San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) recently announced that Harlow Church has joined the District, bringing more than 17 years of experience in transit operations, system safety, fire life safety, emergency management, and regulatory compliance. Church joins RTD after an extensive career with Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), where he most recently served as Fire Life Safety Program Administrator. In that role, he developed and managed fire prevention and first responder programs, including fire department familiarization and training involving transit facilities and equipment. Church also worked closely with BART Police and System Safety in support of the agency’s emergency management program. His responsibilities included developing and directing tabletop and full-scale emergency exercises and supporting Emergency Operations Center planning and activations for major events, including the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup.
Previously, Church served in BART’s System Safety Department as Principal Operations Safety Specialist, where he led accident and incident investigations, conducted operational safety reviews and audits, identified hazards, developed corrective actions, and worked with internal stakeholders to address safety deficiencies. His experience also includes developing BART’s right-of-way encampment risk assessment program. In that capacity, he worked with BART and City of Oakland stakeholders to align encampment policies, evaluate risk, prioritize mitigation areas, and oversee station and facility cleanouts designed to reduce combustible fire loads and related safety hazards.
Church began his transportation career in freight and passenger rail, serving in frontline and supervisory positions as a Conductor, Locomotive Engineer, DMU Operator, and Operations Supervisor before transitioning into system safety. RTD leadership said Church’s combination of frontline transportation experience and senior-level safety and emergency management expertise will support the District’s continued focus on strengthening safety throughout the organization.
“Safety must remain at the center of everything we do at RTD,” said Eric Williams, Chief Executive Officer of San Joaquin Regional Transit District. “Harlow brings a unique combination of operational experience, system safety expertise, emergency preparedness, and first responder coordination. His experience will help us continue strengthening our safety culture while ensuring RTD is prepared to respond effectively when emergencies occur.”
Williams added that Church’s arrival is part of RTD’s broader effort to strengthen the organization for the future.
“As we look at where RTD needs to be over the next several decades, our responsibility goes beyond providing transportation. We must ensure that our employees, riders, facilities, and operations are supported by strong safety systems, sound emergency planning, and a culture of preparedness and accountability. Harlow’s experience will be an important part of that work.”
RTD officials noted that Church will be an important part of the District’s continued commitment to providing safe, reliable, and responsible public transportation throughout San Joaquin County.
