Board of Trustees
Focused on Taking You Further
The Team That’s Leading Us to Tomorrow
COTA’s Board of Trustees is the governing body of COTA and is responsible for overseeing COTA as established by Ohio Revised Code 306.30 to 306.50.
Board members have three primary obligations:
- Duty of Care—Board members shall perform their duties with the care that an ordinary prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances.
- Duty of Good Faith—Board members shall take the necessary actions to be informed and exercise appropriate judgment.
- Duty of Loyalty—Board members shall perform their duties in a manner the Board Member reasonably believes to be in, or not opposed to, the best interest of COTA.
Additionally, board members should:
- Provide a clear vision for COTA’s future.
- Provide oversight of COTA’s operations.
- Work effectively with other board members, leadership and the President/CEO.
- Be an advocate for COTA’s vision, mission, values and COTA’s long-range transit plan.
Board members are appointed for three-year terms by:
- Franklin County (two appointees)
- Columbus (seven appointees)
- Various suburbs (four appointees)
Here Are the People Looking Out for You
Craig Treneff
Chair
Attorney at Law, Treneff Cozza Law, LLC
Appointed by Franklin County Commissioners
Term: 2020 – 2023
Marlon Moore
Vice Chair
President, Marlon Moore Consulting, LLC
Appointed by City of Columbus
Term: 2019 – 2022
Trudy Bartley
Trustee
Associate Vice President, Local Government & Community Relations, The Ohio State University
Appointed by City of Columbus
Term: 2021 – 2024
Julie Colley
Trustee
Former Assistant City Manager, City of Westerville
Appointed by City of Westerville
Term: 2021 – 2024
Lori Elmore
Trustee
Whitehall City Councilor
Appointed by City of Whitehall
Term: 2022 – 2025
Jennifer Gallagher
Trustee
Director, City of Columbus Department of Public Service
Appointed by City of Columbus
Term: 2020 – 2023
Sean Mentel
Trustee
Partner, Kooperman Mentel Ferguson Yaross, Ltd.
Appointed by City of Columbus
Term: 2021 – 2023
Vacant
Trustee
Appointed by City of Columbus
Term: 2019 – 2022
Doug McCollough
Trustee
Chief Information Officer, City of Dublin
Appointed by City of Reynoldsburg
Term: 2021 – 2024
Timothy Skinner
Trustee
Assistant Business Manager, Sprinkler Fitters Local Union 669
Appointed by City of Columbus
Term: 2021 – 2024
Shannon Tolliver
Social Responsibility & Environmental Sustainability Manager, White Castle Systems, Inc.
Appointed by City of Upper Arlington
Term: 2022 – 2025
Appointed by City of Columbus
Term: 2020 – 2023
Vacant
Trustee
Appointed by Franklin County Commissioners
Term: # – 2023
Details on Our Upcoming Board Meetings
The COTA Board of Trustees meets frequently throughout the year.
All board meetings are open to the public. The Board Chair shall have the discretion to recognize special speakers, public officials and guests to speak without a time limitation prior to the public comment period.
Public comments will be allowed at the beginning of each COTA Board meeting prior to the discussion of the COTA Board agenda items. People wishing to address the Board should sign in with the Assistant Secretary prior to the commencement of the meeting.
Generally, each person will be allotted three (3) minutes for this purpose on a first-come, first-served basis; provided, however, the total time allocated for general public comments shall not exceed 30 minutes. If more speakers have signed up for general public comments than can be accommodated in this 30-minute session, then at the discretion of the Board Chair, the general public comments session may be extended subject to the three (3) minute time limit outlined above.
The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, activities, programs and employment opportunities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws. To request an ADA reasonable accommodation, please contact the individual indicated below no later than 72 hours prior to the meeting: Garth Weithman at WeithmanGS@cota.com or 614-275-5849.
JANUARY 2022
| DATE | TIME | MEETING |
| Wednesday, January 5 | CANCELED | Performance Monitoring/Audit Committee |
| Monday, January 10 | 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM | Strategic and Operational Planning Committee |
| Tuesday, January 11 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | External Stakeholder Relations Committee
All COTA Committee Meetings will take place in the WG Porter Boardroom at COTA’s Administrative Offices at 33 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215. Members of the Public attending the meeting will be asked to follow the below protocols:
|
| Wednesday, January 26 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Board of Trustees
The COTA Board of Trustees Meeting on Wednesday, January 26 at 9:00 AM will take place in Conference Rooms 1034/1035 at COTA’s McKinley Avenue Facility at 1600 McKinley Avenue, Columbus, OH 43223 on the Transportation Side (East Side closest to McKinley Park with the gated entrance). |
| Wednesday, January 26 | Immediately Following Board of Trustees Meeting | Rescheduled Governance Committee
The COTA Governance Committee will meet on Wednesday, January 26 immediately following the Board of Trustees Meeting. The meeting will take place in Conference Rooms 1034/1035 at COTA’s McKinley Avenue Facility at 1600 McKinley Avenue, Columbus, OH 43223 on the Transportation Side (East Side closest to McKinley Park with the gated entrance). Members of the Public attending the meeting will be asked to follow the below protocols:
|
FEBRUARY 2022
No Meetings
MARCH 2022
| DATE | TIME | MEETING |
| Friday, March 4 | 9:30 AM – 3:15 PM | A Special meeting of the COTA Board of Trustees is scheduled for a Board Retreat on Friday, March 4, 2022, 9:30 a.m., at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Carnegie Board Room, 96 W. Grant Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43215.
The purpose of the retreat is to provide a current status update of COTA’s operations, discuss the Board governance structure and documents, and to discuss updates to the Board’s strategic framework to guide future growth and development.” |
| Wednesday, March 9 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Strategic and Operational Planning Committee |
| Tuesday, March 15 | CANCELED | External Stakeholder Relations Committee |
| Wednesday, March 16 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Performance Monitoring/Audit Committee
The COTA Performance Monitoring/Audit Committee will meet via WebEx. Members of the public can virtually attend the COTA Performance Monitoring/Audit Committee – Register for access to the WebEx link here. |
| Thursday, March 17 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Governance Committee |
| Wednesday, March 30 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Board of Trustees The COTA Board of Trustees Meeting on Wednesday, March 30 at 9:00 AM will take place in Conference Rooms 1034/1035 at COTA’s McKinley Avenue Facility at 1600 McKinley Avenue, Columbus, OH 43223 on the Transportation Side (East Side closest to McKinley Park with the gated entrance). Members of the Public attending the meeting will be asked to follow the below protocols:
|
APRIL 2022
No Meetings
MAY 2022
| DATE | TIME | MEETING |
| Wednesday, May 4 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Strategic and Operational Planning Committee
All COTA Committee Meetings will take place in the WG Porter Boardroom at COTA’s Administrative Offices at 33 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215 |
| Tuesday, May 10 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | External Stakeholder Relations Committee
All COTA Committee Meetings will take place in the WG Porter Boardroom at COTA’s Administrative Offices at 33 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215 |
| Wednesday, May 11 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Performance Monitoring/Audit Committee
All COTA Committee Meetings will take place in the WG Porter Boardroom at COTA’s Administrative Offices at 33 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215 |
| Thursday, May 12 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Governance Committee
All COTA Committee Meetings will take place in the WG Porter Boardroom at COTA’s Administrative Offices at 33 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215 |
| Wednesday, May 25 | 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Annual Meeting & Regular Board of Trustees Meeting |
JUNE 2022
No Meetings
JULY 2022
| DATE | TIME | MEETING |
| Wednesday, July 6 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Strategic and Operational Planning Committee |
| Wednesday, July 6 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Performance Monitoring/Audit Committee |
| Tuesday, July 12 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | External Stakeholder Relations Committee |
| Tuesday, July 12 | 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM | Governance Committee |
| Wednesday, July 27 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Board of Trustees |
AUGUST 2022
No Meetings
SEPTEMBER 2022
| DATE | TIME | MEETING |
| Wednesday, September 7 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Strategic and Operational Planning Committee |
| Wednesday, September 7 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Performance Monitoring/Audit Committee |
| Tuesday, September 13 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | External Stakeholder Relations Committee |
| Thursday, September 22 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Governance Committee |
| Wednesday, September 28 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Board of Trustees |
OCTOBER 2022
No Meetings
NOVEMBER 2022
| DATE | TIME | MEETING |
| Wednesday, November 2 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Strategic and Operational Planning Committee |
| Tuesday, November 8 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | External Stakeholder Relations Committee |
| Wednesday, November 9 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Performance Monitoring/Audit Committee |
| Thursday, November 10 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Governance Committee |
| Wednesday, November 16 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Board of Trustees |
DECEMBER 2022
| DATE | TIME | MEETING |
| Tuesday, December 6 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | External Stakeholder Relations Committee |
| Wednesday, December 7 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Strategic and Operational Planning Committee |
| Wednesday, December 7 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Performance Monitoring/Audit Committee |
| Thursday, December 8 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Governance Committee |
| Wednesday, December 14 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Board of Trustees |
Our Board Meeting Archives
COTA policy requires that we keep our board meeting minutes permanently. For minutes prior to 2021, please contact Customer Service and file a public records request.
COTA Advisory Panel
As provided in the COTA Charter, an Advisory Panel was established to advise COTA management in the development and implementation of public transit in central Ohio.
- One member appointed by the Franklin County Commissioners.
- One member appointed by the Mayor or other chief executive officer of each municipal corporation participating in the creation of COTA.
- At-large members may be appointed by the President/CEO with the consent of the Board of Trustees or as provided in Resolution No. 2011-20 and procedures adopted consistent therewith.
Each member appointed to the Advisory Panel shall be a resident and have a familiarity with public transit needs in central Ohio.
The Advisory Panel shall meet quarterly and be used by COTA management as a resource in making decisions on public transit and, as appropriate, incorporate advice from the Panel into programs presented to the Board.
COTA Mobility Management Advisory Board
The Mobility Management Advisory Board (MMAB) assists COTA in developing innovative, viable transportation solutions for underserved individuals and businesses. Members are representatives from Central Ohio stakeholder organizations that provide direct services or advocate for underserved individuals and businesses.