NEW ORLEANS – This week, the New Orleans RTA announced the swearing-in of its newest member of its Board of Commissioners, Timolynn Sams.

“We are excited to welcome Commissioner Sams to our Board, and to bring our Board membership back up to its full complement,” said Commissioner Mark Raymond, Jr., Board Chair. “We are especially inspired by Commissioner Sams’ deep background of community engagement, having worked in a range of sectors that has brought her in contact with a diverse range of stakeholders.”

“Our riders are our community. And we know that with one in five New Orleans households without access to a car, the role that RTA plays in our community is a lifeline. It helps provide our residents with access to jobs, to education, to healthcare, and the to rest of our city. I am excited to bring my experience in so many of these spaces to the Board Commissioners so that all of our riders can be seen, can be heard, and can be served,” said Commissioner Sams.

“One of the most important aspects of this administration’s commitment to providing equitable and accessible transportation for our residents is to ensure representation and continuity of our leadership team. We are excited to select Timolynn Sams as the fifth of our five selections to the RTA Board of Commissioners,” said Mayor Cantrell. “As someone whose work is rooted at the neighborhood level, I appreciate Commissioner Sams' dedication to working in a vast array of community spaces to meet people where they are and provide a unique voice on the Board. I also want to thank RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins for being an invaluable partner in this work as we reaffirm our commitment to world-class ridership for greater New Orleans.”

Commissioner Sams is one of five commissioners appointed by New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, and will serve on the Operations and Administration Committee. Other mayoral appointees are Board Chair Raymond, Arthur Walton, Fred Neal Jr., and Sunni LeBeouf. Jefferson Parish appointees are Timothy P. Coulon, Maria DeFrancesch, and Joseph J. Ewell, Jr.

About Timolynn Sams

Timolynn Sams’ work includes serving as Executive Director, Neighborhoods Partnership Network; Director of Community Engagement & Impact, InspireNOLA Charter Schools; Director of Programs, Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children; and Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, One Degree Impact, LLC. A 1992 graduate of Warren Easton High School, Sams received her B.A. degree from Southern University at New Orleans in Education.

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The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority is a sub-division of the State of Louisiana which is operated by an independent Board of Commissioners that serves Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes. The agency operates car and passenger ferries, fixed-route buses, paratransit, streetcar, and limited on-demand service.