Taylor Johnson, City of Norman Transit & Parking Program Manager, was honored as Oklahoma Transit Association’s (OkTA) Transit Professional of the Year on May 25 at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. Johnson, a team member of the Public Works Department, assumed his position in 2019.
“I have watched Taylor perform at a high level and excel under extreme pressure since becoming an employee of the City,” said Public Works Director Shawn O’Leary, who nominated Johnson for the award. “Taylor always meets the challenge. He has been critical in making many improvements to our transit system. Following the development of the Go Norman Transit Plan, which was managed by Taylor, he worked to successfully perform a robust public outreach period and then get unanimous approval to proceed with the recommended route changes. Taylor is also the City’s Transit Center project manager and has successfully guided that project from property purchase, through design, and now into construction. Lastly, Taylor has worked tirelessly to pursue grant opportunities to replace our worn out fleet and from December 2022 to July 2023 the City expects to receive 15 transit revenue vehicle replacements.”
To be selected as the Transit Professional of the Year, an individual must meet or exceed certain qualifications, such as: demonstrating exemplary leadership qualities, effectively assist a given community to accomplish goals, creating collaborative partnerships, and promoting best practices in the transit system.
Prior to the start of his tenure at the City of Norman, Johnson served central Oklahoma in several transportation capacities – as planner and grants specialist at Campus Area Rapid Transit (CART) at the University of Oklahoma and the multimodal program coordinator at the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) – and continues to do so, currently serving on the OkTA Board and as co-chair of the OkTA Urban/Small Urban Task Force.
“I am honored to be selected as this year’s Transit Professional of the Year,” Johnson said. “I am grateful I get to do something every day that I truly enjoy, working to provide access to transportation and ultimately changing lives. I know that there are many transit professionals in our state that are deserving of this award, so I am truly humbled to be selected.”
Johnson was one of seven statewide award winners recognized at the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) and OkTA joint conference this year. The conference was coordinated to deliver new educational content, foster networking opportunities, and bring transit professionals together to offer insight into local transit systems and culture. OkTA operates with a mission to support public transit through advocacy, education, communication, and partnerships.
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