RACHELLE GLAZIER

General Manager

Ben Franklin Transit

How did you land your current role?

How long have you been in it?

I spent 14 years working for the Union Pacific Railroad in different facets of transportation and maintenance. After 14 years in the private sector, I was excited about the opportunity to serve the public when I was offered a role at New York City Transit as a chief officer of stations and operations. Looking to expand my network and experience across the border, I joined the Canadian National Railway as the general manager of network operations for the U.S. and Canada, based out of Chicago. Following that, I took the position of executive director of transportation at TriMet in Portland, which got me back to the Pacific Northwest. I picked up the Tri-City Herald one day and saw that the BFT general manager was retiring and started watching for the recruitment. I grew up in Pendleton, so this job allowed me to relocate home. Along the way, I earned my bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Wisconsin.

I have been the general manager at Ben Franklin Transit for nine months.

What are the biggest challenges Ben Franklin Transit faces in 2023?

We are exploring options to provide service to Hanford and other large employers as we work to better support the community. We have a new operations building under construction as well as a new transit center.

The biggest challenge we face in 2023 will be juggling priorities in terms of our expansion and growth while continuing that small-town, customerfocused, treat-people-like-family experience that we don’t want to lose sight of.

What, if anything, has surprised you about transportation in the Tri-Cities?

How underutilized our services are!

Ben Franklin Transit is one of the most affordable transportation networks I’ve seen anywhere. We offer clean, reliable, consistent transportation with uGLAZIER, Page A29