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Jennifer Pyrz, interim CEO of IndyGo, will lead the transit agency for the foreseeable future as president and CEO following approval by the six-member board of directors Thursday. She succeeds Inez Evans, who stepped down from the role in December.
Pyrz, formerly the chief development officer for IndyGo, experienced a trial-by-fire in the interim role when state lawmakers took aim at IndyGo’s planned Blue Line with legislation targeting the line’s bus-only lanes, which some federal funding hinges on. Pyrz testified that the $370 million, 25-mile bus rapid transit line would effectively be killed had the legislation passed into law.
Ultimately, IndyGo struck a deal to retain the bulk of the Blue Line’s bus-only lanes while maintaining two lanes for vehicular traffic when possible.
IndyGo’s Board of Directors had planned to launch a national search for the transit agency’s new leader. But Adairius Gardner, vice chair of the board, told reporters that Pyrz’s navigation of the legislative session was one of many milestones that proved she was the right fit.
“She demonstrated immense skill, teamwork bringing a lot of folks together, and a lot of patience,” Gardner said. “… Not only did we, as a board, observe that but we also received a lot of feedback from the broader community about her efforts.”
In her four years with the agency, Pyrz has been credited as being “the woman behind the Purple Line” who served as that project team’s “problem solver, facilitator and resource-finder,” according to IndyGo. She also developed plans for the Blue Line and spearheaded expansion plans for IndyGo’s new East Campus Headquarters.
She also worked on planning initiatives in areas such as micro-mobility, transit-oriented development and network planning, according to IndyGo.
Prior to her time with IndyGo, she spent four years with Indianapolis-based engineering firm HNTB Corp. In that role, she collaborated with IndyGo to help establish the first all-electric bus rapid transit line, the Red Line.
Pyrz also played major roles in projects like the Bloomington Transit Center, Interstate 69 Section 6, and U.S. Highway 31 through Hamilton County, according to IndyGo.
She received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue University in 1995 and 1997. She currently serves on the advisory board for WTS of Greater Indianapolis and the board of directors for Midtown Indy. She is the past president of Indiana Institute of Transportation Engineers and is an Eno Transportation Foundation Fellow.
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