With a life and career dedicated to the advancement of public transportation, Jeffrey C. Arndt’s legacy as an advocate for equitable access to mobility, and equity in all forms, is hard to beat and impossible to deny.

Arndt is the President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Metropolitan Transit, covering the second-largest service area in the state with 14 member cities including San Antonio and unincorporated areas of Bexar County.

In his 12 years at the helm, Arndt has earned VIA and the people it serves a place at the table among civic, business and development leaders. He has blazed trails for transit and service innovation that present a path for opportunity that did not exist before.

Arndt joined VIA in February 2012 as Deputy CEO/Chief of Business Support Services before being named President and CEO. He has been a leader in the transit community for almost 45 years and has a broad range of expertise in operations, planning, and finance. He is continuously working to improve the livability and sustainability of the region through the development of attractive mobility choices.

With a special talent for turning challenges into opportunities, Arndt oversees the ongoing development of award-winning strategies to elevate community engagement and inclusion. During his tenure at VIA, Arndt has made it his priority and the mission of the agency to make better living through mobility a reality for the nearly 2 million residents who call San Antonio and Bexar County home.

While at VIA he has built a diverse and inclusive leadership team that represents the multi-cultural, multi-faceted fabric of the communities VIA serves. His commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion has earned him accolades from thought leaders and stakeholders across the region, from business and economic development to culture and arts, and public and private enterprises. These include being recognized as a CEO Champion of Diversity by the National Diversity Council; the LaHood Award for men who contributes to the advancement of women and minorities in the transportation industry; and Community Support award for supporting accessible and inclusive transit by the San Antonio Independent Living Services.

Arndt put VIA and San Antonio on the path toward embracing technology and innovation has brought the agency to important milestones that have had major impact in San Antonio and the region, beyond transit. Recent milestones include conversion of VIA’s bus fleet to compressed natural gas, introduction of free Wi-Fi on all VIA buses and VIAtrans vans, implementation and rapid expansion of the region’s first Mobility on Demand service, and winning public support via a successful election for VIA’s Keep SA Moving plan to revolutionize the way we move in San Antonio.

Arndt previously worked for Houston METRO for 25 years and achieved the position of senior vice president of operations/chief operating officer before moving on to the Texas A & M Transportation Institute (TTI). Arndt spent five years as a research scientist/research specialist at TTI.

He holds a M.A. in Public Administration from the University of Houston and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He currently serves numerous local and regional Boards, including the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, TEX-21 (Vice President), San Antonio Mobility Coalition (Treasurer), San Antonio Housing Commission and the Texas Transit Association (Vice President). He is an alumnus of Leadership APTA and Leadership San Antonio Class 38. He served on the Steering Committee of Class 46 and was Co-Chair of Class 47.

Captain Flores began her career with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office in Aug 2010. She quickly rose through the ranks of the agency, becoming a member of the special emergency response team and team leader for that squad when promoting to the rank of Corporal. Soon thereafter she was prompted to the rank of Sargeant moving to work directly under Sheriff Javier Salazar as his Sergeant for Special Projects. During this time she and the Sheriff designed and implemented many programs, policies and practices that have shaped the agency to what is currently is under his command.

One of those programs was the Community Liaison Program, designed to bridge the gap between law enforcement and some of the minority communities in our city. The 1st liaison Sheriff Salazar designated was Captain Stephanie Flores as the LGBT Liaison where captain flores continues to attend speaking engagements and all pride events possible. Captain flores was the 2nd female in history to ever become the Special Operations commander for the Bexar County sheriff’s Office.

Currently Captain Flores serves as the Operations Commander for the entire Bexar County Adult Detention Center better known as the Jail. Her and her team also currently work diligently to ensure that the new officers embarking on this honorable career in law enforcement receive the training, structure and support necessary to be successful. So far after designing a new reality based training and follow up program for the new officers for 2024 after training 206 new officers Captain flores and her team have been able to successfully retain 93% of these officers.

Michael Thurston is a Project/Program Lead for CPS Energy’s Corporate Responsibility department. Michael spearheads the department’s corporate sponsorships, special fundraising projects, and the company’s United Way campaign. Prior to CPS Energy, Michael worked at Southwest Business Corporation (SWBC) within their Marketing and Corporate and Community Relations departments. In his role as a Marketing Programs Developer, he managed marketing campaigns for its insurance, employee benefits, and professional employer organization (PEO) divisions. Michael led SWBC’s largest marketing campaign for their PEO office before moving into his role as Community Relations Manager for SWBC where he oversaw the company’s community relations program, volunteer initiatives, and the United Way campaign.

Before SWBC, Michael worked for LiftFund’s Marketing and Communications department where he co-led the company’s eight-state rebrand rollout. He also has worked for the City of San Antonio, The Texas Department of Health and Human Services Commission, and Sprint in New York City.

In his spare time, Michael currently serves as Social Chair for CPS Energy’s NextGen group and a member of CPS Energy’s Toastmasters. Michael holds his Master of Arts in Public Administration from PACE University and his Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a proud graduate of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Alexander Briseño Leadership Development Program (ABLDP). Michael also is a licensed Real Estate and Texas General Lines Insurance Agent. And when he is not working or selling a house with an insurance policy, he is at home with his husband Scott and their two pups, Zuggy and Chloe.

Kasandra is a distinguished figure in the realm of real estate, serving as a top-producing Realtor with Coldwell Banker D'Ann Harper Realtors, where she has made an indelible mark on the San Antonio and surrounding areas. Kasandra brings a wealth of expertise and passion to her role, driven by a deep-seated commitment to helping individuals achieve their dreams of homeownership. Fueled by an unwavering passion for real estate, she embraces the industry with unbridled enthusiasm and dedication. In her capacity as the founding Chapter President of the Real Estate Alliance, San Antonio Chapter, Kasandra has dedicated herself to a cause that lies close to her heart— increasing home ownership within the LGBT Community. She fervently believes in the transformative power of homeownership and is steadfast in her mission to combat the disproportionate marginalization that members of the LGBT Community often face in their pursuit of owning a home.