BART Board of Directors elects Melissa Hernandez to serve as Board President and Edward Wright as Board Vice President

The BART Board of Directors during its meeting today unanimously elected Melissa Hernandez to serve as its president for the 2026 term. Hernandez served as Board Vice President for the 2025 term. She is the first Latina to serve on the BART Board of Directors and now becomes the first Latina to serve as Board President.

Hernandez will lead the BART Board during what's expected to be a defining year for the future of the agency. BART faces a budget deficit of up to $400 million now that state and federal emergency funds have been exhausted and an uncertain future if a new source of reliable long-term funding can't be secured.

"Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your president," President Hernandez said following her election. "I truly believe this year will define BART for decades to come if we continue to put riders first and work together as a team to face the challenges ahead of us. I am confident people will look back on 2026 as the year we secured BART's future as the essential backbone of the Bay Area transit network."

First appointed to the Board on May 23, 2024, to fill the vacancy for District 5, Hernandez was elected in November 2024.

District 5 is in Alameda and Contra Costa counties and includes a portion of the City of Hayward, ranging from Castro Valley Station in the north to Hayward Station in the south. It also includes the City of Pleasanton (except for a portion near Kilkare Woods), the City of Livermore, the City of Dublin, the southeastern part of San Ramon, and rural areas in east Alameda County.

Previously, Hernandez served as a City of Dublin councilmember for eight years and also served as the city's mayor for four years until June 2024. She has chaired three regional transit boards: the Livermore-Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA), Tri Valley/San Joaquin Valley Regional Transportation Authority (Valley Link), and the Finance Committee of the Alameda County Transportation Commission. 

Director Edward Wright elected as BART Board Vice President

The Board of Directors also unanimously elected District 9 Director Edward Wright as Board Vice President. Wright was elected to serve on the board in November 2024.

District 9 is in San Francisco and includes the following stations: 16th St Mission, 24th St. Mission, Embarcadero (shared with District 8), Civic Center/UN Plaza, Glen Park (shared with District 8), Montgomery (shared with District 8), and Powell St. (shared with District 8).

Prior to joining the BART Board, Edward led transportation policy and communications for three local legislators; served as a Transit Strategy and Communications Advisor for the SFMTA and as President of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club; and organized a range of political campaigns, civic and community events, marches, and direct actions.

"I believe this will be the most consequential year since BART was created, and I take this role and the responsibility that comes with it very seriously," Vice President Wright said during the board meeting. "I came here to try to do something and will do so by working together collaboratively with my colleagues. Let's go!"