Running the Chicago Transit Authority with Nora Leerhsen

Since 2025, Nora Leerhsen has served as the acting president of the Chicago Transit Authority, the second-largest transit system in the United States and an indelible icon of the city. She is the first woman to fill the leadership role at CTA since the agency was established in 1947. We talked with her about the joys and challenges of running a system with ridership of more than 330 million a year, the way that children can help us appreciate transit, and the role of public transportation in fostering a healthy democracy.

SHOW NOTES:

CTA introduces child-sized benches at 10 'L' stops

Red Line extension groundbreaking after judge makes Trump administration release funding

Reddit thread, "What would you say to the CTA president Nora Leerhsen?"

2019 study on women in the transportation profession

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