GoTriangle welcomes all-female slate of officers with wide experience to its Board of Trustees
GoTriangle welcomed in a diverse new slate of officers to its Board of Trustees, the first time in its history that the regional transit authority’s board has all-female leadership.
The four women voted into office during the board’s Sept. 27 meeting began serving Oct. 1 for a one-year term, bringing a wide diversity of backgrounds and rich work experience to their roles. They are:
- Chair – Brenda Howerton, representing Durham County
- Vice Chair – Mary-Ann Baldwin, representing Raleigh
- Secretary – Sally Greene, representing Orange County
- Treasurer – Vivian Jones, representing Wake County
As new board chair, Brenda Howerton says one of her main goals is to help people, especially underserved communities, easily get where they need to go.
“I’m very passionate about never forgetting about the underserved communities – that they should have equal access to reliable and low-cost options,” she said.
Howerton grew up in Caswell County, North Carolina, never imagining that she would hold elected office. Thirty-seven years later, Howerton has risen to become one of the Triangle’s influential elected officials. She chairs Durham County’s Board of Commissioners and serves or has served on numerous local, state and national boards and commissions. Now in her 15th year as a Durham County commissioner, she has worked on initiatives that range from children’s health and education to criminal justice and economic development.
“I considered that elected office was something that other people do – people who had money, people who had a lot of influence; I just didn’t think it was something that I would do,” Howerton said in 2021 shortly after she was first appointed to the GoTriangle board. “But you know what I learned about life experiences – they can move you to take on challenges bigger than you ever imagined.”
Vice Chair Mary-Ann Baldwin, grew up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and worked as a journalist before relocating to North Carolina. She ran and won to be on the Raleigh City Council in 2007, serving there through 2017. She then took a two-year break from elected office before successfully running for mayor of Raleigh in 2019 and being reelected to a second term.
Secretary Sally Greene grew up in Gilmer, Texas, gained her love for public service watching her parents, whose work was stitched into the fabric of their small town as they ran their hometown newspaper. A lawyer and independent literary scholar, Greene’s varied background informs her public work today as an Orange County Commissioner. She started her career in public service in 2003 when a vacancy arose in the Chapel Hill Town Council, and she served there through 2017 before being elected to the Orange County Board of Commissioners in 2018.
Treasurer Vivian Jones grew up in rural Randolph County, North Carolina, never imagining that she would lead a burgeoning town into a new century, but the example her parents always set about the importance of public service ultimately led her to become Wake Forest’s first female— and longest serving—mayor.
Learn more by clicking on the “Read my Story” links at gotriangle.org/board-of-trustees.