Transit District CEO Recognized for Dedication to County

It's no secret that San Mateo County Transit District Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Scanlon is committed to the community. Since joining the district more than four years ago, community service has become a tenet of SamTrans' culture.

Scanlon has led the district's employees in raising nearly $200,000 in charitable contributions to organizations like United Way and for events like the America Heart Walk.

But Scanlon's primary passion, will always be serving the community by providing efficient, effective and safe public transportation, helping to relieve traffic congestion throughout the county, acting as the mobility manager for a complex network of shuttles, buses and trains and providing the administration for the Transportation Authority, the agency tasked with relieving traffic throughout the county through the expenditure of the Measure A half-cent sales tax receipts.

It's the exceptional work that he's done in improving San Mateo County's transportation services that is being recognized by Sustainable San Mateo County.

"Our job doesn't end when a passenger steps off a bus, in fact that's just the beginning," said Scanlon. "As the county's mobility manager, we need to be equally invested in improving the communities our passengers are stepping into."

Sustainable San Mateo County is a non-profit agency, founded in 1992 with the mission of educating the community about how to live a "low-impact life." In other words, the organization's goal is to draw the relationship between present actions and future consequences, teaching residents of San Mateo County to live in a way that doesn't create future environmental, economic or societal impacts for the next generation to battle.

"Mike embraces public transportation's critical role in providing economic benefits through access to jobs, societal benefits by connecting passengers who might otherwise be housebound with vital services and environmental benefits by taking drivers off the road and making all district vehicles more environmentally friendly," said Arthur Lloyd, San Mateo County Transit District and Caltrain board member. "These are just a few of the reasons, I nominated him as one of this year's recipients."

Each year SSMC chooses five community leaders who are demonstrating a dedication to the long-term health and well being of the county. In addition to Scanlon, this year's recipients include the Shelter Network of Burlingame, East Palo Alto's Project Build Brownfields Job Training Program, "Genentech Goes to Town" program in South San Francisco and CityTrees of Redwood City.

For more information on the awards visit www.sustainablesanmateo.org.