Candidate for
Director; San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District; Area 7

Zakhary is a Bay Area native and has been committed to advocating for improved regional transit services and participating in the planning of major transit projects since he was a teenager. Among notable examples, Zakhary is credited for initiating the latest push for a West Contra Costa County BART extension (wBART). As an analytic type, Zakhary became fascinated with the systematic nature of transportation networks and the unique challenges involved in making transit efficient and competitive with the automobile. A transit-dependent person during his youth and early adult years, when he traveled on transit, Zakhary notably observed the stark difference in congestion and ridership at different employment and housing centers of the region and curiously wondered "why?" In due time, the connection between land-use and transportation became much clearer and has informed Zakhary's continued transportation advocacy efforts in the Bay Area Region.

A regional and rational transportation planner at heart, Zakhary seeks not to advocate for transit just for transit sake, but to advocate for implementing and maintaining transit services that are truly viable alternatives to driving for the public. In BART being the region's premiere inter-city and inter-county transit service provider, being an agency director is the perfect environment where Zakhary can realize his passion for regional transit management and contribute to the region by doing so.

Zakhary has an AB in Urban Studies from Stanford University and a Master of City Planning (MCP) degree with a Transportation Planning emphasis from the University of California, Berkeley.