Athens-Clarke County Unified Government (ACCGov) Manager Blaine Williams has named Ryan Solchenberger as Transit Department Director. Solchenberger most recently served as the Director of the Transportation Services Division of the South Kitsap School District in Kitsap County, Washington. 

"Ryan has demonstrated the intuition and acumen to operate in complex transit organizations and appreciates the success of ACCGov Transit," says Williams. "I believe he will partner with staff to build upon the award-winning service our residents have come to expect."

"I’m excited to join a transit system with a successful track record like Athens-Clarke County and to becoming a valuable team member," says Solchenberger. "Throughout my career, I have learned that transportation is all about people. The ridership, the public, the transit team and other local agencies are all key to operating a safe and effective system for our ridership."

Solchenberger is expected to start in his new position by June 1, 2022. He takes over the position formerly held by Butch McDuffie, who retired in April 2021.

"I’d also like to thank Pat Hale for serving as Interim Transit Director during this transition period," says Williams. "Even while preparing to retire later this year, she has stepped up to help guide this department and will be a valuable resource for Ryan with her wealth of knowledge of our Transit operations."

Prior to his position with the South Kitsap School District, Solchenberger served as the Director of the Transportation Services Division for the Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles, California. While in this position, he organized operations for a student transportation department with 1,500 staff and 1,307 buses serving 41,000 students across an area of 800 miles.

Solchenberger also has held transportation-related positions as a Contract Performance Consultant for Transdev; the Director of Student Transportation for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education in Washington, D.C.; and the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the Chicago Transit Authority.

Other public sector work has included positions in Chicago, Illinois with the public school system and the City of Chicago’s Department of Human Resources, Department of Consumer Services, and Department of Buildings. Solchenberger holds dual Bachelor of Art degrees in Journalism and Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

The ACCGov Transit Department provides both fixed-route services to over 1.2 million passengers and curb-to-curb paratransit services in the Athens-Clarke County community based out of the Multimodal Transportation Center transportation hub in downtown Athens.