Mayor Lee Brand and Fresno City Manager Wilma Quan today announced that Gregory Barfield has been named the City of Fresno’s new Director of Transportation, effective Monday. Mr. Barfield was the interim director since August of 2018 and served as Assistant Director of Transportation for over two years, where he was in charge of Operations, Planning, and Support Services.
“Making the change in Greg’s title from interim to official was one of my easiest decisions as City Manager,” said Ms. Quan. “His experience in public administration and his talent for managing complex issues have made Greg an invaluable member of our team. I look forward to more great things from him in the future.”
A native of Fresno, Barfield was responsible for managing a department with over 500 persons that served just under 10 million riders last year with 16 fixed routes and 104 buses covering over 5 million road miles, and was instrumental in the continued success of the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and FAX15 services which helped Fresno’s public transportation system increase its ridership by almost 10 percent in 2018. Prior to his role as Assistant Director of Transportation, he served for 10 years as Chief of Staff to Councilmembers Oliver Baines & Cynthia Sterling.
He has worked in all levels of government, been active in many local, state and federal political campaigns in the last 30 plus years with time spent working at community based non-profits, institutions of higher learning and private business along the way. Barfield is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and is a graduate of Fresno Pacific University’s School of Business with a Masters in Leadership and Organizational Studies. He is married to Angie and together in their blended family, they have seven children, four grandchildren and one great grandchild.