Executive Staff
Board Officers
Aimee Steele
General CounselLinda Nemeroff
Board Administrative Officer / District SecretaryMichael Hursh
General Manager
Aimee Steele
General Counsel
Ms. Steele has over 21 years of legal experience, of which more than 11 have been with public transit agencies. Joining AC Transit in 2012, Ms. Steele worked as an Attorney III and an Attorney IV, primarily handling litigation. From 2018 to 2021, Ms. Steele worked as a Senior Attorney for Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) where she handled litigation and supervised the Risk Department (including workers’ compensation), advised on various transit related issues, and introduced new and innovative claims and litigation management strategies to SacRT. Ms. Steele also worked for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation where she advised on employee disciplinary matters, oversaw investigations, and handled administrative hearings before the State Personnel Board. In 2021, Aimee rejoined AC Transit as Assistant General Counsel, where she assisted the General Counsel.
As General Counsel/Chief Litigation Officer, Ms. Steele will take charge of all legal matters for the District and will manage all outside counsel services provided to the District.
Ms. Steele holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Davis.
Linda Nemeroff
Board Administrative Officer / District Secretary
Linda joined AC Transit in September 2005 as the Assistant District Secretary and was appointed Board Administrative Officer/District Secretary in November 2006. She is a Senior Board Officer reporting directly to the transit agency’s seven member elected Board of Directors.
With more than 30 years’ experience in state and local government, Linda began her career in the field of social services, later advancing to the position of Deputy Clerk of the Board to the Kings County Board of Supervisors. Linda also served as a Court Administrative Aide for the Superior Court of California, County of Monterey for five years before joining AC Transit.
Linda earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from San Jose State University and received her Municipal Clerk Certification in 2009 from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC). Her professional affiliations include the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, the California Special District’s Association, the California City Clerks Association and the American Public Transportation Association. Linda is also a member of the California City Clerks Legislative Committee.
Michael Hursh
General Manager
Mike was appointed the General Manager by the AC Transit Board of Directors in September 2015. He is a nine-year veteran of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), serving as the Deputy Director, Operations for Maintenance and Security, and between 2012 and 2015 as the Chief Operating Officer. As COO, Mike directed all VTA transit operations, including bus and light rail, operator training, accessible services, planning, scheduling, and facility maintenance. Among his previous positions, he served as Deputy General Manager for Maintenance, Safety and Training for the San Francisco Municipal Railway. Mike is a champion for the environment and has a thorough understanding of public transportation in the Bay Area. He values customers, key stakeholders and employees who make transit systems work. Mike is on the APTA Board of Directors. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from American Military University. A native of Reno, Nevada, Mike is a long-time Bay Area resident and veteran of the United States Air Force, serving six years in active duty and five years as a reservist in the California Air National Guard. He is a past chair of the California Transit Association Rail Operations & Regulatory Committee and graduate of Leadership Contra Costa.
Executive Team
Chris Andrichak
Chief Financial OfficerAhsan Baig
Chief Information OfficerSalvador Llamas
Chief Operating OfficerRamakrishna Pochiraju, P.E.
Executive Director of Planning and Engineering
Chris Andrichak
Chief Financial Officer
Chris Andrichak has worked his way through AC Transit, beginning his career with the organization in 2011, where he started in the Capital Planning and Grants Department. He later became manager of the department in 2015, before rising to Director of Management and Budget in 2017. Most recently, he served as Acting Deputy Chief Financial Officer in July 2020. Chris is a graduate of the 2019 class of the American Public Transit Association Leadership class. Before AC Transit, he spent five years with MTA New York City Transit in the Capital Budget department. Chris attended Drexel University (B.S. in Electrical Engineering) and Stanford University (M.S. in Electrical Engineering). After several years in software development he changed career paths and went back to school and obtained an M.S. in Urban Planning with a focus on transportation from Hunter College which started his current route in public transit.
Ahsan Baig
Chief Information Officer
Ahsan provides strategic direction, policy guidance, and the IT services necessary to meet the AC Transit’s operational objectives, overseeing and coordinating all IT investments, initiatives, projects and programs. Ahsan has over 24 years of private and public sector Information Technology experience, leading and managing high-performing teams in critical, high-visibility projects. Most recently, with the City of Oakland, he spent 14 years in managerial and technical lead roles, such as Division Manager, Interim CIO, and Deputy CIO overseeing IT infrastructure, 911 public safety systems, mission critical radio systems, Project Management Office (PMO) and business applications. Ahsan has worked for Parsons Brinckerhoff, where he worked with Caltrans and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) on several smart transportation and transit related projects like 511, FasTrak, etc. Prior to Parsons Brinckerhoff, Ahsan worked as Director of Information Technology and Technical Support at several companies including MetaTV, Inc., Worldgate Communications, Inc., MFS WorldCom, and Raytheon. Ahsan earned a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Physics from University of Karachi, as well as a Master’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from the City College, City University of New York (CUNY).
Salvador Llamas
Chief Operating Officer
Sal has over 29 years of progressive leadership experience in transit operations. Before joining AC Transit, Sal worked at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and served in the United States Marine Corps. As a Marine Staff Sergeant, he deployed on two combat tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sal began his tenure at AC Transit as Director of Maintenance in December 2012 and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in October 2017.
Sal has focused on delivering measurable service improvements that support AC Transit’s Strategic Plan. He remains active on the following American Public Transportation Association (APTA) committees: Bus Operations and Zero Emissions Fleet. At the State level, he is active with the California Transit Association (CTA) Operations committee and Zero Emission Vehicle Task Force. Sal is a graduate of the Eno Center for Transportation-Transit Senior Executive Program, APTA Leadership Program, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. Inspiring future leaders is one of Sal’s passions, he serves as a Board Member for the APTA Foundation, served as Vice President of the Board for Latinos In Transit from January 2020 to December 2021, and continues to participate on various local and national leadership programs as a mentor.
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, P.E.
Executive Director of Planning and Engineering
Ramakrishna joined the District in April 2013, bringing 22 years of progressive experience in program management, contract administration, planning, design and construction of transportation and transit projects. He served as Building Standards Commissioner for City of Sugar Land, TX and on the Roadways and Pavement Committee of Michigan Transportation Research Board to identify overarching research needs and help develop and prioritize Research Need Statements (RNS). Prior to joining AC Transit, Rama managed a $3.1 billion dollar hurricane Ike/Dolly disaster recovery program as Project Review Manager providing capital project facilitation, oversight, and conflict resolution for 4000 projects in 300 communities in 29 counties. Rama most recently held the position of Director of Capital Projects with AC Transit. Mr. Pochiraju is a Registered Professional Engineer in California, Texas and Michigan, and provides a wealth of knowledge on federal, state and local policies and procedures. Ramakrishna holds Master’s degree in Computer Applications and Systems Engineering from Temple University, and B.S (Honors) in Civil Engineering and M.S. (Honors) in Physics from BITS, Pilani.
Direct Reports
Robert Lyles
Media Affairs ManagerMaryam Paracha
Executive CoordinatorLynette Little
Director of Civil Rights and ComplianceAlan Parello
Internal Audit ManagerMarla Lee Blagg
Director, Safety and Security
Robert Lyles
Media Affairs Manager
Robert joined the District in January 2016, bringing more than 15 years of strong media relations experience. He began his career as a reporter and anchor, generating exclusive news content for various news stations in Kansas, Pennsylvania, Virginia and California, including more than six years at KPIX in San Francisco. In 2014, Robert joined San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) as the Deputy Spokesperson for SFMTA’s transit service, Taxi & Accessible Services, and the Muni Forward campaign. Robert earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Master’s degree in Journalism & Public Affairs from American University. He was a member of the award-winning team that received the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association in 2013 and 2014 for Overall Excellence and Breaking News. He was an Emmy Nominee in 2012 for Best Live Reporting & Outstanding Investigative Reporting and was honored for Outstanding Multi-Part Series by the Radio-Television News Direction Association of Northern California.
Maryam Paracha
Executive Coordinator
Maryam joined the team in 2012 and has over eight years of Executive Coordinator/Project Management experience with a financial services background. Before joining AC Transit she was with Boyden Global Executive Search in San Francisco where she focused on client needs, conducted research and played a significant role in candidate development. She also brings experience in private sector early stage investments and funding from a Venture Capital industry where she worked closely with Life Science and Clean Tech Portfolio Companies, managed research and lead Project Coordination for the Managing Directors. Maryam is a philanthropist for Salvare La Vita Water, a local bay area American Bottle Water company geared to help solve the world’s water crisis. Maryam holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and with a concentration in Business Management from UCLA.
Lynette Little
Director of Civil Rights and Compliance
Lynette joined the District in February 2020, bringing more than 20 years of combined federal compliance, Civil Rights and Leadership experience to the District. She is responsible for Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE), Small Business Enterprise (SBE), Title VI, EEO and Drug and Alcohol programs for both Federal and State regulation requirements. Prior to joining the District, she served at the Region IX Civil Rights officer for the US Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), where she was responsible for DBE, Title VI, ADA and EEO Federal compliance Programs for over 160 transit agencies located in Region IX. Prior to her position as Regional Civil Rights Officer with FTA, she had over 10 years in Federal Service, serving in various capacities in Federal Background Investigations Program. Ms. Little has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Psychology from Sacramento State University.
Alan Parello
Internal Audit Manager
Alan joined AC Transit in 1990 and has performed a wide variety of financial and operational audits during his tenure here. He leads a department that strives to provide collaborative, solutions-based audit services with an emphasis on improving agency internal controls and operating efficiency. Prior to joining AC Transit, Alan worked as an Internal Auditor for AM International, Inc. and as an Investment Accountant for JMB Realty, Inc. in Chicago. Alan has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Southern Illinois University and is a Certified Public Accountant.