Board of Directors

The board consists of:

The board holds monthly public meetings at Capital Metro's Administration building, located at 2910 E. 5th Street in Austin. The board also has a number of committees that meet regularly to review information and make recommendations to it. Currently, the board receives input from the Customer Satisfaction Advisory Committee and the Access Advisory Committee. Nominations to become members of the committees are made by the board chairperson and are approved by board resolution.

The public is always welcome to attend board meetings and provide suggestions or feedback on Capital Metro services and programs. Learn more about upcoming meetings and agendas in the board meeting section.

• Wade Cooper - Chair

  

  CAMPO business appointee - Wade Cooper is currently the firm-wide managing partner for Jackson Walker, L.L.P., a Texas-based law firm with more than 350 attorneys. His duties are those of the chief executive officer of the firm, and he chairs two of the major committees of the partnership: the Management Committee and the Compensation Committee. Cooper began his practice with Jackson Walker in the Dallas office in 1981. In 1997, he moved to Austin to establish a new office for Jackson Walker. Cooper is also a former chairman of the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA) and is currently a member of the organization's advisory board.

  In his legal practice, Cooper has handled substantial commercial litigation, arbitration and bankruptcy matters in Texas, and in federal and bankruptcy courts in a number of other states. His clients include telecommunications carriers, national banks and other financial institutions; equipment manufacturers; and technology companies.

  Cooper attended Southern Methodist University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Economics, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, achieving summa cum laude in both. Cooper received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law, where he graduated with honors.

  You can email the Capital Metro board of directors at boardofdirectors@capmetro.org. Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all members of the board via Capital Metro staff.

• Delia Garza - Vice Chair

  

  City of Austin elected official appointee - City Council Member Delia Garza comes from a very civically engaged family. Her parents, a firefighter and a stay-at-home mom, were very involved in their community and encouraged their 3 daughters to give back and pursue higher education. Garza's upbringing inspired her to dedicate her career to public service and advocating for working families.

  Following in her father's footsteps, she became an Austin firefighter. She was one of the first Mexican-American female firefighters in the Austin Fire Department. Her entire career was spent in fire stations that serve the South Austin community, most notably, fire station 17 at South 1st and Ben White, one of the busiest in the city (an assignment she requested). Garza lived in Dove Springs while a fire cadet and, in 2003, she purchased her home in her responding territory near the Sweetbriar neighborhood.

  As a firefighter and member of the Austin Firefighter Association, Local 975, Garza worked tirelessly for her union advocating for fair wages and safe working conditions. She represented firefighters during two contract negotiating cycles, was elected to the local's executive board and was the first female appointed to chair the local's political action committee.

  Remaining committed to public service, Garza left the Austin Fire Department in 2007 after 6 years of service to pursue a law degree and extend the reach of her advocacy. She served as an assistant attorney general and advocated for Texas families in the Child Support Division. Garza has also been involved in numerous community-based efforts surrounding affordable housing, education and fair and equitable district representation. She is a mentor at Rodriguez Elementary in Dove Springs through the Seedling Foundation and has served on several boards and committees, including Hermanos de East Austin, the Dove Springs Recreation Center Advisory Board, the Capital City A&M Club Scholarship Committee and the city's Charter Revision Committee. She has a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University and a law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law.

  Garza's years of work as a firefighter, community advocate and attorney for social services has afforded her extensive experience in addressing injustices, mediating competing groups and interests, and solving complex problems. She will continue to fight for working families struggling to stay in Austin and is committed to improving the lives of all Austinites.

  You can email the Capital Metro board of directors at boardofdirectors@capmetro.org. Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all members of the board via Capital Metro staff. 

• Juli Word - Secretary

  

  Williamson County representative - Business woman and Williamson County resident, Juli Word represents Williamson County on Capital Metro's board of directors. Her term will expire in June 2020.

  Word has more than 21 years of experience in the financial field and currently serves as the business services coordinator for the Austin district of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). In her current role, she is responsible for daily business operations, including developing, analyzing and managing the district's budget; reviewing and processing accounts receivable and accounts payable; and managing inventory and assets.

  Earlier in her career, Word was the cash manager at Broadwing Communications in Austin, where she oversaw the monthly reconciliation of 12 large corporate accounts; assisted with monthly, quarterly and yearly financial reporting; and oversaw a high volume of accounts payable and receivable transactions.

  She began her career in the banking industry, where she worked for 9 years. Word holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from St. Edward's University.

  You can email the Capital Metro board of directors at boardofdirectors@capmetro.org. Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all members of the board via Capital Metro staff.

• Rita Jonse

  

  Small cities representative - Rita Jonse was re-elected to a 2nd term as mayor of Manor in May, 2015. She has held many volunteer roles in the city, most notably as treasurer of the East Rural Travis County Advisory Board, a member of the Manor Planning and Zoning Commission and as an election judge. She also sits on the Manor Chamber of Commerce board and several Manor ISD committees.

  She is a lifelong resident of Manor, her parents having moved to the city when she was six years old. Rita and her husband, John, have 3 children and they have been blessed with a granddaughter and 4 grandsons.

  She has a passion for helping senior citizens and is a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. In her spare time, she loves flowers and is a member of the Manor Garden Club.

  You can email the Capital Metro board of directors at:  boardofdirectors@capmetro.org. Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all members of the board via Capital Metro staff

• Jeffrey Travillion

  

  Travis County representative - Jeffrey W. Travillion was elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court representing Precinct 1 in November 2016 and took office on the first day of 2017. He had spent the previous 16 years working for the city of Austin, retiring as team lead for the Code Department's Neighborhood Enhancement Team. He was responsible for developing protocols to address compliance issues within the city's health, safety and welfare codes.

  He has more than 30 years' experience providing management solutions in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Travillion has conducted extensive operational reviews of state agencies and city departments, and worked on teams that produced recommendations adopted by the Texas Legislature and which saved the state of Texas more than $8 billion.

  A graduate of Jackson State University's W.E.B. Dubois Honors Program, Travillion also was an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow at Carnegie-Mellon University's Heinz College School of Public Policy and Management, as well as a fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He has a master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs.

  Travillion is involved in a number of civic activities, including serving as a deacon at the Abundant Life Community Baptist Church. He is a graduate of Leadership Austin, chairman of the Communications Committee for the Texas State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a member of the board of directors of the Austin Project. He and his wife, Perri, have 3 children: Jeffrey Jr., Paige and Andrew.

  You can email the Capital Metro board of directors at:  boardofdirectors@capmetro.org. Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all members of the board via Capital Metro staff

• Terry Mitchell

  

  CAMPO financial appointee - Terry Mitchell has served as the president of Momark Development LLC since 2003, for which he is involved in the planning and development of residential and mixed-use real estate projects. His career in real estate financing and development spans 34 years. Prior to his work at Momark, Mitchell was vice president of Milburn Homes in Austin, with responsibility for land acquisition and development. He began his tenure there as general counsel, responsible for decisions affecting all of the company's legal issues, including land acquisition and development, corporate planning and internal procedures.

  Earlier in his career, Mitchell was a senior associate at Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro in San Diego, handling real estate transactions and development. He also handled real estate transactions as as an associate at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue in Austin and Los Angeles and at Kelly, Hart & Hallman in Ft. Worth.

  Mitchell is active in a variety of civic and community organizations, including as one-time transportation  committee chair of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and the Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA), for which he was a board member for 12 years, in addition to serving as president and treasurer.

  Mitchell has a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin, an MBA from St. Edward's University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence with Distinction from St. Mary's University in San Antonio.

  You can email the Capital Metro board of directors at boardofdirectors@capmetro.org. Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all members of the board via Capital Metro staff.

• Ann Kitchen

  

  CAMPO elected official appointee  - Ann Kitchen, City Council member for District 5 (South Austin), chairs the city of Austin's Mobility Committee and is a board member of CAMPO, the regional transportation planning body for Central Texas. Kitchen is a former assistant attorney general in the consumer protection division and a former state representative, with experience working on transportation issues.

  Kitchen is an attorney and health care consultant, with expertise in improving access to services for women and families, including hospital district programs, county indigent health care programs, CHIP, Healthy Kids, Medicaid, family planning, women's health, health care reform and other programs.  She has more than 10 years of state service- as a senior Medicaid policy advisor with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, an assistant attorney general with the Charitable Trust Section of the Texas Attorney General's Office and a caseworker for special needs children at the Texas Commission for the Blind. She is also an expert on health information technology and was executive director of the Integrated Care Collaboration (ICC) for 5 years.

  You can email the Capital Metro board of directors at  boardofdirectors@capmetro.org. Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all members of the board via Capital Metro staff. 

• Sabino Renteria

  

  City of Austin appointee - Sabino “Pio” Renteria is a father, husband, social justice activist and a native East Austinite who has dedicated his life to serving his community. He is the first directly elected city council representative from east and south Austin's District 3.

  Council Member Renteria began shining shoes and selling newspapers on Congress Avenue at age 7, and by 15, had entered the cotton fields to help support his family. This difficult upbringing taught him lasting lessons about the significance of perseverance and service to others. He retired from IBM after a 34-year tenure as a computer and printer technician.

  He is best known for his advocacy on behalf of the underprivileged communities in Austin and has long been a champion for affordable housing, transit equity and quality of life improvements for all Austinites.

  Renteria has served on the East Austin Neighborhood Center advisory board, the A.B. Cantu/Pan American Recreation Center advisory board, the city of Austin's Environmental Board and was a member of the Community Development Commission for 14 years, serving 8 years as its chair.

  He has been a leader with United East Austin Coalition and Friends of the MACC, served as vice-chair of the East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Planning Team, and volunteered with the PTAs and Campus Advisory Committees for Sanchez Elementary, Martin Middle and Austin High Schools.

  Renteria is currently the chair of the city of Austin's Housing and Community Development Committee, the vice-chair of the Planning & Neighborhoods Committee and a member of the Capital Metro board Audit & Finance Committee..

  You can email the Capital Metro board of directors at boardofdirectors@capmetro.org. Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all members of the board via Capital Metro staff.

• Gina Estrada - board liaison

  

  For any questions not addressed by capmetro.org, please contact Gina Estrada, our board liaison:
  Phone: 512-389-7458
  Fax: 512-369-6504
  Email: gina.estrada@capmetro.org