BOULDER — Lenna Kottke, executive director of Boulder-based Via Mobility Services, has been named 2016 Community Transportation Manager of the Year by the Community Transportation Association of America.
The award recognizes excellence by managers of community transportation systems in serving the needs of people in their communities.
“For 25 years, the people of Boulder and its regional mobility provider, Via, have understood innovation through a different two-word phrase: the name of its executive director,” said Elaine Wells, a member of CTAA’s board of directors, as she presented the award. “Operating under a social-enterprise business model for 20 years, (Kottke) helps Via generate annual net revenue of $1 million and 1.2 million yearly passenger trips. … More than all, her leadership prioritizes service above self, the direct cause of her agency’s success.”
The Washington, D.C.-based CTAA, established in 1989, is a national nonprofit membership association committed to removing barriers to isolation and improving quality of life and mobility.
Via, founded in 1979 and known as Special Transit until its name was changed in 2012, is a private, nonprofit organization providing on-demand paratransit services, travel training, and mobility options information and referral for people living with mobility challenges. In 2015, Via served more than 3,000 individuals in 19 communities across five counties in Colorado.