Trailblazer Tuesday with Carolyn Gonot

Providing solid public transportation leadership for more than a quarter century, Carolyn Gonot is one of a handful of women leading major public transit agencies throughout the U.S. She built her career over three decades, mostly at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), in multiple leadership roles including Chief Engineering and Program Delivery Officer, Chief BART Program Officer, Chief Development Officer, and Deputy Director of the Congestion Management Program. Her extensive experience in successfully delivering capital projects to improve mobility in Silicon Valley led her to become the first woman to take the helm of the Utah Transit Authority, where she served as Executive Director from 2019-2021. Ms. Gonot then returned to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority as VTA’s General Manager/CEO in June 2021, rising to the challenge of leading the agency through the aftermath of a deadly mass shooting and navigating the recovery of transit service devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In her role as General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of VTA, she is responsible for 2400 employees, delivering projects such as the multi-billion dollar BART Silicon Valley Extension Phase II, programs, and transit services that provide mobility solutions for more than 2 million people who live and work in Silicon Valley. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ms. Gonot received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Penn State University. She is an active supporter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) and was honored as the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter’s Woman of the Year and the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Power 100 most influential business people.