In Memoriam: J. Barry Barker

J. Barry Barker, retired, longtime executive director of the Transit Authority of River City (TARC), Louisville, KY, died recently.

Barker served TARC for nearly 25 years, from Sept. 1994 until his retirement in Nov. 2018. He led the implementation of numerous new technologies for the agency, including electric buses, real-time alerts, and an effort to install Wi-Fi across the fleet. Under his leadership, TARC created partnerships with major local employers, government agencies, and schools, including Humana, Louisville Metro, the University of Louisville, and Jefferson Community and Technical College, enabling employees, students, faculty, and staff to ride free with appropriate ID.

Before joining TARC, Barker was general manager of the METRO Regional Transit Authority, Akron, OH, and before that served as assistant general manager for marketing and management at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.

Barker was the recipient of the Transportation Research Board’s 2012 Sharon D. Banks Award for Humanitarian Leadership in Transportation for his career-long commitment and contributions to “improving transportation access—and the quality of life—for the poor, elderly, and people with disabilities” and for a management approach that looks “beyond specific transportation modes to a customer focus where travel and access needs of customers are paramount and transportation options are designed accordingly.”

His accomplishments at TARC were also recognized by the Louisville Urban League, the Kentucky Council for the Blind, and many other organizations, and he was honored by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, Easter Seals, and the NAACP for his work to ensure diversity in the workplace and accessible transportation.

Barker served on the Easter Seals Project Action Advisory Committee and the National Center for Senior Transportation, was a member of the TRB Executive Committee, chaired the Transit Research Analysis Committee, and served as chair or member of many other committees and Transit Cooperative Research Program panels. He chaired the board of the National Transit Institute.

The Kentucky Public Transit Association inducted Barker into its Hall of Fame in 2007. The Kentucky Transportation Center named him to the Kentucky Transportation Hall of Fame in 2018, and he was inducted into the APTA Hall of Fame in 2020. He won APTA’s Outstanding Public Transportation Manager Award in 2007.

For APTA, Barker had been a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee and chaired the Legislative, Sustainability, and Meeting Site Selection committees and numerous subcommittees. He served on the Diversity and Inclusion Council and on the Bus & Paratransit CEOs; Mid-Size Operations; Mobility Management; Research & Technology; Marketing, Communications, and Customer Experience; and Leadership APTA committees, and many subcommittees.