The San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) earlier this month announced the appointment of Eric Williams as Acting Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately, following the resignation of Interim CEO Bearnard O. Veasley to attend to personal family matters.
Williams currently serves as RTD’s Chief Operating Officer, a role he assumed in May 2026. He rejoins RTD’s leadership team having previously served the agency for three years as Manager of Grant Programs. Prior to returning to RTD, he served as Grant & Capital Compliance Advisor for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Program for Wayne County, Michigan.
Williams brings extensive leadership experience in grants management, sponsored research administration, procurement, contracts, and compliance. He also supports several community organizations, including Donate Life and Habitat for Humanity. He earned his degree in Accounting from Morehouse College.
“Eric has the institutional knowledge, the operational expertise, and the trust of this organization to lead RTD through this transition,” said RTD Board Chairman Derek Graves. “He has already proven himself as our Chief Operating Officer, and the Board is confident in his ability to step into this role and keep this agency moving forward.”
Chairman Graves also acknowledged the contributions of outgoing Interim CEO Bearnard Veasley, who led RTD through a critical period of transition and the first phase of a comprehensive financial audit.
“Mr. Veasley stepped into this role during one of the most difficult periods in this District’s recent history, and he delivered,” said Chairman Graves. “He rebuilt trust with our neighboring and partnering agencies and cities throughout the county, brought calm and stability to our relationship with the bargaining union, made sure RTD’s leadership reflects the diverse community we serve, and put this agency on solid ground.”
Graves also credited Veasley with cultivating strong, stable leadership within RTD’s own ranks.
“Eric is one of those leaders Bearnard helped cultivate,” Graves said. “That’s part of Bearnard’s legacy here, he didn’t just stabilize this agency, he made sure it had the bench strength to keep moving forward after he was gone.”
Chairman Graves noted that Veasley also identified the root causes behind a significant service disruption earlier this year that affected thousands of riders, including students and elderly residents. As a result, the organization implemented new policies and safeguards to help ensure a disruption of that kind does not happen again.
Although Veasley is stepping down as Interim CEO, he has agreed to remain engaged with RTD as a consultant, continuing to support Acting CEO Williams and RTD’s eventual permanent CEO throughout the District’s ongoing audits, helping ensure the transparency and accountability riders and taxpayers deserve.
San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) is the regional transit provider for San Joaquin County. For more information visit sjRTD.com or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Contact RTD at 209-943-1111.
