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The Sound Transit Board of Directors today approved the choice of King County Executive Dow Constantine to serve as Sound Transit’s next CEO. Constantine’s start date as CEO will be April 1.

“For every large organization, time is money, and we don’t have time or money to waste delivering on the promise of a truly regional mass transit system,” said Dave Somers, Snohomish County Executive and Sound Transit Board Chair. “Dow can hit the ground running and intimately knows the inner workings of Sound Transit. He has proven his ability to oversee large organizations, run a major transit agency, and maintain crucial partnerships locally, regionally, and nationally that will be necessary to complete the central spine. Our economy and environment will benefit from the success of Dow and Sound Transit.”

The Board’s action followed the recommendation of the Board’s Executive Committee, which solicited input on priorities and reviewed 60 applicants from around the world, 15 of whom were interviewed. The final selection process included candidate interviews with multiple panels representing a wide range of regional interests.

“It is an honor to be chosen as the next CEO of Sound Transit,” said Constantine. “Much of my service as an elected official has been devoted to building the world-class transit system our region has long needed and creating vibrant, transit-connected communities throughout Central Puget Sound. I can think of nothing I would rather do than lead this agency into the future, and I thank the Board for their vote of confidence.”

Constantine was elected King County Executive in 2009 and is serving a record fourth term as leader of one of the nation's largest and most dynamic metropolitan regions. A former member of the King County Council and the Washington State Senate and House of Representatives, Dow is a three-time University of Washington alumnus, holding postgraduate degrees in law and urban planning.

With his commitment to making Martin Luther King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive, Dow has led the region’s work to deliver world-class transit, restore our cherished natural environment, combat climate impacts, and build health, safety, and opportunity for all people. His administration's initiatives are informed by the principles of continuous improvement and guided by the goal of becoming the most forward-looking, best-run government in the nation.

Constantine has extensive experience leading large transit agencies, namely King County Metro, one of the largest agencies in the U.S., and an agency voted in 2018 as the Best Large Transit Agency in North America by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) - non-profit international association representing public and private sector organizations involved in public transit. In the wake of COVID, recession, inflation, and workforce shortages that were holding back transit service, Constantine led Metro back to an era of growth, efficiency, strong ridership recovery, and a full workforce.

“I have dedicated a great deal of my professional life to expanding light rail specifically and transit generally in our region,” said Sound Transit Board Vice Chair and King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci. “In selecting the next CEO for Sound Transit, as with all the decisions I am called on to make regarding transit, I put the mission of providing great transit at the very forefront. We must get this system built. We must build it as quickly as possible. And we must put the needs of riders first at all times. I support the appointment of Dow Constantine as our next CEO because I believe he is the candidate most capable to lead the agency in the right direction to meet our goals, today and into the future. Knowing that all of us in agency leadership will be called upon to live up to community expectations, to be transparent and communicative about our progress and our problems, and to provide results, I remain as committed as ever to these goals and I look forward to working with Dow to achieve them.”

“We welcome Dow as the next CEO and appreciate his commitment to delivering critical transit projects for the entire region,” said Pierce County Executive and Sound Transit Board Vice Chair Ryan Mello. “Dow has adeptly managed large, complex government organizations, including a major transit agency. His experience is what we need to deliver ST3 and safe, reliable transit. The Board will work closely with Dow to establish key metrics to ensure Sound Transit is the best run, most efficient transit agency in the country.”

"The only thing more popular than light rail in this region is getting it done faster. Sound Transit needs a leader who will fight for the agency and deliver the expansion our region voted for,” said Kirk Hovenkotter, Executive Director of Transportation Choices Coalition. “Dow Constantine has been one of the Puget Sound region's greatest champions for transit. He has the right blend of transit experience and regional savvy to meet challenges head-on and bring great transit to our region."

“As President and CEO of Economic Alliance Snohomish County, I want to add my congratulations to the Sound Transit Board for their careful and thoughtful deliberations that have led to the nomination of Dow Constantine as the next CEO of Sound Transit. I was privileged to serve with other community and business leaders on one of the interview panels. I came away from the interviews convinced Dow understands and supports completing the construction of the light rail spine to Everett and Tacoma as a high priority,” said President and CEO of Economic Alliance Snohomish County Ray Stephanson.

“Dow Constantine’s worker-centered, forward-thinking approach was responsible for creating family-wage union jobs and ensuring the highest labor standards” said Nathe Lawver, Secretary-Treasurer of the Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, “He knows that supporting essential workers and working families leads to a flourishing region. We’re confident that he will bring the same vision to the nation’s largest transit expansion project and operations, which is poised to expand in Pierce County in the years ahead.”

As member of the Sound Transit Board since 2006, Constantine has been intimately involved in the successes and challenges of the agency during an unprecedented period of growth. He led the 2014-2015 process to conceive of, draft, and present Sound Transit 3 to voters, the largest transit capital expansion project in North American history. He led the 2014-2015 process to update the Long-Range Plan, adopt a system plan and ultimately conceive of, draft, and present Sound Transit 3 to voters. His leadership led to passage of the largest transit capital expansion project in North American history.

Under the terms of the proposed contract, Constantine’s initial term will run through Dec. 31, 2026, with two successive one-year renewals available at the Board’s discretion through Dec. 31, 2028. His annual base salary will be $450,000.

Interim CEO Goran Sparrman will continue to serve as the acting CEO or as an advisor, as requested by Constantine, until May 2, 2025.

Victoria Baecher Wassmer joins the agency as Deputy CEO; Hughey Newsome as Chief Financial Officer

Publish Date

February 18, 2025

Sound Transit today announced that Victoria Baecher Wassmer and Hughey Newsome have joined the agency to lead the Finance & Business Administration (FBA) Department. Wassmer assumes the role of Deputy CEO – Finance & Business Administration, and Newsome takes on the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO), reporting to Wassmer. The two will work together to ensure the agency can affordably deliver the voter-approved transit system expansion program.

Wassmer most recently worked as Assistant Secretary/Chief Financial Officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation, where she led the budget, finance, risk, evaluation and performance administration through the implementation of the largest infrastructure program in U.S. history. She has extensive financial leadership experience that spans federal, state and regional agencies, and a comprehensive understanding of both the funding mechanisms and implementation of capital projects.

Newsome comes to Sound Transit from Piston Group, an automotive manufacturing company focused on electrification, where he was CFO. His strong base of experience includes strategic financial management and administrative oversight to ensure the financial health of a variety of large organizations. Newsome also has a track record of municipal finance leadership, including serving as CFO for both county and city governments, where he led successful bond financing initiatives and credit rating improvements.

"We are thrilled to bring on two deeply skilled and experienced leaders to steer Sound Transit through this complex economic and financial environment," said Interim CEO Goran Sparrman. "Victoria and Hughey's demonstrated success with organizational transformation and their shared commitment to Sound Transit's values position them to be a fantastic team to join the agency's leadership."

Wassmer will oversee a newly restructured Finance & Business Administration Department, which Newsome will join as a direct report. The team includes Finance, Information Technology, Procurement, Contracts and Agreements, Administrative Services, and Business Transformation. In her role as Deputy CEO, Wassmer will also be a member of the agency’s leadership Cabinet.

Wassmer holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard’s John F Kennedy School of Government and is also a proud graduate of Bryn Mawr College (BA). Newsome graduated from Harvard’s Business School with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and has a Master of Electrical Engineering degree from Stanford University. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville (BSEE).

Sound Transit builds and operates regional transit services for growing urban areas of Washington’s Pierce, King, and Snohomish counties. The district comprises more than 50 cities and more than 40 percent of the state’s residents, who have authorized the most ambitious transit expansion in the nation.

Sound Transit’s next Link light rail extension is slated to open to Downtown Redmond on May 10, followed by connections across Lake Washington later this year and to Federal Way in 2026.

Board action follows input from more than 2,300 people on potential station name

The Sound Transit Board has voted to adopt the name Pinehurst Station for the NE 130th Infill Station Project. The station, which will enter passenger service in 2026, will serve the growing residential neighborhood between Northgate and Shoreline South/148th Street stations.

This new elevated station was approved by voters in 2016 as part of the ST3 ballot measure and will be the first infill station to join the Link light rail network. The project includes pedestrian and bicycle connections, bus stops at the 130th/5th Avenue intersection, a dedicated paratransit drop-off area, and a passenger vehicle drop-off area.

The name change comes after robust public engagement and an internal station name evaluation process. Sound Transit made surveys available in nine languages, and outreach staff made over 800 in-person contacts in the area. Combined with email and online outreach, more than 2,300 people weighed in on the new station name. Survey respondents were asked to assess a short list of names, and “Pinehurst Station” emerged as the top choice.

Staff will now move forward with fabricating “Pinehurst Station” signage and programming necessary systems to ensure that Pinehurst opens with all necessary passenger-facing and operations-related tools tested and ready for revenue service.  

Pinehurst Station is an important part of Sound Transit’s larger regional expansion of light rail service to downtown Redmond and across the I-90 bridge. When the current expansion projects are complete, Link will provide service to future Pinehurst riders as often as every four minutes, as trains travel through Seattle to reach Federal Way and the east side.