Project leadership

Rick is the Deputy Program Executive responsible for delivering the Stride bus rapid transit program. This work includes leading three individual projects within the ST3 portfolio (Bus Base North, SR522 BRT, and I-405 BRT), which is over $2B worth of capital project investment. Before his current role, Rick served as Principal Construction Manager and Deputy Project Director on the $1.9B Northgate Link Extension, which opened on schedule and under budget in October 2021.  

Rick has delivered infrastructure projects locally in the Puget Sound Region and abroad for over 25 years, including over 15 years focused on heavy-civil light rail construction projects for Sound Transit. He has worked as both a consultant and an in-house construction manager, handling a variety of project delivery methods, including design-bid-build, general contractor-construction manager, and design-build. Rick has gained expertise in underground construction throughout his career, including large-diameter tunnel construction in soft ground conditions (EPB TBM and SEM).

Registrations:

• Registered Professional Civil Engineer (PE) – Washington State #40076
• Certified Construction Manager (CCM) – Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) #32555

Education:

• Bachelor of Science – Civil Engineering, United States Military Academy
• Ongoing Graduate Studies towards Master of Science – Civil Engineering, University of Washington

Katie is an accomplished program management professional with over 20 years of experience across the sports, education, public, and municipal sectors. Her expertise is in managing large-scale programs, ranging from multi-million to multi-billion-dollar initiatives.  

Katie was previously the Director of Opportunity and Risk Management at MATT Construction, focusing on innovation and risk management. She also served as Vice President and Deputy Project Director at Legends, contributing to the development of SoFi Stadium (home to the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers) and Intuit Dome Arena (home to the Los Angeles Clippers).

Katie has extensive experience in program controls and risk management, contributing to the success of large-scale projects. She optimizes processes and systems to enhance operational efficiency and data integrity. This work provides teams with real-time visibility into project progress to track productivity and manage costs.

Manan leads Sound Transit's Tacoma Dome Link Extension, Everett Link Extension, Stride bus rapid transit, and future Link Extension teams. He previously served as Senior Director of Design & Construction for Austin Transit Partnership’s Orange Line and Senior Vice President of Delivery and Construction for Austin Light Rail. Manan developed the project delivery plan for ATP's $5-$7 billion light rail program, showcasing his commitment to innovation in technology and business processes.

He previously led BART’s Office of Transit System Development in the Bay Area, managing Silicon Valley extension projects and vehicle procurement. Before that, Manan was a key leader at MTA Capital Construction, helping deliver New York’s first new 2nd Ave Subway line in decades, overseeing real estate acquisition, design, and stakeholder management.

His experience managing mega projects from feasibility studies to construction, testing, and safety certification makes him an invaluable partner and leader in driving projects to excellence. 

Randy Harlow has served as Sound Transit’s Executive Project Director for the construction phase of East Link Extension since mid-2024, following the successful opening of the Agency’s Lynnwood Link Extension. Before joining Sound Transit in 2019, Randy led the construction management arm of WHH Nisqually Federal Services as the firm’s Executive Program Manager. This role relied on his expansive project experience spanning over 25 years, including industrial, site/civil, residential, and infrastructure construction.

Randy also previously served at the project level as the Resident Engineer for the construction phase of Sound Transit’s East Link Downtown Bellevue to Spring District Heavy Civil GC/CM project, Sound Transit’s first GC/CM project at the University of Washington Station, and the negotiated Airport Station. Randy provided resident engineering services for the Port of Seattle’s Landside and Stormwater silos of the Sea-Tac International Airport Capital Improvement Program, as well as projects for Kitsap County’s Wastewater Improvement Program.

John Martin is Sound Transit’s Executive Director of Capital Program Delivery, leading Delivery Team 4. This team focuses on Sounder projects and maintaining a State of Good Repair. John brings over 40 years of experience in the transportation and transit sectors, having held leadership roles in engineering, power systems, facilities maintenance, and project delivery for large contractors. He has also served as a subject matter expert for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), and the Steering Committee for the Panel of Energy and Transportation Agency Officials.

Before his role at Sound Transit, John was the Vice President of Facilities Maintenance at CapMetro in Austin, Texas. In this position, he was key to linking facilities maintenance efforts with the capital delivery program, particularly in project and scope development. 

Bernadette Reyes McDermott is an Executive Director in Sound Transit’s Capital Program Delivery Department, where she leads the Center of Excellence division. In this role, she advances delivery excellence across Sound Transit’s expanding transit infrastructure portfolio by driving innovation, process improvement, and knowledge-sharing across all capital programs.  

Before joining Sound Transit, Bernadette was Vice President of Architecture & Design at Public Storage, leading a national team on capital development projects across 3,300+ facilities and managing a complex portfolio to enhance delivery systems for the largest self-storage operator.

Bernadette is a former U.S. Western Region Director of Preconstruction at Austin Commercial and has held key roles at Clark Construction, specializing in design-build delivery and collaborative project execution. She has undergraduate degrees in Architecture and Political Science from the University of Southern California and an MBA from the University of Michigan. A LEED-accredited and DBIA-certified professional, Bernadette is passionate about inclusive leadership and building high-performing teams in complex environments. 

Michael is an Executive Director in Sound Transit's Capital Delivery Department, overseeing the Federal Way, Lynnwood, East, and Downtown Redmond Link extensions and ST3 Link maintenance facilities. He has over 25 years of international experience in the design, construction, operations, and complex rail systems maintenance.

Before joining Sound Transit in late 2024, Michael was the City of Ottawa's Director of the Rail Construction Program, overseeing a $5B light rail expansion. He managed a portfolio that included three rail extensions, new maintenance facilities, and fleet expansions, resulting in over 28 miles of track, 24 passenger rail stations, and new bus transfer and active transportation connections.  

Before working in Ottawa, Michael grew his career in the private sector. He led major projects at Bombardier Transportation, focused on the design, delivery, testing and commissioning, and operations and maintenance of fully integrated passenger systems. His work included driverless passenger rail projects in Vancouver, New York, and South Korea and an at-grade light rail project in Gold Coast, Australia. 

Brad Owen is an Executive Director in Sound Transit’s Capital Delivery Department, managing the West Seattle Link Extension, Ballard Link Extension, and Graham and Boeing infill stations. He has over 25 years of experience in the construction and transit industry, specializing in mega-project planning, design, and construction for highway and rail projects.

Before joining Sound Transit, Brad was a Senior Executive Officer at LA Metro, overseeing a $500 million annual capital budget and managing a team of over 100. He led major projects, including the $3.6 billion East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Line and the $2.6 billion LinkUS Regional Rail Expansion.

Brad has expertise in the private sector, having worked at Flatiron Construction on the $900M Exposition Light Rail project in Los Angeles, which included 9.6 miles of light rail and 11 stations. He also managed projects at The Middlesex Corporation, focusing on public works for the Florida Department of Transportation.

A passionate STEM advocate for youth, women, and people of color, he co-founded the Metro Youth Career Experience to offer transit-focused training for at-risk youth in Los Angeles. Brad is a licensed Professional Engineer and Certified Construction Manager, holding a bachelor's in civil engineering from the University of Central Florida.

Josh Pategas is the Executive Project Director for Sound Transit, overseeing the Lynnwood Link Extension and the Pinehurst Infill Station. He joined Sound Transit in April 2019 after serving as CH2M's Resident Engineer for the N180 project associated with the Northgate Link Extension, which received the Marvin M. Black Excellence in Partnering and Collaboration Award from the Associated General Contractors of America. With over 15 years of experience as a general contractor, Josh has successfully delivered major projects for various transit agencies, including the Valley Transportation Agency, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and the Denver Regional Transportation District.

As a results-driven and schedule-oriented executive with over 25 years of experience in the transportation industry, Josh has a proven track record of managing heavy civil, transit, and transportation projects to successful completion. He excels at navigating challenging situations and effectively collaborates with project teams and stakeholders to achieve resolutions. 

Tony is the Executive Project Director for the $1.53 billion Downtown Redmond Link Extension (DRLE), a comprehensive turn-key Design-Build contract. He joined the DRLE project during the Environmental Re-evaluation phase in 2016 and has successfully guided it from preliminary engineering to its current delivery phase.  

Tony was the Principal Construction Manager for the Bellevue/Redmond section of the East Link Extension, overseeing five civil projects through various contract types. He started with Sound Transit in 1998 as a consultant during the Initial Segment's preliminary engineering phase. He became a staff member in 2002 and has contributed to all project phases, including design, construction, and handover to operations.

Before working with Sound Transit, Tony was involved in the Tri-Met Hillsboro light rail extension as a field and office engineer and served as a transportation and bridge engineer with WSDOT.

Professional Registration:  

Professional Engineer (Civil), Washington

Education:

B.S., M.S. Civil Engineering, Washington State University

Linneth is Sound Transit's Executive Project Director for the Federal Way Link Extension. The 7.8-mile project will extend light rail from the existing Angle Lake Station to the Federal Way Downtown Station, adding three stations. She joined the agency in 2010 and has held several roles, including Deputy Project Director for the Everett Link Extension, Deputy Chief of Staff to CEO Peter Rogoff, and Design and Construction Contracts Director.

Previously, Linneth was the Director of Purchasing and Contracting Services for the City of Seattle, overseeing public works contracts and the small business and DBE Program. She developed policies for small business utilization and alternative public works contracts.

Linneth is a founding member of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), Washington State Chapter. Their mission is to ensure a level playing field and maximum participation in the transportation industry for minority individuals, businesses, and people with disabilities.  

Linneth is a speaker at training events on public works contracting and alternative procurement. She is a national board member for the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) and serves on the Washington Capital Project Review Board (CPARB) and its Project Review Committee (PRC). Recently, she was appointed to chair the WSDOT Project Delivery Method Review Task Force for CPARB during the 2024 Legislative Session.

MBA, B.S., Accounting

CPPO (Certified Public Procurement Officer) DBIA (Design Build Institute of America)