About the Chicago Transit Board
The governing arm of the CTA is the Chicago Transit Board. The Board consists of seven members, with three appointed by the Mayor of Chicago, two appointed by the Governor of Illinois, and two appointed by the Cook County Board President.
Lester Barclay is Board Chairman and Neema Jha is Board Vice Chair. CTA's day-to-day operations are directed by Nora Leerhsen, Acting President.
The Mayoral appointees are Lester L. Barclay, Oswaldo Alvarez, and Michael Eaddy. The gubernatorial appointees are Nedra Sims Fears, and Neema Jha. The Cook County appointees are Tom Kotarac and Ann Kalayil.
Board members
Oswaldo Alvarez
Director
Read bio of Oswaldo Alvarez
Director Oswaldo Alvarez was appointed to serve on the CTA Board and the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Board in 2026 by Mayor Brandon Johnson. He began serving on the RTA board representing the City of Chicago in October 2025. Oswaldo is the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation’s Executive Director and oversees all programs, operations, and organizational development. He has nearly 20 years of experience, working across the sectors of nonprofit, government, and philanthropy – all the sectors designed to work with and for community. Before joining the ILLCF, Oswaldo was appointed by Governor Pritzker as the inaugural Census Director for the State of Illinois, helping the State achieve its highest self-response rate ever, ranking #1 among states with over 9 million people. A Chicago native and a fluent Spanish speaker, he earned his Master’s in Social Policy from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Lester L. Barclay
Chair
Read bio of Lester L. Barclay
Lester Barclay was appointed to chair the CTA Board of Directors in 2021 by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and previously served as chair of the CTA Citizens Advisory Board. In September 2026, he was re-elected to serve as Chairman of the CTA Board. He also serves on the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Board. Barclay has more than 40 years of legal experience in Chicago and has also served on a variety of civic and charitable organizations including the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Chicago Office of Tourism and Cultural Affairs.
A native of Chicago, Lester Barclay obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree, with honors, from Oberlin College in 1981. He then received his Juris Doctor Degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1986, Mr. Barclay was named a Henry Luce Scholar, having been identified by the Luce Foundation as one of the future leaders of America. As a result of being awarded a Luce Scholarship, Attorney Barclay was assigned to the Ministry of Industry of the Royal Thai Government in Bangkok, Thailand, where he worked to establish trade relations between companies in the United States and Southeast Asia. As an Attorney, Mr. Barclay has distinguished himself as a powerful advocate and champion for many families and businesses in Chicago and throughout the nation.
Michael Eaddy
Director
Read bio of Michael Eaddy
Director Michael Eaddy was appointed to the CTA Board in 2024 by Mayor Brandon Johnson. He has been pastor of the People’s Church of the Harvest Church of God in Christ for the past 41 years. He also serves as Executive Director of the Peoples Community Development Association of Chicago, which operates as an affordable housing developer and offers an ex-offender re-entry program. Mr. Eaddy received his undergraduate education in Business Administration and Theology at the Chicago City Colleges & Moody Bible Institute, respectively. He holds a Doctorate of Ministry from the St. Thomas College and Seminary in Jacksonville, FL. He is married to Missionary Christine Eaddy, has 4 children and 8 grandchildren.
Nedra Sims Fears
Director
Read bio of Nedra Sims Fears
Nedra Sims Fears is the Executive Director of The Greater Chatham Initiative, where she leads efforts to promote neighborhood investment and economic growth on Chicago’s South Side. She previously worked in mortgage banking and community development finance with Fannie Mae, the City of Chicago, and the Community Investment Corporation. Fears holds an MBA from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in interior architecture from Cornell University. She was also a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and previously served on the Metropolitan Planning Council Board. She was appointed by Governor JB Pritzker to serve on the CTA Board and the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Board.
Neema Jha
Vice Chair
Read bio of Neema Jha
Neema Jha is a technology and transformation executive with more than two decades of experience leading large-scale digital, operational, and organizational transformation across global enterprises. She currently serves as Director of Global Platform at Charles River Associates (CRA), where she leads strategy and operations across the firm’s global technology infrastructure, cloud, and network environment.
Previously, Jha held senior leadership roles at Amazon Web Services, where she led cloud-enabled business transformation initiatives for large enterprise clients. Her career also includes transformation leadership at Tribune Media and nearly a decade at Deloitte, advising organizations on technology, strategy, operating models, and major transformation programs.
Jha brings extensive experience in technology strategy, transformation, and governance. Her Board service has focused on accountability, measurable outcomes, and a more connected rider experience, with an emphasis on accessibility, responsible technology investment, and stronger coordination across safety, reliability, cleanliness, customer service, regional transit partners, and government agencies.
Jha was appointed to the Chicago Transit Board by Governor JB Pritzker in July 2022 and was reappointed in 2026. She holds an Executive MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a degree in Business and Finance from Truman State University.
Jha lives in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood with her husband and daughter. Outside of work and public service, she is an avid runner and can often be found running along Chicago’s lakefront and through the city’s neighborhoods.
Ann P. Kalayil, Ph.D.
Director
Read bio of Ann P. Kalayil
Ann P. Kalayil, Ph.D. is a 2026 Cook County appointee to the CTA Board. She is the Associate Vice President at Columbia College Chicago. Appointed by President Obama in 2011, Ann was the first woman and Asian-American Regional Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration’s Great Lakes Region. She has taught at DePaul University, Loyola University Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Ann is a Board of Trustee for Northeastern Illinois University, where she received the Distinguished Alumna Award in 2012. She holds positions on various boards, including the Center for Neighborhood Technology, the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy, and a cofounder or SAAPRI. Ann is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and has a strong background in leadership development.
Tom Kotarac
Director
Read bio of Tom Kotarac
Director Kotarac was appointed by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in 2026 to serve on the CTA Board and the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Board, and was recently elected Chair of the NITA Board. He is the Senior Vice President for Transportation and Infrastructure at the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, where he leads the organization’s work to strengthen the Chicago region’s transportation system, infrastructure, and economic competitiveness.
Previously, Kotarac served as Deputy Executive Director of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), helping lead the regio’s comprehensive planning agency and its work on transportation, land use, and economic development. Earlier in his career, he spent more than 12 years on Capitol Hill serving the Illinois congressional delegation, including as senior policy advisor and projects director for U.S. Senator Richard Durbin.
Kotarac has served on the Regional Transportation Authority Board and Chaired the RTA Subcommittee focused on the transition to the Northern Illinois Transit Authority.
Board meetings
The Chicago Transit Board meets monthly at the principal offices of the Chicago Transit Authority, 567 W. Lake Street, Second Floor Boardroom, Chicago, Illinois. Board meetings are open to the public. The meetings are also live streamed and can be accessed at transitchicago.com/board/video.
Board meetings usually take place at 10:00 am and are usually preceded by committee meetings. (See detailed calendar below.)
The separate committees include Human Resources, Strategic Planning, Capital Construction Oversight, and the Finance, Audit & Budget Committee.
For complete regular and special Board meeting notices, agendas, an exact schedule of committee meetings and special meetings see Meeting Notices, Agendas and Minutes as meeting dates approach, or contact us at (312) 681-5022 or [email protected].
These facilities are accessible to people with disabilities.
Regular Chicago Transit Board Meeting dates
Regular board meetings for the year 2026 are scheduled on the following dates:
- WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2026
- WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2026
- WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2026
- WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2026
- WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2026
- WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2026
- WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2026
- WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2026
- TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2026, 9:30am (change of date notice, change of time notice)
- TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2026, 11am (change of date and time notice)
- THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2026
- WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2026
Also, see Meeting Notices, Agendas & Minutes for additional details.
Public comment at Board Meetings
The public is welcome to make comments at public meetings, including meetings of the Chicago Transit Board. To make comments, you'll need to follow our comment process (including filling out a short form before the meeting). See this information to learn more about our Public Comment Process.
Live streaming of board meetings
You can watch board meetings online as they are happening or review video from prior meetings on our Board Video page.
Reaching the Board
Direct correspondence for the Chicago Transit Board or its members to:
Office of the Secretary
CTA Headquarters
567 W. Lake Street
Chicago, IL 60661
Tel: 1-312-681-5022
Fax: 1-312-681-5035
Email: [email protected]
See also