All Departments

Stephen G. Bland - Chief Executive Officer

Email: [email protected]

Lending leadership expertise from transit systems both large and small, Steve views his primary purpose as chief executive officer of WeGo Public Transit to be a steadfast steward of the greater Nashville community. He is honored to serve as an advocate for the system becoming an even more gratifying part of the lives of current riders and an appealing consideration for future travelers. Steve believes providing safe and efficient transit is an essential public service for growing cities and is committed to ensuring WeGo's service continues to rise at every level. He's happy to be at the helm of making positive changes for Nashville, to be living in a city where he and his wife can dine at amazing restaurants and where he can continue to work on his admittedly rather bad golf game.

Edward W. Oliphant - Chief Financial Officer

Email: [email protected]

Edward W. Oliphant brings more than 35 years of accounting and budgeting expertise to his chief financial officer role at WeGo Public Transit. He has lived in the area long enough to have watched our region grow into a highly desirable destination and is excited to use his post to further enhance transit opportunities for all. As a certified public accountant and citizen of our community, Ed gives credence to the power a fiscally healthy transit system has to offer enriching experiences for people from every socioeconomic group and corner of the city. As a self-professed food and entertainment aficionado, he loves that many of Nashville's hidden gems can be found just steps away from a bus stop.

Andy Burke - Chief Operating Officer

Email: [email protected]

Andy Burke first caught the highly contagious transit bug shortly after beginning his career as a Paratransit Operator at the University of Massachusetts. His love for the road led him to get his CDL and move to fixed route service before spending the next 15+ years in the transit industry. During his career, he’s held various positions across the United States in both private and public systems. Andy could have very well written WeGo Public Transit’s mission statement himself as someone who believes that well-performing transit systems are at the heart of successful and healthy communities. As an avid rider himself, Andy is always looking for ways to enhance transit and connect riders to their lives and communities. After long days of brainstorming, Andy likes to let his hair down with a nice walk outside, playing some games with friends, a jam session with buddies, or a round of disc golf.

Rita Roberts-Turner - Chief Administrative Officer

Email: [email protected]

Rita Roberts-Turner's enthusiasm for transit was solidified years ago when she took her son Downtown by bus for the first time and watched as he reveled in the new experience. She now calls upon his childhood wonder and her years of law and city government expertise to inform her post as the chief administrative officer of WeGo Public Transit in Nashville. Her keen insights as a native Nashvillian and long-time bus rider make her uniquely prepared to achieve her goal to make our communities "as awesome as possible" while handling continuity planning, procurement, human resources, legal affairs, information technology, security and training. Rita is a huge fan of Nashville's small-town-in-a-big-city vibe, cheering for her sons on the football field and Golden State Warriors basketball.

Trey Walker - Chief Development Officer

Email: [email protected]

As chief development officer for WeGo Public Transit, Trey Walker is responsible for managing efforts of our Engineering, Construction, and Facilities groups; Planning and Grants; and Service Development. Coming from the world of design and analysis, his demonstrated expertise will seamlessly link infrastructure, facilities, bus and rail service, and long-range plans to deliver on our strategic vision to develop transit improvements, transit centers, stop improvements and pedestrian safety upgrades. Trey enjoys Auburn football, Braves baseball, and grilling. When he’s not at the grill, he doesn’t mind letting local chefs do the work for him – especially when he gets to sample their work on one of WeGo Public Transit and Edible Nashville’s progressive dinners.

Gail Carr Williams - Chair

Gail Carr Williams has been a member of the Nashville MTA board since 2002 and is Associate Director of Community, Government and Neighborhood Relations in the Division of Public Affairs at Vanderbilt University. She is responsible for building community relationships on behalf of the university. Prior to her work with Vanderbilt, Williams had similar responsibilities at Ohio State University. She also has been a Human Resources Employee Relations Specialist with an emphasis on conflict resolution and mediation, and she practiced law in Oakland County, Michigan for 10 years. Williams also is a member of the following public service and community boards: University School of Nashville, The YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, and Frist Center for the Visual Arts. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1979 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1982.

Janet Miller - Vice Chair

Janet Miller, who was named to the Nashville MTA board in December 2014, is CEO and Market Leader of Colliers International. She previously spent 20 years with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce in various roles with her most recent position as Chief Economic Development Officer. Miller also is an active member of the Nashville community and is a supporter of the YWCA, Friends of Radnor Lake and the Tennessee Women's Forum. She is an a highly sought-after lecturer and has spoken on economic development around the country, including Georgia Tech, University of Oklahoma, University of Kentucky, and University of Tennessee. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. She also attended the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma and received her Certified Economic Developer accreditation in 1999.

Walter Searcy - Member

Walter Searcy, who was named to the Nashville MTA board in November 2015, is president and chief executive officer of the WALAR Group. He has spent the past 23 years with the consultant firm, where he remains today as a principal member. Searcy has served on the National Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute of Allergic and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). He also has served as a board member of the Nashville Chapter of the Red Cross, treasurer of Senior Citizens, Inc. and president of Second Harvest Food Bank. Searcy has been a Boy Scout master, served on the board of the Cumberland Valley Boy Scouts and is the recipient of the Whitney M. Young Award for the promotion of scouting in the inner city. He is a former director of the Nashville Bar Association, is a member of the State Legal Redress Committee of the Tennessee NAACP, and chairs the Criminal Justice Task Force of Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH). He received his undergraduate degree from Fisk University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and received a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Vanderbilt University Law School. He also attended the University of Illinois, Chicago and the University of Ghana, West Africa.

Mary Griffin - Member

Mary Griffin, who was named to the Nashville MTA board in October 2020, is a dedicated public servant, currently serving the State of Tennessee and formerly serving Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County. Her experience includes complex litigation, strategic process improvement, regulatory and fraud investigations and information governance. She has tried cases as both an assistant public defender and as a special prosecutor. Griffin is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She has received a Tennessee Supreme Court Attorney for Justice award and has chaired the Tennessee Bar Association Attorney Well-Being committee, the Law Office Technology and Management Committee and the Metropolitan Davidson County Transportation Licensing Commission. Griffin is a proud WeGo commuter and enjoys the friendships that she has made with other riders. She remains an advocate for underserved communities and individuals, with a special place in her heart for people who have disabilities and, particularly, people on the autism spectrum. Griffin is fluent in Spanish as the result of serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras during the Central American Crisis. She received her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts and Photography from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts in 1987, her Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee School of Law in 1994 and her LL.M. in Litigation Management from Baylor Law School in 2020.

Jessica Dauphin - Member

Jessica Dauphin, who was named to the Nashville MTA board in May 2021, is the President and CEO for the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee and has served on the Transit NOW Nashville Board for three years. Dauphin has spent her time working to support nonprofits and the individuals and communities they benefit. She is particularly passionate about public transit and believes it is the key to sustaining growth, building economic competitiveness, and preserving a high quality of life. Born in Nashville and raised in Pegram/Kingston Springs, she resides in Bellevue near the Riverwalk Greenway where you can find her out with her husband, son, and their poodle, Buster. If she’s not out walking, she’s running on her treadmill or lifting weights. For fun, Dauphin enjoys reading, singing, and sometimes drawing with charcoal. She received her undergraduate degree from Middle Tennessee State.