The Transit Authority of River City Leadership
The Board of Directors are responsible for managing, controlling and conducting the business, activities and affairs of the Transit Authority. The TARC Board is responsible for over-all planning of mass transit in its transit area.
Statutory Authority – KRS 96A.010 – .230 The eight (8) member Board is appointed by The Louisville Metro Mayor with approval of Metro Council.
Upcoming Meetings
Click here to view Current Scheduled Meetings for Calendar Year 2021
Board of Directors
Sub-Committee: Finance
Chair John Launius
John Launius, Executive Director of Development – Ivy Tech Foundation
As Executive Director of Development, John works to secure and invest funds to ensure continued student success and regional impact at Ivy Tech Community College (ITCC). John joined ITCC in early 2021 after 4 years at Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI) as Director of Regional Economic Development where he worked directly with local economic development officials in our 15-county bi-state market to attract private investment through via the Greater Louisville Regional Economic Development Partnership. Prior to GLI, John spent 8 years at Volunteers of America Mid-States, a multi-state behavioral health agency. John served as the Director of Program Development where he maintained and expanded public funding relationships and led the agencies local, state and federal government relations.
John has been named Business First’s 20 People to Know in Economic Development and is a Leadership Louisville Center 2015 and 2018 Bingham Fellow. He has previously served on the boards of the Fuller Center for Housing and Mama to Mama. John is co-founder of the Veterans Community Alliance of Louisville, Sherby – Derby Eve Neighborhood Festival, and Kentucky’s Largest Disco Ball. John and his wife, Carly, live in the Clifton Neighborhood along with their two children, Lucy and Gray. John attended Southeast Missouri State University for undergraduate studies and graduate school at the University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business.
Vice Chair Carla Dearing
Vice Chair Carla Dearing
Sub-Committee: Strategic Planning
Tawanda Owsley
Tawanda Owsley
Bonita Black
Bonita Black
Sub-Committee: Customer Service, Human Resources
Charles “Chuck” Rogers
Charles “Chuck” Rogers
Sub-Committee: Customer Service, Human Resources
Sub-Committee: Strategic Planning
Vice Chair Carla Dearing
Carla Dearing was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) in early 2020.
Carla is a partner at Velo Group, which provides consulting services on strategy, growth and capital raising. Carla started her career at Morgan Stanley & Co. and went on to become a three-time founder. Most recently, she was founding CEO of Sum180, a financial lifestyle app, which was acquired in April, 2019 by FlexWage Solutions, where Carla serves as Head of Product. Carla graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan and she holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago – Booth School of Business.
Tawanda Owsley
Tawanda Owsley is a non-profit fundraising executive with more than 20 years of experience and proven results. She currently serves as the Senior Vice President/Chief Development Officer for Hosparus Health, which is the second largest non-profit in Louisville, Kentucky. Under her leadership, the organization’s $24 million People of Compassion comprehensive campaign is scheduled to reach its fundraising goal nearly a year ahead of schedule.
Prior to joining Hosparus Health, Tawanda served as the Executive Director at the American Red Cross Bluegrass Chapter in Lexington, KY, Market Director of Philanthropy at KentuckyOne Health, and Director of Major Gifts at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. These positions, combined with her experiences at the University of Kentucky, Norton Healthcare/Kosair Children’s Hospital, and Metro United Way, provide Tawanda with a wide range of nonprofit leadership and philanthropic expertise.
Tawanda earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Louisville and a Master’s in Business Communication from Spalding University. In addition to fundraising, Tawanda excels at strategic planning, public speaking, leadership development, board development and problem solving. Past Board Involvement includes Transit Authority of River City (TARC), Greater Louisville Inc, Leadership Louisville Center, Louisville Urban League, Lexington Children’s Theatre, Commerce Lexington, Lexington Transit Authority. Tawanda was also recognized as a Distinguished Leader in Leadership Lexington and was recognized as a Top 40 under 40 by Business First of Louisville.
These skills earned Tawanda a place in the Leadership Louisville Bingham Fellows Class of 2021.
Sub-Committee: Customer Service, Human Resources
Charles “Chuck” Rogers
Chuck Rogers was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) in August 2012, where he serves on the Customer Relations Committee. Chuck is a disabled veteran, having served in the United States Air Force, who has been a disability advocate in the Louisville Metro area for more than 30 years.
Chuck graduated from the University of Louisville, School of Arts and Sciences, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology in 1990, and the University of Louisville Justice B. Brandeis School of Law with a Juris Doctor degree in 1995. He is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Chuck has been employed as a Staff Attorney at the Kentucky Court of Justice since April 1996, and presently works for Judge Susan Schultz Gibson in Jefferson Circuit Court.
Chuck serves on the Louisville Metro ADA Task Force. He is the former president and vice-president of the Metro Disability Coalition (“MDC”), and currently serves as a board member of the MDC. Chuck also serves on the Board of Directors of the Center for Accessible Living, where he serves as the chair of the Advocacy Committee.
Chuck has also served on the City of Louisville ADA Advisory Board, the Jefferson County ADA/Section 504 Advisory Board, the Kentucky Derby Festival Disability Focus Group and the KATS Network Board of Directors, where he served as chair for two years. He has been involved with the grassroots advocacy effort of the Louisville Metro Sweep for Access, which advocated for businesses to be accessible in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).
Chuck is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Louisville Bar
Association, the Kentucky-Indiana Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Kentuckiana Chapter of the Spinal Cord Injury Association.
Chuck has received the following awards and recognition: Strathmore Who’s Who, 2013; Madison Who’s Who, 2013; the Metro Disability Coalition, Breaking Barriers Nancy Durham Disability Advocacy Award, 2006; the Louisville Metro Mayor’s Citation, April 2003; the Kentucky Disabilities Coalition, Arthur Campbell, Jr., Award, 2000; the Kentucky Regional DBTAC Achieving Distinguished Attitudes Award, 1999; the Jefferson County Fiscal Court Honored Volunteer, 1998; and the University of Louisville Disabled Alumnus of the Year, 1997.
John Clay Stites
John Clay Stites
Sub-Committee: Strategic Planning
Sub-Committee: Strategic Planning
Ted Smith
Ted Smith was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) in April 2019. Ted is an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology and deputy director of the Environment Institute at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. His research program is focused on the personal, social and natural environmental factors that may modify cardio-metabolic disease risk. A second area of focus is the development of new models and frameworks for translating scientific knowledge to the lay public, healthcare industry, and policy makers. Previously Ted served as CEO of Revon Systems which developed digital therapeutics for autonomous triage of pulmonary exacerbations. Ted also served as Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Louisville Kentucky where he created the largest real time asthma surveillance research program AIRLouisville.
Ted received his B.S. in Biology and Psychology from Allegheny College, his M.S. and PhD in Experimental Psychology from Miami University and completed his post-doctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Man Vehicle Laboratory. Ted was co-investigator on Neurolab space shuttle mission.
Sub-Committee: Strategic Planning
John Clay Stites
JC Stites is Founder and CEO of Autodemo LLC, a video marketing company that shows how technology works. Over the past 20 years, Autodemo’s clients have included Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce, Ebay and Google. Mr. Stites’ love for Louisville has lead to civic work related to transportation and parks. In 2005 he co-founded 8664.org, a grassroots organization to promote a cheaper alternative to the $2.6 Billion Ohio River Bridges Project. The unsuccessful effort would have torn down the city’s elevated waterfront expressway. Mr. Stites has served on the board of Olmsted Parks Conservancy and Transit Authority of River City. He is a proud supporter of his wife’s efforts to create a culture of health, by founding the Smoketown Family Wellness Center in one of Louisville’s most historic and underserved neighborhoods. Mr. Stites is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Portland State University (MBA).
Jan Day
Sub-Committee: Finance
Gary Dryden
Gary Dryden
TARC Management
Executive Team
Executive Director
Carrie Butler
Carrie Butler is the new Executive Director for TARC, the Transit Authority of River City, in Louisville, Kentucky. Her role includes overseeing the agency’s $80 million operating budget and over 600 employees providing nearly 14,000 trips per day over 20 routes throughout the KIPDA region. Since 2014, Ms. Butler served as General Manager of Lextran in Lexington, Kentucky. She is President of the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition, and has previously served on the Planning Commission and Lexington’s Senior Services Commission.
She has a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Bellarmine University. She developed her passion for public transportation during her Fellowship from the Florida Department of Transportation where she worked for Miami-Dade Transit and Star Metro in Tallahassee. Previously at TARC in 2010, she managed the Department of Planning and Scheduling. While at TranSystems, her project focus was on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) planning along with a range of transit and urban design plans for transit agencies, local, state and federal projects.
She is a highly motivated, energetic transit executive with 20 years’ experience in the field of transportation and urban planning. Her broad base in the industry ranges from executive leadership and management, service and long-term regional planning, and a current focus on sustainable business practices and high return on investment innovations.
Assistant Executive Director
Randy Frantz
Randy is a Louisville, KY native and a graduate of Northwood University. After a nationwide search, he was selected to be TARC’s new Assistant Executive Director and joined the team in July of 2019.
As Assistant Executive Director he serves as second in command to the Executive Director. He assists in the planning, organizing, and administration of all TARC activities and functions. He provides support and builds relationships with stakeholders and the public, oversees operations, assists with the development of both short and long-range plans, and assists in the development and enforcement of rules, regulations, and policies.
Frantz attended the Leadership Development Course, GE Global Learning, and is a graduate of the Leadership Louisville class of 2019. He is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Family Scholar House.
Phone:(502) 561-5101
General Counsel
Pat Mulvihill
Pat is a life-long resident of Louisville, Kentucky. Pat has a B.S. in accounting from the University of Kentucky and a Juris Doctor from the University of Louisville. He became part of the TARC team on September 15, 2020. He joins TARC following in the footsteps of his late mother, Mary Margaret Mulvihill, who was instrumental in helping to create TARC and proudly served as a Board Member for several years.
As General Counsel, Pat’s role is to assist, work on and seek to resolve legal matters that pertain to TARC. He also serves as the Open Records Request Custodian and Coordinator on behalf of the agency.
Pat currently serves as Louisville Metro Councilman for District 10 and in conjunction with that office serves on the Louisville Zoo Foundation Board and Louisville Police Retirement Fund Board.
Senior Leadership Team
Geoffrey Hobin
Geoffrey Hobin
Director of Grants & Capital Programs
Dwight Maddox Jr.
Dwight Maddox Jr.
Director of Information Technology
Jennifer Recktenwald
Jennifer Recktenwald
Director of Marketing & Communications
Director of Mobility Services
Jennifer Miles
Phone:(502) 561-5113
Director of Diversity & Inclusion
Dr. Tim Findley
As Director of Diversity and Inclusion he is TARC’s Compliance Officer, responsible for Civil Rights Program Management, the Development of training in Cultural Diversity, Inclusion Behavior, Biases and Intercultural Communication, Inclusion and Equity Strategies and Organizational Development.
Tim has served on the boards of Boys and Girls Haven, Louisville Central Community Center, Americana Community Center, Volunteers of America, the Lincoln Foundation, and Kentucky Industries for the Blind. Tim has been an adjunct instructor at Cornell University, Webster University, Spalding University, Sullivan University, the University of Phoenix, and Jefferson Community College.
Phone:(502) 561-5106
Chief Financial Officer
Tonya Carter
Tonya is a Louisville, KY native, who joined the TARC team in 2002. She is a graduate of the University of Louisville with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
As Chief Financial Officer she is responsible for the overall financial management of the Transit Authority, which includes accounting, budgeting, payroll, grants, administration and coordination of auditing by independent contractors.
Carter has more than twenty-five years of combined education and experience performing progressively challenging responsibilities in finance, budgeting and accounting in various industries. She currently serves on the Metro Investment Council.
Phone:(502) 561-5139
Director of Grants & Capital Programs
Geoffrey Hobin
Geoff joined the TARC team in 2004. He is a graduate of the University of Louisville with a Master of Public Administration degree.
As Director of Grants & Capital Programs he is responsible for administering TARC’s Federal and State grants, and for managing TARC’s Capital Programs.
Hobin has served on the boards of the Center for Neighborhoods, the Louisville Group of the Sierra Club, and the Louisville Metro Community Action Agency. Currently he serves as President of the Board of the Louisville Climate Action Network (LCAN).
Phone:(502) 561-5111
Director of Human Resources
JP Hamm
John “JP” Hamm joined the TARC team as Director of Human Resources in 2021. In his role as Director, his primary focus is to provide leadership and coordination of the Human Resources Department ensuring legal compliance and implementation of the organization’s mission and talent strategy. John brings over 20 years of experience in HR and labor relations, including employment law. He is excited about the work and opportunity to help people succeed. He is a native of Chicago, attended college in Virginia, and law school in Louisville, KY. He is both IPMA-HR SCP and SHRM-SCP certified.
Prior to his current position at TARC, Hamm served as the Chief Labor Negotiator for Louisville Metro Government, Director of Human Resources for Louisville Metro Government, and Executive Director for the Office of Human Resource Management for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
JP lives in Louisville with his wife, and has two children, Cathryn and Mike.
Phone:(502) 561-5140
Director of Information Technology
Dwight Maddox Jr.
Dwight joined the TARC team in 1998 and has called Louisville home since he was 8 years old. He is a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Business.
As Director of Information Technology he is dedicated to leveraging technology in the improvement of Public Transit and committed to pioneering solutions that will help define TARC as a leader in the transit Industry.
Maddox is honored to be a member of the Board of Kosair Charities in Louisville and spends much of his spare time engaged in their mission of helping children in need. Dwight is active in many local civic and fraternal organizations. He and his wife Rebecca are both members of the Drepung Gomang Center for Engaging Compassion in Louisville.
Phone:(502) 561-5130
Director of Maintenance
William Harris
William Harris joined the TARC team in 2006. He has a degree from Great Plains Vocational School in Automotive and Diesel Technology.
As Director of Maintenance he is responsible for managing the maintenance of all the buses, buildings, and support equipment.
Harris has served on a joint committee with the Department of Labor, American Public Transportation Association and The Learning Center. William also serves on The American Public Transportation Association Bus Roadeo Committee.
Phone:(502) 561-5175
Director of Planning
Aida Copic
Aida joined the TARC team in 2010. She is a graduate from the University of Sarajevo with a degree in Civil Engineering.
As Director of Planning she manages TARC’s current and long-range planning efforts, oversees service planning and scheduling, and on-street infrastructure improvements.
Copic is a member of several professional organizations, AICP, APTA, APA and APA KY Chapter, ULI and TCRP. She is involved in a number of community-wide regional and local transportation projects and development initiatives and has experience in Transportation and Land Use Planning, Project Management, Strategic Planning, Civil Engineering, Funding and Grants applications, Pedestrian Planning, and Urban Design.
Phone:(502) 213-3490
Director of Purchasing
Maria Harris
As Director of Purchasing she is responsible for overseeing all phases of the procurement of supplies, equipment, rolling stock, materials, services, professional services, construction, other public works projects and asset disposition. She is responsible for implementing all aspects of the Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE) program and the direction of contracts management for TARC. Maria is the Agency’s DBE Liaison Officer.
Harris brings global expertise in procurement, supply management and distribution to her role at TARC, having served as Director of Procurement and Supply Management in the private sector. She is a certified lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
Phone:(502) 561-5199
Director of Transportation
Michelle Bartoszek
Michelle joined the TARC team in 2019.
As Director of Transportation she is responsible for the oversight of and has ultimate responsibility for the mobility operations of TARC including all fixed route service delivery models, ensuring TARC services meet the highest standards possible in customer service, efficiency, and effectiveness.
Bartoszek has over 15 years of experience in logistics management. As a transit system Transportation Manager for Southern Indiana, U.S Army Transportation Manager, and then Senior Transportation Manager, she has a wealth of experience and training with various service delivery models. She has three wartime deployments where she received numerous awards for her transportation expertise. Michelle has a passion for helping people in her community by volunteering her time at the YMCA as a wellness coach.
Phone:(502) 561-5163
Director of Safety & Security
Lorri Lee
Lorri joined the TARC team in 2019. She is a graduate of Stockton State College with a Bachelor’s degree.
As Director of Safety & Security she ensures TARC customers receive the safest service possible, she is responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining Authority wide safety and security programs.
Phone:(502) 561-5144
Director of Marketing & Communications
Jennifer Recktenwald
Jenny Recktenwald is a veteran communications and marketing professional with experience in human services, healthcare and HR technology, economic development, and higher education. She joins TARC after serving as the Communications Manager for Appriss Insights, where she promoted the importance of using government data for public good and the benefits of fair chance hiring. Prior to that role, she helped to launch and later served as Interim Director of OneWest, a community development corporation focused on economic growth and empowerment in west Louisville.
Jenny has extensive community service and nonprofit leadership experience, including her work with Volunteers of America Mid-States, the Republic Bank YMCA, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, The Mary Byron Project, and You Decide, Kentucky!, among other organizations. Jenny earned graduate and undergraduate degrees from the University of Louisville and is a member of Leadership Louisville’s Bingham Fellows 2014 and 2020 classes.
Phone:(502) 561-5115
