SEPTA chief Leslie Richards is stepping down

SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards announced Thursday that she will step down effective Nov. 29 from the sixth-largest public transportation agency in the nation.

Richards, 57, assumed her leadership role on Jan. 1, 2020, and was soon faced with navigating the agency through the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on ridership and SEPTA’s workforce.

Her departure comes as SEPTA faces significant funding challenges and plans to raise rider fares.

Richards said in a statement Thursday that she would be expanding her role at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design as a professor of practice in the Department of City and Regional Planning, as well as “pursuing other opportunities to serve the community.”

“It has been an honor to lead SEPTA, and especially to lead our 9,500 employees, each of whom brings incredible expertise, dedication and heart to serving our community,” Richards said.

“I’m proud to have led a workplace known for its collegiality, dedication to efficiency and equity. Working together, we have positioned SEPTA for a bright future, increasing frequent mobility and access to opportunities for our region,” she said.

Last year, Richards was awarded by SEPTA’s board with a new four-year contract and a 21% raise, increasing her salary to $425,000.

SEPTA board chair Kenneth Lawrence said in a statement: “Leslie has been a dedicated public servant for nearly 20 years, and at SEPTA she has been a true champion for public transit and for our region as a whole.”

Lawrence continued: “She faced an extraordinary set of challenges over the last five years, and we deeply appreciate her service to the cause of public transit. We wish her well in her future endeavors.”

SEPTA plans to soon conduct a nationwide search for Richards’s replacement, Lawrence said.

Until a successor is found, SEPTA’s chief operating officer, Scott Sauer, will serve as the agency’s interim general manager.

Besides dealing with the pandemic and continuing funding challenges, Richards has been credited with pushing forward ambitious projects in SEPTA’s strategic plan. Those include progress on the long-sought modernization of the trolley system and a comprehensive overhaul of bus routes aimed at improving service.

Before assuming the leadership at SEPTA, Richards served as the first woman to head the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. She also was a member of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.