Matt Killam Named To TARTA Board of Trustees

TARTA is excited to welcome Matt Killam as a representative of Lucas County on its Board of Trustees.

Killam is the Chief External Relations Officer for Metroparks Toledo, directing strategy for the team behind promoting the area’s 19 award-winning parks on 13,000 acres. His energy, enthusiasm and leadership have been crucial to the launch of the treehouse village at Oak Openings Metropark, the development of the Glass City Metropark and the ongoing Glass City Riverwalk project. Matt is also one of three hosts of the Four Hundred & Nineteen podcast, which also appears on WGTE.

“TARTA provides connections to the community, which is something I’m passionate about, so it’s an honor to join this board of dedicated public servants,” Killam said. “There shouldn’t be a financial barrier preventing anyone from enjoying the Metroparks or anything else that makes northwest Ohio a great place to live.

“TARTA’s leadership team has made so many positive steps toward making an already affordably system more reliable and able to serve more people. I’m thrilled to be part of charting its path for the future.”

TARTA’s board oversaw an increase in ridership on all services in 2025, with fixed route ridership clearing the two million ride mark. The recent additions of new diesel buses and TARTA’s first 11 full-sized electric vehicles greatly decreased the average age of the buses in TARTA’s fleet, from just over 12 years to just over six years.

In recent years, TARTA’s board has also overseen service expansions, several service changes including the major changes that hit the road this coming Sunday, and a return to financial stability.

“Matt is a great addition to a team of board members that has already helped lead TARTA through one of the most productive periods in its history,” said TARTA Board of Trustees President Kendra Smith. “He is so active as a positive force in this community in so many ways, and we are looking forward to his input as we continue to build on the improvements we have made.

“Skilled and passionate leadership is crucial to not just making TARTA better, but making lives better for the customers who depend on this system every day. Efficient, reliable public transportation can open the door to so many opportunities, and we are so excited to have Matt’s voice with us.”

TARTA’s Board of Trustees also includes:

• President Kendra Smith, Toledo 
• Vice President Mary Morrison, Sylvania 
• Heather Baker, Toledo 
• Joel Beren, Sylvania Township 
• Brittany Ford, Ottawa Hills 
• Gary Gonya, Toledo 
• Rev. Dr. W.L. Perryman III, Lucas County 
• Karen Poore, Lucas County 
• Zach Schmidt, Rossford 
• Lou Thomson, Maumee 
• Dr. Tiffany Whitman, Toledo

On January 19, TARTA celebrated the 55^th anniversary of its incorporation, and will be hosting events to celebrate throughout 2026. We are proud to have served the area for more than five decades of bringing passengers to new jobs, first Mud Hens games, family reunions and everything in between, and look forward to providing this crucial service for another 55 years.