Capital Metro appoints new member to board of directors

The Capital Metro board of directors appointed William “Matt” Harriss as one of the three Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s appointees for the Capital Metro board at its June 27 regular monthly meeting.

Harriss will serve as the business appointee on the board, drawing on his experience in finance and accounting to provide feedback to the board on its various projects. Harriss replaces former Board Member Terry Mitchell, who retired from the Capital Metro board. The meeting agenda also showed that he was appointed to the finance, audit and administration committee and named as its chair.

“I’m happy to welcome Matt to the board, as I know he’ll bring thoughtful insight to help CapMetro continue serving our community in the most equitable manner possible.” Chair Jeffery Travillion said in a press release.

CAMPO serves six counties: Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson, with the goal of improving mobility within these counties ensuring that urban, suburban and rural areas have the benefits of the transportation system.

“I was very honored,” Harriss said when asked what it meant to be one of the three CAMPO appointees. “It's going to be a critical part of our energy to continue to grow the region in the next few years,” Harriss said.

Interim President and CEO Dottie Watkins said that Capital Metro is growing quickly, and it is hiring people who care about the services they provide to the community. She added that she welcomes the expertise that Harriss will provide.

After he “gets up to speed,” Harriss said he plans to help the Capital Metro board with projects such as Project Connect and Cap and Stitch.

“This is a 10-year implementation-type deal, so there's gonna be some bumps along the way, but I think as long as you can rectify them as best you can,” Harriss said. “I think ultimately, we're gonna end up with something that will help us continue to grow as a region.”