SEATTLE — The Sound Transit board has approved the one-year appointment of Goran Sparrman, a former Seattle Department of Transportation official, as its interim CEO.
The board voted to approve Sparrman’s appointment at a special meeting on Thursday. The appointment is effective on Saturday, Jan. 13; today (Friday, Jan. 12) is the final day for CEO Julie Timm, who announced her resignation last month for family reasons after about 16 months on the job [see “Sound Transit CEO Timm to resign,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 13, 2023]. Sparrman had been announced as the candidate for the interim position earlier this week [see “Sound Transit to meet on appointment …,” News Wire, Jan. 9, 2024].
“In the next nine months, we will expand Link light rail at a scale never before seen at the agency, and we’re excited to have Goran’s skillset and background leading the way,” said Dow Constantine, the board chair and King County executive, in a press release. “This is ambitious, exciting and, of course, daunting. The board believes in Goran’s ability to lead the agency through this transformative period of growth while continuing to focus on delivering reliable, frequent, and safe transit service for all our passengers.”
The website The Center Square reports Sparrman will receive a base salary of $385,000, a signing bonus of $30,000, and a retention bonus of $29,000 if employed through the last day of the contract. Because of the interim nature of the position, Sparrman could serve less than the full year if Sound Transit’s search for a new permanent CEO yields results before that time is up.
“I am looking forward to joining with the dedicated professionals at Sound Transit to celebrate the upcoming successes and tackle the challenges ahead,” Sparrman said. “By working together creatively and efficiently, I am confident that we will be able to deliver for the residents of our region.”
