India Birdsong Terry (LC2 2023, LC 2022)
General Manager & CEO, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
India L. Birdsong Terry joined the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager on September 16, 2019. She brings nearly 15 years’ experience working in positions of increasing responsibility in the public transit industry, most recently in Nashville, where she served as Chief Operating Officer, and in Chicago.
At RTA, Birdsong Terry oversees more than 2,300 employees at one of the largest transit system in Ohio, which provides more than 35 million annual rides to customers using the bus, rail, paratransit, trolley and bus rapid transit system across the county’s 457 square miles. Responsible for managing the Authority’s $292 million operating budget, Birdsong Terry is committed to transparent leadership, management accountability and sound financial oversight.
Birdsong Terry is providing strategic leadership to advance RTA’s initiatives at a critical time for the organization. Paramount issues include replacing its aging rail fleet and securing additional and sustainable funding. Birdsong is leading the organization toward innovative solutions to significantly increase RTA’s customer base, improve service frequency and coverage, and expand RTA’s role in contributing to the economic development of the region.
Birdsong Terry is an active member in several industry and community organizations, including the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Transit Cooperative Research Program. She is an active board member for the United Way of Greater Cleveland, the Downtown Cleveland Improvement Corporation (DCIC), the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), the American Public Transportation Foundation (APTF) and the Transportation Learning Center.
Proficient in Spanish, Birdsong Terry earned her Masters in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her Bachelor of Arts from Temple University in Philadelphia.