Bike to Blazers ride.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Heather McCarey has been hired to be the next executive director of the Westside Transportation Alliance (WTA). McCarey takes over for Karen Frost, who retired from the position last month.
Based in Beaverton, the WTA is a non-profit Transportation Management Association (TMA) founded in 1997 with a mission to reduce drive-alone trips and promote biking, walking and transit. The organization recently partnered with businesses in downtown Tigard to create and install decorative bike racks along Main Street.
McCarey’s current position is with the Lloyd District TMA where she manages their employee outreach and bike programs. She has a Masters degree in City and Regional Planning from Georgia Tech University Institute of Technology.
In graduate school, McCarey says her textbooks were full of examples of Portland’s city planning, so after she graduted, McCarey tells us, “I decided to head west to the promised land of transit and bike lanes.” She got a part time job at the Lloyd TMA and has worked there ever since.
“While I will miss the bike community in the Lloyd District,” says McCarey, “I’m excited, as I think there’s a lot to be done out there, although it will definitely be a challenge.” McCarey sees Washington County as a test-bed for showing the rest of America how to “encourage alternative transportation in a suburban setting and how to promote supporting land uses.”
McCarey will start her new job in mid-April.