Why She’s Interesting: On just her second day on the job, the new RTA leader met with Rapid riders as they bustled through Tower City. It’s an early example of how the organization’s first female CEO plans to listen to customers as she looks for ways to improve RTA’s relationship with the community and update the transit system’s infrastructure.
Ride Share: As a former magazine and technical-writing editor, Birdsong is fascinated by the power of language and communication. She speaks Spanish and started learning Polish while working as a service planner for Chicago Transit Authority because so many riders spoke the language. “I was finding out that a lot of times in transportation we think about it in English only.”
Driver’s Seat: Often, transit service employees (even those who are training for other positions) will learn how to drive a bus. Birdsong says one of the hardest parts about driving one is coming to a smooth stop, but it helps employees have more empathy for what drivers go through. “It creates more of a respect for that job.”
Party Plan: One of Birdsong’s favorite moments during her nine years at Chicago Transit Authority was the November 2008 victory party for then President-elect Barack Obama. As the special events coordinator, part of her job was to make sure detours or blockades didn’t disrupt transit service for regular users or any of the estimated 240,000 people heading to the event. “It was probably the most calm, peaceful mix of people I have ever seen. Everybody was really happy and friendly.”
Next Chapter: As if moving somewhere new to start a job wasn’t enough, Birdsong got married two weeks before coming to Cleveland last September. “New city. New marriage. New job. New house. I am a let-nothing-hold-you-back kind of person.”
Strolling Around: Birdsong chose to settle in Cleveland Heights partly because she wanted to live somewhere with a lot of sidewalks to stroll with her 109-pound American bulldog, Sebastian. “I call him my fifth-grader. He’s adorable.”
Public Service: Birdsong’s initial priorities are to earn the public’s trust by pulling back the curtain on how RTA is run. “No one really knows what’s behind the curtain. The bus just shows up, but a lot of people don’t know what we do in order to get it there.”
Interesting Fact:
Birdsong loves to cook, especially dishes such as soups and stews, or anything that gives her an excuse to use her treasured Vitamix blender.
Most Interesting People 2020: India Birdsong
The new CEO of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority hopes to earn the public's trust as a transportation resource.
