Sound Transit Loses Megaproject Head in Wake of Major ST3 Update
Terri Mestas, Sound Transit's Deputy CEO in charge of capital project delivery, announced her departure from the agency Monday, effective in early July. The announcement, made via an internal email to Sound Transit staff, comes just days after a high profile vote at the agency's board to rebalance the 2016 Sound Transit 3 plan, putting several major system expansion projects in limbo due to lack of projected funding and pushing out timelines for others.
Hired in 2024 as Sound Transit's first head of "megaproject delivery", Mestas's role came directly out of a set of recommendations made by an outside Technical Advisory Group (TAG) in 2022. With a capital program of the size and scope that few transit agencies in the U.S. are dealing with – the May 28 board vote advances $57.5 billion in projects – that group called for Sound Transit to build up an experienced capital delivery team. Other hires following Mestas included Brad Owen, currently tasked with leading the capital delivery team for the Ballard and West Seattle Link Extensions.
Owen will take over the role as Chief Capital Delivery Officer in an acting capacity, with a recruitment process to follow to permanently fill what has become one of the most important roles within the 2,000-person agency.
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Sound Transit spokesperson Amy Enbysk told The Urbanist that Mestas plans to relocate to California to be closer to her family.
https://www.theurbanist.org/sound-transit-loses-megaproject-head-in-wake-of-major-st3-update/