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Palo Alto has hired Mountain View’s Transportation Manager Ria Hutabarat Lo to serve as is chief transportation official, City Manager Ed Shikada announced Wednesday.
Hutabarat Lo will fill a position that was most recently occupied by Philip Kamhi, who resigned in December. She will start on June 2 and will receive a salary of $237,000, according to the announcement.
Hutabarat Lo is well familiar with the Peninsula’s transportation network, having served as transportation manager in Sunnyvale before shifting to Mountain View, where she was involved with projects such as the creation of the Castro Street pedestrian mall, the expansion of its Safe Routes to School program and its “Vision Zero” plan for minimizing vehicle collisions.
She will take on similar roles in Palo Alto, where she will lead efforts on mobility planning, sustainability and making bike commutes safer, according to the announcement.
“Ria brings a wealth of experience in transportation planning, programs, and engineering that will be instrumental managing our diverse range of transportation initiatives,” Shikada said in a statement. “As a seasoned leader with a genuine appreciation for community engagement and proactive problem solving, I am confident Ria will be successful advancing Palo Alto’s transportation priorities.”
A Palo Alto resident, Hutabarat Lo has a doctorate in city and regional planning from University of California, Berkeley, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in city planning, transportation engineering and environmental engineering. She had also previously served as principal with Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, a transportation consulting firm.
“I look forward to collaborating with City Manager Shikada, City staff, City Council and community members to advance Palo Alto’s transportation priorities,” Hutabarat Lo said.
