July 26, 2024
MISSOULA, Mont.—The Missoula Urban Transportation District (MUTD) Board of Directors announced on July 25 that they have selected Jordan Hess as the next CEO and General Manager of the agency after conducting a national search to fill the position.
Hess is a local government and transportation professional who served as an elected official for ten years, first on the Missoula City Council and recently as the city’s 51st mayor.
Concurrent with his City Council service, Hess spent nearly a decade as Director of Transportation at the University of Montana, where he led UM to be the first college campus in the nation to purchase and operate modern, fast-charging battery electric buses.
“The Board values Jordan’s deep knowledge of Missoula and his experience running a transit system, and we are eager to welcome his expertise and vision to this role,” says Board Vice Chair Amy Cilimburg, who was involved in the search committee for MUTD’s new leadership. “We’re also profoundly grateful to Interim General Manager Jennifer Sweten for deftly stewarding Mountain Line through this transition.”
Sweten has served as Interim GM since previous CEO & GM Corey Aldridge’s departure in April and will resume her role as Director of Operations once Hess joins the Mountain Line staff.
“The team at Mountain Line is doing so much great work, and I’m excited to join them,” says Hess. “Public transit has immense power to make lives better, and I’m honored to become part of such a committed staff to work on something I’m passionate about in a place I love.”
This change comes during a busy season for Mountain Line. The public transit agency has partnered with the Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization for a strategic planning process to update the city’s Long-Range Transit Plan and develop a new Transit Strategic Plan that will account for changes in the transit industry and ridership habits in recent years and build on the successes from the 2018 Strategic Plan.
Meanwhile, MUTD’s electrification efforts continue with delivery of four new electric buses this summer to replace aging diesel vehicles. These buses will make the fixed-route fleet 55% electric, a milestone in Mountain Line’s commitment to a zero-tailpipe emissions fleet by 2035.
About Mountain Line:
Mountain Line connects Missoulians to the community through safe, sustainable, and innovative transportation solutions. Operated by the Missoula Urban Transportation District (MUTD) since 1976, Mountain Line provides zero-fare fixed-route bus and Paratransit service in and around Missoula seven days a week.
Mountain Line was recognized as the top public transit agency of its size in North America in 2021 by the American Public Transportation Association and named System of the Year in 2023 by the Montana Transit Association.
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