AVTA Board extends Neshati’s pact
Executive director/CEO gets six more months, 5% pay increase
LANCASTER — The Antelope Valley Transit Authority Board of Directors unanimously extended Executive Director/CEO Macy Neshati’s contract six months through Dec. 31 with a 5% pay increase and a one-time incentive payment of 5% of his current salary.
Neshati’s current salary is $216,300 per year. His title will convert to project manager beginning Jan. 1, and continuing through Jan. 1, 2025. His salary will decrease to $100,000 a year beginning next year.
Neshati thanked the board for its support.
“It’s been the highlight of my life serving at the pleasure of this Board,” he said.
“We’re changing the world, Macy,” Chairman Marvin Crist said.
Neshati said after the meeting that he needs to cut back on his workload for health reasons. As project manager he will concentrate on future AVTA projects such as a 43-acre solar field and a three-bay bus building, and let his yet-to-be named CEO successor handle the day-to-day operations.
The Board appointed Neshati executive director in May 2018. His original contract ran from June 1, 2018, to May 30, 2020. It has been amended two times prior to the third amendment approved at Tuesday’s meeting.
Neshati succeeded former CEO Len Engel. Neshati then-served as
senior vice president of BYD, the company through which the AVTA purchases its fleet of battery-electric buses. The board sought an executive director with expertise in electric buses as the transit agency worked toward its goal to become the nation’s first all-electric bus fleet.
The AVTA has the nation’s first all-electric fixed route bus fleet. It is also the only profitable transit agency in the nation, despite lower ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This month, the agency’s zero-emission buses are expected to cross the five-million service miles mark. That milestone comes about six months after the zero-emission buses collectively accumulated four-million service miles last December.