BART Board of Directors elects Melissa Hernandez to serve as Board President
The BART Board of Directors during its meeting today unanimously elected Melissa Hernandez to serve as its president for the 2026 term. Hernandez served as Board Vice President for the 2025 term. She is the first Latina to serve on the BART Board of Directors and now becomes the first Latina to serve as Board President.
Click here to read the press release!
BART Director
Melissa Hernandez
For Clean, Safe, Affordable BART Service
Thank you for visiting my website. I am honored to serve as your representative on the BART Board for Dublin, Hayward, Livermore, Pleasanton, Castro Valley and unincorporated Alameda County.
As a local Mayor and Chair of two regional transit boards, I have seen that BART can do more to improve on-time service, keep trains clean and safe for riders, and ensure more responsible fiscal management. My vision is to keep our public transportation working for everyone – and to keep BART reliable, affordable, and safe for everyone who rides. I am putting my years of transit experience to work to make this a reality for all of us.
While I am the newest member of the Board, addressing these critical quality of life issues is not new to me:
As chair of the Valley Transportation Authority (LAVTA), I made tough budget decisions aimed at keeping fares affordable for riders.
While serving on the Alameda County Transportation Commission, I have worked with my colleagues and transportation staff to plan, fund, and deliver transportation programs and projects. With your support, I’ll work to do the same for BART riders.
As a member of the Alameda County Transportation Commission, I have worked to make our process transparent, and to hold our agencies accountable to the public.
I chair the Livermore-Amador Valley Transit Authority and Tri-Valley/San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority (Valley Link), where I work on behalf of seniors, students, people with disabilities and working families every day to make transportation accessible and affordable.
As Mayor of Dublin, I demanded our City remain fiscally accountable and ensured transparency in all decision-making. Through difficult financial times, I’ve led efforts to maintain healthy emergency reserves and a budget surplus—and am bringing the same fiscal leadership to BART.
I will work towards modernization and energy efficiency of our BART train fleet. As Dublin’s Mayor, I elevated our track record as a “Green City” sustainable for future generations, including developing a Climate Action Plan to be carbon neutral by 2045, switching our electricity supply to renewable solar and wind sources, and utilizing solar garbage cans. I will fight for the same reforms at BART.
With your support, I will continue to champion policies that embrace diversity and community engagement in planning for a sustainable BART system that is clean, safe, affordable, and reliable for every rider.
BART Director Melissa Hernandez
