Spokane Transit Authority selects new CEO Karl Otterstrom

Spokane, WA – At a Special Board Meeting today, the Spokane Transit Authority (STA) Board of Directors voted to confirm Karl Otterstrom as the agency’s next Chief Executive Officer. Otterstrom, who currently serves as STA’s Interim Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Planning & Development Officer, is anticipated to assume the role in August pending a mutually signed, Board approved employment contract. He will succeed E. Susan Meyer, who served as CEO from 2005-2024.

 

“I could not be more pleased to welcome Karl Otterstrom as the new CEO of the STA,” said Chair Pro Tem and Medical Lake Councilmember Lance Speirs. “He has clearly demonstrated a steady commitment to serving the community and a drive to continually improve the STA to make it the best it can be. The Board looks forward to the opportunity to work with Mr. Otterstrom as he leads STA forward.”

 

“I'm honored and humbled by the Board's trust in me to lead and partner in advancing public transportation in our region,” said Otterstrom. “I look forward to working with the Board, our employees, and the community in connecting everyone to opportunity and supporting our region's economy and residents with efficient, effective public transportation.”

 

Karl Otterstrom Background & Qualifications

 

Otterstrom has nearly 20 years of experience in public transportation, with over 15 of those years at STA. His leadership has been central to major initiatives such as the successful launch of the City Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, and the delivery of the ten-year strategic plan STA Moving Forward, which has expanded service, improved infrastructure, and increased access to high-performance transit across the region. He currently leads the implementation of the Connect 2035 strategic plan and Division Street BRT projects.

 

Karl Otterstrom holds a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning from Eastern Washington University. He joined STA in 2009 as Director of Planning & Development. Since then, he has helped STA secure more than $170 million in grant funding and created programs like the Universal Transit Access Pass (UTAP), which increased both ridership and revenue. He also led the development of a new partnership with Spokane Public Schools to shift most high school students to public transit starting in 2022, helping the school district save money. During economic downturns, he led efforts to restructure STA bus service, cutting costs while still increasing ridership. Otterstrom’s leadership of STA’s Planning & Development division has resulted in a transit network widely regarded by industry professionals as highly efficient and well-optimized.

 

Otterstrom is a Spokane native who regularly rides transit; more than 1,000 STA bus trips in some years. He began his career with the agency as an intern in 2002. He has been active in many community and professional organizations, including the University District Development Association and the Spokane Regional Transportation Council. He has also shared his expertise nationally, presenting at industry conferences and helping shape transit policies beyond the Spokane region, and has taught in the Urban and Regional Planning Department at Eastern Washington University. Otterstrom and his wife, Kate Otterstrom, are residents of the City of Spokane and their children attend Spokane Public Schools.

 

CEO Search Process

 

In late 2024, the STA Board launched a national search for a new CEO with the assistance of KL2 Connects, a national recruitment firm known for its successful placement of public transit executives. The Board formed a CEO Task Force with representatives from each STA jurisdiction. KL2 conducted in-depth interviews with Board members, staff leaders, and labor representatives to develop a candidate profile. Public input was also gathered through an online survey, which received more than 240 responses and helped shape the job description and recruitment strategy.

 

KL2 received 32 applications and conducted screening interviews with five candidates. Three finalists were referred to the Task Force and interviewed in late May 2025. Following deliberation, the Task Force voted to advance Otterstrom for further consideration. The process included stakeholder and employee engagement and was conducted in accordance with Washington State law to maintain candidate confidentiality.

 

Karl is a past board chair of the University District Development Association and University District Public Development Authority.