AVTA welcomes new members to board of directors

LANCASTER – The Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) welcomed two new members to its board of directors during a special board meeting recently held at the facility.

The AVTA Board is comprised of representatives from the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster along with Los Angeles County, and the recent resignation of two of its directors left those seats open on the board.

Lancaster City Councilmember Angela Underwood-Jacobs was selected to replace outgoing Director Sandra Johnson as a representative from the City of Lancaster, and Michelle Flanagan will fill the seat left vacant by former Board Chair Norm Hickling, representing Los Angeles County.

Underwood-Jacobs was appointed to the Lancaster City Council in April 2015. She currently serves as Senior Vice President of the Greater Southern California (GSC) North Region at California Bank and Trust. Prior to this, she served as Consumer Market Executive at Bank of America for 18 years. Her additional key contributions to the community include Criminal Justice Commissioner for the City of Lancaster, Honorary Board Member for the Children’s Center of The Antelope Valley, Vice Chair of Antelope Valley Hospital Advisory Subcommittee on Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Prevention for Minors, and Board Member of the Antelope Valley Board of Trade.

Flanagan has been a resident of the Antelope Valley since 1989. Active in the escrow/real estate industry since 1985, she is currently a branch manager at First American Title Insurance Company and is a past president of the Escrow Associates of the Antelope Valley. She has also served on the board of directors of the Antelope Valley Domestic Violence Council, the Antelope Valley Sheriff Boosters, and is a past president of the Valley Oasis Amigos.

“As AVTA moves forward with exciting new technology such as electric buses, digital signs, and the Track-It ITS system, it’s vital that its directors have their thumbs on the pulse of what’s happening today,” stated Board Chairman Marvin Crist. “Both Angela Underwood-Jacobs and Michelle Flanagan bring the necessary experience and skills to our board that will keep us moving in the right direction.”

Hickling’s resignation not only created a vacant seat, but also left the position of Board Chair open.

Following the mandate of the AVTA bylaws, Vice Chair Marvin Crist became the new Chair, and Director Dianne Knippel from the County of Los Angeles was nominated and elected as the new Vice Chair. Each will serve in this capacity for the remainder of fiscal year 2015.

AVTA provides local, commuter and dial-a-ride service to a population of more than 450,000 residents in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale as well as the unincorporated portions of northern Los Angeles County.

[Information via press release from the Antelope Valley Transit Authority.]

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