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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 22, 2010

S.O.R.T.A. BOARD NAMES 2010 LEADERSHIP
Melody Sawyer Richardson continues as Chair; William Mallory as Vice Chair

CINCINNATI – Melody Sawyer Richardson has been re-elected Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) for 2010. She has served as SORTA Chair since late 2007, being re-elected each year since then. William Mallory Sr. has been re-elected as Vice Chair, serving in that role in 2008 and 2009.

Melody Sawyer Richardson: Ms. Richardson is a commercial realtor specializing in the sale of unique and historic properties. Her mission is to bring people and businesses back to the urban core.

After receiving a Master's in Social Work from OSU, she went on to earn an MBA (Rutgers School of Management), and JD (Rutgers Law School). She is admitted to the bar in New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Kentucky. Previously an attorney with a Wall Street law firm, she returned to Cincinnati where she became Vice President & General Counsel of Cincinnati Arts Association.

Ms. Richardson has chaired many events and served on many local and national boards including the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, SPCA, University of Cincinnati Foundation, the International Sculpture Center, and the U.S. Dept. of State Fine Arts Committee. She is Vice Regent for George Washington's home, Mt. Vernon, where she represents Ohio, and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

A native Cincinnatian, she joined the SORTA Board in 2003. She was elected Chair in 2007 and re-elected to lead the organization in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

During Ms. Richardson’s tenure as Chair, SORTA has moved forward with a number of key initiatives including:

• Extensive “grow*Metro” community involvement process to refine Metro’s capital plan in preparation for the federal reauthorization process
• A new federal lobbying effort to secure funds for replacement of buses past their useful life and other critical capital projects
• SORTA Board strategic planning process
• Inclusive SORTA budget process that sought input from elected leaders and community partners
• Diversification of Metro services through the addition of articulated (accordion) buses and hybrid buses
• Expansion of the Everybody Rides Metro foundation, which has provided about 700,000 bus tokens to low-income individuals through partner agencies over the past two years

William Mallory Sr.: Mr. Mallory has served on the Ohio Elections Commission and the board of the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati. He was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives for 28 years, retiring in 1994 with the record as the longest serving majority leader in Ohio's history and the longest serving Ohio House representative from Hamilton County. On the national level, Mr. Mallory was appointed to the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee by President Carter and to the International Trade Advisory Committee by President Clinton.

He has won numerous awards for his support of education, senior citizens, public transportation, mental health, and American Civil Liberties issues, including the Martin Luther King Dream Keeper Award. He is a graduate of Central State University and pursued post-graduate studies at Xavier University. He taught courses at the University of Cincinnati in state government and African-American politics for 25 years.

Metro is a non-profit, tax-funded public service of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, providing about 20 million rides per year. Metro supports the economy, protects the environment, encourages energy independence, and improves the quality of life in Greater Cincinnati.