Diann Lewter, second from left, was appointed to the METRO board of directors during Houston city council session Wednesday. Sanjay "Ram" Ramabhadran, Lex Frieden, Troi Taylor, and Terry Morales (not pictured) received reappointments to their current positions on the board.
Lewter is a business development leader in Houston’s commercial real estate and public sectors and has an extensive history of volunteer service throughout the community.
This will be Lewter’s second appointment on the METRO board. Previously, she held Position 4 from January 2014 – to April 2016, representing the City of Houston. During this time, she co-chaired the Public Safety and Real Estate Committees and served on the Government Affairs, People, and Capital Programs Committees.
Lewter will serve the remaining term left vacant when Mayor Turner nominated Sanjay Ramabhadran to serve as Chairman of the Board for the regional public transportation agency.
“Diann brings strong business acumen and a depth of knowledge with her to the METRO Board. She is familiar with many of the board members and METRO policies and procedures. Her previous board service and experience will be critical as we develop the University Line bus rapid transit, connect light rail to Hobby Airport, and create meaningful alternatives to single-occupant commuting,” said Mayor Turner. “We want to accomplish a great deal in a short time for the region, and I am confident that Diann will help keep us on track.”
Lewter has previously worked for the Central Business District, serving as Business Development Director for Central Houston, Inc., and Economic Development Director for the Downtown District, a special assessment district. While there, Lewter worked on the successful rail referendum and the referendums to bring baseball and basketball stadiums to the heart of downtown Houston. She was instrumental in securing the first downtown circulator - old-fashioned trolley cars. Ms. Lewter also served as Sr. Vice President, Business Development for a corporate real estate and tenant representation firm and Operations Manager with a large commercial real estate firm.
In addition, she has held leadership positions in many organizations, including serving as chair of AIDS Foundation Houston, Leadership Houston, CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women), The United Way Women’s Initiative, and The Professional Group.
“I am very honored that Mayor Turner nominated me to the Metropolitan Transit Authority Board. I served on the Metro Board in the past and fully participated and am eager to serve again. I am committed to working hard as a representative of this great city to bring various modes of transit to all our residents, especially those who must rely on mass transit day-to-day. We must keep this city and region moving forward,” said Lewter.