J. Barry Barker, 2012 Sharon D. Banks Award Recipient

J. Barry Barker, Executive Director of the Transit Authority of River City (TARC), Louisville, KY is the recipient of the Transportation Research Board’s 2012 Sharon D. Banks Award for Humanitarian Leadership in Transportation.

He is honored for his career-long commitment and contributions to “improving transportation access—and the quality of life—for the poor, elderly, and people with disabilities” and for a management approach that looks “beyond specific transportation modes to a customer focus where travel and access needs of customers are paramount and transportation options are designed accordingly.”

Barker’s core belief that “the quality of life in our communities is only as good as it is for the least advantaged members of our communities” underlies his strong leadership and accomplishments as a people-oriented transit manager.

His accomplishments at TARC have been recognized by the Louisville Urban League, the Kentucky Council for the Blind, and numerous other organizations. Barker has been honored by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, Easter Seals, and the NAACP for his work to ensure diversity in the workplace and accessible transportation. He serves on the Easter Seals Project Action Advisory Committee and the National Center for Senior Transportation.

Barker has more than 30 years of public transportation experience and has been Executive Director of TARC since 1994. Before joining TARC, he was General Manager of METRO Regional Transit Authority in Akron, OH, and previously served as Assistant General Manager for Marketing and Management at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. Early in his career he worked as a planner in OH, MA, and Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor of science degree in engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a master’s degree in public administration from Cleveland State University.

Long active in TRB, Barker is a member of the TRB Executive Committee and its Subcommittee on Planning and Policy Review, chairs the Transit Research Analysis Committee, and has served as chair or member of many other committees and Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) panels. He is a past chair of the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection Committee and currently chairs the Board of the National Transit Institute.

Barker was named Outstanding Public Transportation Manager by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) in 2007 and is immediate past Vice Chair of Governmental Affairs for APTA.

The award was presented on January 25, 2012 at the TRB 91st Annual Meeting, honors the memory of Sharon D. Banks, who was General Manager of AC Transit, Oakland, CA, from 1991 to 1999. Banks chaired the TRB Executive Committee in 1998. She died in 1999. The award recognizes individuals whose accomplishments exemplify her ideals of humanity and service by making a significant difference in the lives of those who use, deliver, or support transportation services.