SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Michelle Bouchard, who has been acting executive director of Caltrain since April 2021, has been named as the commuter operator’s first permanent executive director.
The Caltrain board of directors announced Bouchard’s unanimous appointment on Thursday, Nov. 3.
“Michelle has been a dynamic and engaged leader for Caltrain,” Caltrain Board Chair Steve Heminger said in a press release. “She was the clear choice to lead the agency, and we have the utmost confidence that she will continue to improve the service and bring more people back to transit.”
Bouchard has worked for Caltrain for more than 20 years, rising through the ranks to become director of rail transportation, a position in which she managed procurement and transition of operations, maintenance, and management services. Among her accomplishments was a key role in development of Caltrain’s Baby Bullet express service. After a brief stint with Bay Area Rapid Transit, she returned to Caltrain in 2015 as Chief Operating Officer, and has overseen implementation of positive train control and completion of the agency’s business plan. As acting executive director, she has overseen the electrification project slated to begin operation in 2024.
“I want to thank the Board for their confidence in naming me Caltrain’s Executive Director to continue leading the agency where my public transportation career started,” Bouchard said. “We have many challenges before us; we need to continue to increase our ridership, finish the electrification of the system and work with our partner agencies and the communities we serve to continue to grow our service. I can’t wait to get to work.”
