Mayor Sylvester Turner nominates new METRO board chair

Editor's note: A previous version of the story stated that the press release came from METRO instead of the mayor's office. It has been updated to reflect this.

After almost seven years of service as a Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County board member, Sanjay Ramabhadran has officially been appointed as the new board chair for the public transportation agency.

The nomination was announced during a Feb. 17 news conference by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and approved by the METRO board at the Feb. 24 board meeting. Ramabhadran has served as a board member since May 2015 and is the chair for the capital and strategic planning committee.

Previous board chair Carrin Patman had her official last day Feb. 24 during the monthly board meeting. Patman was appointed in 2016 by Turner after serving as a board member from 2010 to 2013 and is the first woman to be selected for the position.

According to a press release by the mayor's office, Patman is stepping down after being nominated to serve as an ambassador to Iceland by President Joe Biden's administration.

“It's been the profoundest of honors to have this role and to lead an agency with such qualified and dedicated people,” Patman said at the board meeting.

Ramabhadran will be the first Indo American to serve as the board chair for METRO.

"It is an honor of a lifetime to serve the city of Houston and the entire region. I truly appreciate the trust and confidence in me to build the future of METRO. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the METRO Board, the CEO, and the 4,100 strong METRO family," Ramabhadran said in the press release.