Central Va. Transportation Authority names first leader

Chet Parsons will serve as the Central Virginia Transportation Authority’s first executive director, the organization announced Thursday.

Parsons has served as director of transportation for PlanRVA, also known as the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission, since 2019.

CVTA finances transportation projects across the Richmond region. It was established by the General Assembly in 2020 to provide and direct new funding opportunities for major transportation investments in the region. PlanRVA provides staffing to assist CVTA with administration, project evaluation and prioritization and other needs.

While Parsons will be the first person to serve in the CVTA’s executive director’s position, he has acted as its administrator since its inception.

“The appointment of Chet Parsons as the CVTA’s first-ever executive director reflects the high esteem he has engendered with members of the authority,” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, who also serves as CVTA chair, said in a statement. “Chet’s leadership, acumen and experience in the area of transportation are second to none and we are confident that he will help us move forward progressively and thoughtfully in addressing the region’s most important transportation needs.”

The CVTA has supported more than $460 million in regional transportation projects, in addition to more than $77 million in funding to the Greater Richmond Transit Co. (GRTC), which operates bus lines throughout the region. It has funded 45 projects, including widening 29 miles of Interstate 64 in New Kent County and developing parts of the 43-mile Fall Line Trail between Ashland and Petersburg, as well as a connector trail and bridge to the Henrico County’s upcoming GreenCity development.

Parsons has also served as a senior planner/project manager for Fortune 500 infrastructure engineering, planning and consulting firm AECOM, executive director of the Greater Morgantown Metropolitan Planning Organization in West Virginia and as a senior planner for Goochland County. He received a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University. He holds certifications from the American Planning Association and its American Institute of Certified Planners.

“The CVTA has already made a significant contribution to the transportation infrastructure of Central Virginia, and I’m excited at this opportunity to build on the momentum moving forward,” Parsons said in a statement. “We are focused on ensuring that tax dollars going into the CVTA are leveraging critical investment in our communities — investments that will help grow the region and enhance our quality of life.”