Mayor Michelle Wu recently appointed Jamaica Plain resident Mary Skelton Roberts, a regular 39 bus rider, to the MBTA's board of directors.
Mary Skelton Roberts, MBTA board director, is the first person to represent the city on the board.
For many years Boston fought to have a person represent the city on the board, and the Legislature and governor finally created a board seat specifically to represent the city in August.
Roberts is a regular commuter who most often takes the 39 bus and Orange Line, and brings extensive experience with transportation policy to advance climate solutions and foster thriving communities.
She is currently the president of the Climate Beacon Conference and senior advisor to the Climate Beacon Project, a newly established non-profit committed to ensuring Massachusetts achieves an equitable energy transition, and also on the Governor’s Latino Empowerment Council, according to a press release. She begins representing Boston at this week’s MBTA Board meeting on Thursday morning.
“For residents and workers in Boston to thrive, we need a world-class public transit system connecting community and opportunity,” said Wu. “I’ve known Mary for years, from running into her on the Orange Line during our morning commute, to collaborating on transportation policy advocacy at the MBTA and city of Boston."
“The urgency for efficient transportation and transit systems that value the safety of both workers and riders has never been more apparent, and I’m excited to start contributing to critical conversations and decisions that help create a healthier city,” said Roberts via press release.
In August, Wu released an open call for ideas and recommendations from residents to inform the city's representation on the MBTA Board. The Mayor prioritized residents as a partner in building this new relationship with the MBTA to best reflect the needs of commuters and riders. More than 150 community members submitted ideas and suggestions for Boston’s public transit agenda, and nearly 100 expressed interest in the board seat.
Roberts transit goals include improving bus rider experience and making trips faster, expanding fare free transit, streamlining pricing on the Commuter Rail to ensure all trips within the Boston are Zone 1A, and providing more transparent communication to riders regarding improvements on the MBTA system.
She previously served as Senior Vice President at the Energy Foundation where she oversaw the strategic implementation of a $140 million grant making budgets aimed at reducing carbon emissions throughout the country. She also spent more than a decade as co-director of Climate at the Barr Foundation in Boston, where she developed strategies focused on transportation, climate resilience, and land-use.
Roberts also serves on the Point32Health Foundation (formerly Tufts Health Plan Foundation), on Governor Maura Healey’s Council on Latino Empowerment, is on the Board of Directors of the Boston Girls and Boys Clubs of Boston and of Amplify Latinx. She previously served on the board of directors for Hispanics in Philanthropy and was on the Massachusetts Governor’s Latino Advisory Commission.
Roberts earned her B.A. from the University of Southern California, and her Master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She holds mediation and facilitation accreditations from Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation and from the Center for Dispute Resolution in London, England. She is a native Spanish speaker with roots in Cuba.
The MBTA Board of Directors is comprised of the MassDOT Secretary and eight members: one person to be appointed by Boston's mayor; one person appointed by the MBTA advisory board; six people appointed by the governor with experience in safety, transportation operations, public or private finance, a rider, one person who is a resident of environmental justice population, one person representing a city or town located in the MBTA service area, and one person selected from a list of three people recommended by the president of the Massachusetts State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.