Leslie S. Richards is the CEO and 11th General Manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), the sixth largest public transportation agency in the U.S. with a budget of more than billion and a vast network of 9,500 employees that enable the five million residents of the Greater Philadelphia region to connect to each other. SEPTA operates across six transportation modes and has 2,800 vehicles in service, 285 subway and rail stations, 13,000 bus and trolley stops, and 150 routes.
Prior to joining SEPTA, Richards served as the first woman secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). A recognized leader in transportation and planning, Richards currently serves on the Philadelphia Regional Recharge and Recovery Task Force, the America Public Transportation Association (APTA) Board of
Directors, and the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Commuter Rail Coalition (CRC). She also previously served as the first female Chair of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, chair of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and a member of the SEPTA Board.