Robert Powers

The BART Board of Directors unanimously appointed Robert “Bob” Powers as BART’s tenth General Manager on July 25, 2019.

Powers, a professional engineer has more than 20 years of experience in the public transportation industry overseeing major infrastructure projects and transportation programs. Powers began his career at BART in 2012 as the Assistant General Manager of Planning, Development and Construction he was responsible for multi-million-dollar capital projects such as expanding BART service into Antioch and South Fremont, all planning efforts to modernize stations, and the effort to develop land near our stations to help solve the Bay Area’s housing crisis and bring jobs closer to where people live.

In 2017 Powers became the Deputy General Manager providing support to the General Manager in the management of all District departments and worked closely with the Board of Directors, Board Appointed Officers and BART’s executive staff. He was responsible for overseeing the immediate implementation of Measure RR, the $3.5 billion infrastructure bond approved by voters, prioritizing the roll out of projects.

Prior to joining BART, Powers served as the Director, Major Projects and Deputy Director at the City of Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), where he oversaw SDOT’s Major Projects, Traffic Management, Policy and Planning, and Capital Projects and Roadway Structures divisions. He also previously served as the Division Chief of Transportation in the Engineering and Construction Division for the City of Baltimore Department of Transportation.

Powers is on the Board of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

He is a licensed Professional Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and Master of Science degree in Structural Engineering, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.