The Transportation Research Board (TRB) presented J. Barry Barker, executive director of the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) in Louisville, KY, with the Sharon D. Banks Award for Humanitarian Leadership in Transportation at the Jan. 25 Chairman’s Luncheon during its 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

TRB established this award in memory of Sharon Banks, who was general manager of AC Transit, Oakland, CA, from 1991 until her death in 1999 and chaired the TRB Executive Committee in 1998. The honor recognizes innovative and successful leadership in people-oriented initiatives in transportation, sustained over an extended period of time, that exemplify Banks’ ideals of humanity and service.

Barker received the award in recognition of 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,” according to a TRB statement. He has more than 30 years of public transportation experience, joining TARC in 1994 after serving as general manager of METRO Regional Transit Authority in Akron, OH.

He has long been active in TRB and is a past chair of the Transit Cooperative Research Program Oversight and Project Selection Committee. Barker formerly served on the APTA Executive Committee and currently chairs the board of the National Transit Institute.

Former APTA President William Millar received two honors during the TRB Annual Meeting: the Lifetime Achievement Award in Transportation Research & Education, presented by the Council of University Transportation Centers and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, and the TRB Thomas B. Deen Distinguished Lectureship.

Photo by Steve Barrett J. Barry Barker, fourth from right, displays the TRB Sharon D. Banks Award to APTA staff, from left, Petra Mollet, vice president-strategy; Rosemary Sheridan, vice president-communications and marketing; Pamela L. Boswell, vice president-program management and educational services; Robert Healy, vice president-government affairs; former APTA President William Millar; APTA President & CEO Michael P. Melaniphy; and Brian Tynan, director-government relations.