Help us make TheRide the best it can be by serving on the Board of Directors. As a member of the Board, you are helping TheRide meet present public transit needs and shaping the future of our agency.

Planned and unplanned vacancies occasionally occur. If you are interested in joining our Board, please review the following information and consider contacting the CEO for an initial meeting.

TheRide is seeking interested individuals with the following qualifications:

• Residency in member jurisdiction (City of Ann Arbor, City of Ypsilanti, or Ypsilanti Township)
• Commitment to excellence in governance and to TheRide
• Capacity for strategic, broad-term thinking

Board members are expected to sign conflict of interest statements each year. Under state law, some public officials may not be allowed to sit on the Board. Please contact the CEO if any potential conflicts exist.

Board members volunteer about 8-10 hours of their time to the Board each month, or about 120 hours annually. All time is uncompensated, although expenses can be reimbursed.

• Each Board member is assigned to a committee and spends about five hours per month in meetings (one Committee meeting and one full Board meeting) and another 2-3 hours monthly reading prepared material.
• A full day retreat is typically held once a year.
• Additional time may be required to address emergent issues, work on taskforces, or other matters.

The Board has developed a set of expectations for itself and its members, based on the Policy Governance model. Anyone with interest in serving on the Board should carefully read section 3 of the AAATA Board Policy Manual. 

The Board will govern with an emphasis on:

The best interests of the entirety of the ownership and stewardship of the agency,

• Outward vision rather than an internal preoccupation
• Encouragement of diversity in viewpoints
• Strategic leadership more than administrative detail
• Clear distinction of Board and chief executive roles
• Collective rather than individual decisions
• Future rather than past or present
• Proactivity rather than reactivity

Board members are appointed by the municipal governments of member jurisdictions. The AAATA regularly suggests potential Board candidates to the elected bodies for consideration. Please contact Matt Carpenter, CEO, for more information.