Rob Sadowsky, executive director of The Street Trust (formerly the Bicycle Transportation Alliance), has been dismissed from his position, BikePortland.org reports.
Sadowsky told BikePortland the move came as “a complete surprise.”
Stephanie Noll, the former Deputy Executive Director of The Street Trust, is slated to serve as interim head of the organization as the board launches a national search for the organization’s next executive director.
The BTA rebranded as The Street Trust in August 2016 to focus on transit and pedestrian issues as well as cycling.
Leslie Carlson, owner of Brink Communications and a Street Trust board member, emailed Oregon Business a comment explaining Sadowsky’s dismissal and where The Street Trust aims to go from here.
“Rob was our Executive Director for five years, a pretty significant chunk of time. During that time, he
accomplished a lot: He brought us along in our evolution to an organization that wants to create a region where biking, walking and transit are embraced by everyone who calls this place home.
Our mission expansion comes at a critical point in time and will require bold advocacy and broad regional collaboration. We’re in the middle of an intense growth period, and our transit, bike and pedestrian investments are not keeping pace.
Neighboring cities like Seattle and Los Angeles have invested billions in local transit recently. The Portland metro region and the State of Oregon needs to be thinking bigger if we’re going to remain competitive and ensure that every community in the region has access to high-quality transportation of any mode and safe streets for everyone. The Street Trust board will be looking for a leader who can help the region invest big in the active transportation infrastructure we need to keep pace with this very rapid growth.”
News of Sadowsky’s dismissal coincides with the departure of another Portland transportation leader. Bill Wyatt, the longtime executive director of the Port of Portland, announced his retirement today, effective June 2017. The news did not come as a surprise.
