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Board of Directors

The Board of Directors, as the governing body of the Corporation, establishes policy and legislative direction for the agency. The Board defines the organization’s mission, establishes goals, and approves the budget to accomplish the goals. Board members represent the agency’s position to the public, in the Legislature, and in the community, working closely with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). They are responsible for hiring, supervising and evaluating the CEO. Board members establish their performance standards and are expected to abide by all state and local laws with regard to Board member conduct and protocol, as well as the Corporation’s by-laws, resolutions, and procedures. The CEO and corporation’s legal counsel report to the Board of Directors.

The Board is composed of nine elected officials selected by and serving at the pleasure of the respective governing bodies of the component cities and county within the service area. Board members are appointed for two-year terms.

Representation is apportioned as follows:
  • Snohomish County
    There are two councilmembers and one alternate from Snohomish County.
  • Large Cities
    There are two members and two alternates from component cities with populations of 30,000 or more – Edmonds, Lynnwood, & Marysville
  • Medium-sized Cities
    There are three members and two alternates from component cities with populations between 10,000 and 30,000 -Arlington, Bothell, Lake Stevens, Mill Creek, Monroe, Mountlake Terrace and Mukilteo.
  • Small-sized Cities
    There are two members and an alternate from component cities with populations less than 10,000 - Brier, Darrington, Gold Bar, Granite Falls, Index, Snohomish, Stanwood, Sultan and Woodway.
Next Meetings
The Board
Board Members
Councilmember

Carlton Gipson

Board Chair
  • City of Brier
  • Small Cities Representative
  • Executive Committee Chair

Carlton Gipson was a elected board chair in 2009, and is the first Brier resident to hold that position. He was a Community Transit Board alternate for two years prior to joining the Board in 2004. Gipson is a Brier City Council member and also serves on the City's Library Board and Police Negotiating Committee. From 1987 to 1990, Gipson was Transit Manager for the City of Everett, and is currently the Facilities and Property Management Director. Outside the city, he serves on the Board of All City Credit Union and the Salvation Army in Everett.
Councilmember

Dave Gossett

Board Vice-Chair
  • Snohomish County
  • Executive Committee
  • Marketing, Operations & Maintenance Committee Chair

Dave Gossett has served on the Snohomish County Council since 2001 and joined the Community Transit Board in 2003. He has served 12 years on the Mountlake Terrace City Council, six years of those years as mayor. During that time, he took a leading role in the sub-committee that negotiated the successful consolidation of the city's fire and aid services with Fire District 1. Gossett is County Council Vice-Chair, chairs the Operations Committee and serves on the Public Works, Law and Justice/Human Services, and Finance and Planning Committees. He has been appointed to the Puget Sound Regional Council, the I-405 Executive Committee, the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle and the North Sound Mental Health Agency. Gossett also serves on the boards of the County E911 system, the Snohomish County Health District and the Northshore Park and Recreation Service Area Board. He also is involved in many community groups, including the Lions Club, Friends of the Arts, Mountlake Terrace Garden Club and Friends of the Library.
Mayor

Dennis Kendall

Board Secretary
  • City of Marysville
  • Large Cities Representative
  • Executive Committee
  • Finance and Administration Committee Chair

Dennis Kendall was elected mayor of Marysville in 2003 and to the Community Transit Board in 2004. He is the past board chair. Kendall was a member of the Marysville Parks and Recreation Board for two years prior to his election as mayor. He also has served on a number of vocational-related committees. Kendall's strength is developing relationships, and he has worked closely with leaders from Arlington, the Tulalip Tribes and Lake Stevens. He recently retired from a business career.
Councilmember

Mike Cooper

  • Snohomish County representative, Council Chair
  • Marketing, Operations & Maintenance Committee
  • Planning and Capital Projects Committee

Mike Cooper began his term on the Snohomish County Council in January 2008 and was selected council chairman in 2009. After serving a year as a Community Transit Board alternate, he has now joined the board as a regular member. Previously, he served four terms in the State House of Representatives. While in the legislature, his work included the Fisheries, Ecology and Parks Committee, the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee, and committees on Transportation, Energy and Utilities. He is a current Transportation Choices Coalition Board member.
Mayor

Joe Marine

 
  • City of Mukilteo
  • Medium Cities Representative
  • Planning and Capital Projects Committee Chair
  • Marketing, Operations & Maintenance Committee

Joe Marine joined the Community Transit Board of Directors in January 2008. He was elected mayor of Mukilteo in 2005 and previously served on the Mukilteo City Council for three years. In 2001, he was appointed to the Washington State House of Representatives 21st Legislative District and served in that capacity for one year. He is currently on the Executive Board for Snohomish County Cities and Towns, National League of Cities Public Safety/Crime Prevention Committee and a member of the Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Board.
Councilmember

Steven Slawson

 
  • City of Sultan
  • Small Cities Representative
  • Finance and Administration Committee
  • Planning and Capital Projects Committee

Steve Slawson was elected to the Sultan City Council in 2005. He was selected as a member of the Community Transit Board in October 2009. He serves on the Snohomish County Tomorrow Board and is on Sultan’s Utilities Committee.
Mayor

Jerry Smith

  • City of Mountlake Terrace
  • Medium-sized Cities Representative
  • Marketing, Operations and Maintenance Committee

Jerry Smith was elected to the Mountlake Terrace City Council in 2001 and served as mayor since 2004. He joined the Community Transit Board in October 2009. He is the council liaison for SNOCOM (Southwest Snohomish County Communications Agency), SERS (Snohomish County Emergency Radio System Board), WRIA 8 (Watershed Planning) and the LEOFF 1 (Law Enforcement Officers and Fire Fighters) Disability Board. He is President of Tour de Terrace and was a founder of the Neutral Zone.
Councilmember

Mike Todd

 
  • City of Mill Creek
  • Medium Cities Representative
  • Finance and Administration Committee
  • Planning and Capital Projects Committee

Mike Todd was appointed to the Mill Creek City Council in May 2005, and has since been elected to that position twice. He was elected as an alternate to the Community Transit Board in January 2008. He serves on the Mill Creek Capital Facilities Planning Committee, is the Council representative to WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council, and serves as Council Liaison to the Mill Creek Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. He is very active in local youth soccer as a coach and referee, and plays amateur soccer himself.
Councilmember

Lisa Utter

 
  • City of Lynnwood
  • Large Cities Representative
  • Finance & Administration Committee
  • Marketing, Operations & Maintenance Committee

Lisa Utter has served on the Community Transit board as the Lynnwood representative or alternate since 2000. Utter has served on the Lynnwood City Council since 1998 and was the Lynnwood Council President in 2003. She has been working on transportation and transit systems for some time, serving as Lynnwood’s representative on the Sound Transit Executive Advisory Committee for the Lynnwood Transit Center since 1997. Utter has worked in Lynnwood on various transit and road projects and is a frequent user of the public transportation system. Her professional background is in the fields of law and botany.
Board Alternates
Councilmember

Stephen Bernheim

  • City of Edmonds
  • Large Cities Alternate

Steve Bernheim was selected as a Community Transit Board alternate in October 2009. He moved to Edmonds in 2003 where he served on the Mayor's Transportation and Climate Change Committees. He was elected to the City Council in 2008 and is a member of the Public Safety Committee. He is an active member of the Alliance of Citizens for Edmonds (ACE) and the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association.
Councilmember

Heather Coleman

  • City of Lake Stevens
  • Medium Cities Alternate

Heather Coleman was elected to the Lake Stevens City Council in 2006 and was selected as a Community Transit Board alternate in January 2008. She is the city council liaison to the Lake Stevens Downtown Merchants, Museum and Lake Stevens Planning Commission. She is a member of the Snohomish County Health Board.

Councilmember

Ted Hikel

 
  • City of Lynnwood
  • Large Cities Alternate

Ted Hikel is currently serving his fourth term on the Lynnwood City Council. He was first elected in 1969 and served for eight years when the Civic Center and Planned Regional Center (Alderwood Mall) were being developed. After a 20-year absence, Hikel was again elected to the council in 1999 and re-elected in 2003. He serves as council liaison to the Planning Commission, Board member of SnoCom (911 Emergency Phone System), Lynnwood representative to the Snohomish County Tomorrow Board and Chair of the City Council Audit Committee. Hikel is also a Board member of the Association of Washington Cities presenting District 8 that covers all of Snohomish County. He retired in December 2003 after a 25-year career with Nordstrom.
Councilmember

Dave Somers

 
  • Snohomish County Alternate

Dave Somers was elected to the Snohomish County Council in 1997 and served as Chair in 2001. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1976 in Fisheries Biology and earned a Masters of Science Degree in Forest Ecology in 1996. Dave worked for the US Forest Service for three years and as a salmon ecologist for the Tulalip Tribes for 18 years. He participated in the Timber/Fish/Wildlife negotiation, the Sustainable Forestry Roundtable, the Chelan Agreement process and the development of the Puget Sound Action Plan.
Councilmember

John Stima

 
  • City of Monroe
  • Medium Cities Alternate

John Stima was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Monroe City Council in June 2007 and was elected to that position in November 2007. He was selected as a Community Transit Board Alternate in October 2009. He is a member of the City Council Legislative Committee on Finance and Human Resources, and is active in the Chamber of Commerce.
Councilmember

Doug Thorndike

  • City of Snohomish
  • Small Cities Alternate

Doug Thorndike has been a Snohomish City Council member since 1997, and has served as an alternate on the Community Transit Board since 2004. He has been involved in county growth planning and with his local chamber of commerce. His professional background is as a finance analyst and estimator for Boeing.