July-August 2022 - 39

Kayleigh Cleek has been with Greenlink
since January 2019. She serves as the transit
planning manager, overseeing all transit
planning and grant-related work.
Upon arriving to Greenlink, Cleek was tasked
with installing more than 90 new bus stops
across four different governmental jurisdictions
to implement Greenlink's Comprehensive
Operations Analysis. The success of the initial
upgrades led to additional investments
from the city and county that is currently in
its third phase. To ensure equity in installation,
Cleek developed and oversaw a bus stop
amenities prioritization system, which rests
on elements such as public participation and
geographic consideration for upgrades.
Outside of the approximately $32 million
in formula grant funding Cleek currently
manages, she has been awarded three
competitive grants totaling $8 million since
2019. Cleek created an internal grants management
system to ensure grant funds are
utilized both efficiently and effectively.
Cleek also developed a Human Trafficking
Awareness campaign and serves as
Greenlink's Disadvantaged Business
Enterprises Liaison Officer. In this role,
she overhauled the program, resulting in
greater opportunity for collaboration with
I thoroughly enjoy collaborating
with others. I find that
consistently working with a
variety of people leads to greater
insights and better projects.
potential DBE and SBE contractors.
Greenlink is in the process of replacing its
more than 40-year-old maintenance facility.
Cleek worked closely with FTA Region IV to
complete the necessary NEPA and Section 106
process and to secure final obligation of grant
funding to make the future move possible.
Cleek spearheaded an update to the 2018
Transit Development Plan. The latest version
now includes the consolidation of routes to
improve efficiency and caital costs. This update
is referenced to assist in long-term planning.
Cleek serves on the board of Bike
Walk Greenville, is a member of WTS
and a local chapter member of the
Grant Professionals Association.
Fast Fact: Cleek created an interactive transit
planning exercise, " Blueville, " that is now
requested as a training opportunity among
nonprofits and major employers in the county.
MassTransitmag.com/21276448
Kayleigh Cleek, MPA,
Transit Planning
Manager
for the City of
Greenville on behalf of
the Greenville Transit
Authority
Rebecca Tahchawwickah's goal is to
create an environment that promotes safety
and security for passengers while making
mobility for all an everyday reality. She does
this by using education to change the perspective
of public transit as a starting point.
I'm most proud of looking back
and seeing where our transit
system started and seeing
where it is today. I can't wait to
see where it continues to go.
Tahchawwickah started her career in public
transit as a dispatcher for Comanche Nation
Transit and worked her way up to her current
role of transit asset management. Her determination
from day one helped her become
the wave of change that played a key role in
making Comanche Nation Transit the safe
system that it is today. During her tenure, she
created an asset organization system and data
collection system that led to an improvement
of service. She also created an internal safety
reporting tool that has given employees a way
to express concerns or safety issues. In addition,
she has worked to improve the quality of
education and ensure proper risk assessment
for each step of training and safety for clients
and employees, underscoring her commitment
to setting safety standards and nurturing
the safety culture of the transit system.
In 2021 and 2022, Tahchawwickah was awarded
the Oklahoma Transit Association Award of
Excellence in Safety and Training. This award
recognizes the finest efforts in providing
safe, reliable, efficient and coordinated public
transportation that meets the mobility needs
of all Oklahomans, as well as efforts to build,
promote and advocate for public transit.
She also spoke at the National Transportation
in Indian Country Conference in 2021 on
how Tribal transit can be on the lookout to
combat human trafficking, touching on how
implementing human trafficking awareness
and tools can help bus operators learn,
identify and report possible incidents.
Tahchawwickah has been a member of
the Comanche Nation Transit for nine
years and continues to serve in many
capacities for the system, including managing
the agency's daily operations, TAM
plan, grants, data analysis, asset management,
dispatching and bus operating.
Fast Fact: Tahchawwickah's experience working
as a bus operator shaped the way she felt
about transit and opened her eyes how impactful
transit is to the community it serves.
MassTransitmag.com/21276475
JULY/AUGUST 2022 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit | 39
Rebecca
Tahchawwickah
Transit Asset
Management
Comanche Nation
Transit
http://www.MassTransitmag.com/21276448 http://www.MassTransitmag.com/21276475 http://www.MassTransitmag.com
July-August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July-August 2022
