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p class=”p1″>Bridgette Brady, senior director of Cornell’s transportation and delivery services, assumed the role of the chair of the Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit board of directors on Jan. 23, after serving on the TCAT board for five years.
She replaced Duscon Nguyen (D-2nd Ward), an Ithaca alderperson who promised expanded service and technology changes during his year-long term. Before Cornell, Brady served as the transportation services director at Washington State University.
As TCAT chair, Brady is responsible for managing the company’s resources and initiatives while collaborating with board members to maintain “a high level of transit service” for Tompkins County, she said. Overseeing TCAT is no small feat: In 2019, the transportation service provided 4.2 million rides to thousands of customers.
“Every decision I support will require [that] I ask, ‘Are we compromising the infinite need with a finite solution?’” Brady wrote in an email to The Sun.
She added that she plans to prioritize ongoing efforts — such as the on-demand transportation service that is slated to launch in the spring — instead of proposing new initiatives.
“Spreading ourselves too thin compromises the ability to balance providing a high level of service and achieving strategic level goals,” Brady said.
The chair rotates every year to allow members from the board’s constituency — Cornell, Tompkins County and Ithaca — to be equally represented. As part of the position, Brady is responsible for overseeing TCAT’s board members.
“I’m motivated by being part of something meaningful to so many people,” Brady wrote. “I’m very fortunate to have a role in providing regional transportation.”