needs and incomes. Those for whom transit is a necessity and those who could use something else. Her goal is to improve transit and the region for a brighter, greener future through better, smarter technology.

If you have a comment, question, or would like to be a guest on Transit Unplugged, email [email protected].