TRAVERSE CITY — The executive director of the Bay Area Transportation Authority resigned after 22 days on the job, according to the nonprofit’s board of directors.
Jeff Meilbeck, hired in July to start Oct. 1, tendered his resignation to “focus on family in Arizona,” according to a BATA statement Thursday.
Meilbeck had been living in Flagstaff, Arizona, and previously was the CEO and general manager of the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority, before accepting the top job at BATA.
He was hired for $200,000 and was following in the footsteps of longtime BATA leader Kelly Dunham, who left at the end of 2024, according to previous Record-Eagle reporting.
Chris Davis, BATA’s human resource director, will step in as BATA’s interim director, as she did after Dunham’s departure.
“We understand Mr. Meilbeck’s reasons for his resignation and support his decision to focus on his family,” BATA Board of Directors Chairman Wayne Schmidt said in the statement. “BATA’s Board will now re-focus its efforts and dedication to finding a new leader for the agency.”
The board hired a search firm, TransPro Consulting, to conduct a nationwide search to find Meilbeck, at a cost of $39,000, according to Eric Linguar, BATA communications and development director.
They had more than 100 applicants for the position at the time, Linguar said, adding that the board has not yet decided on how to conduct the search or if the search firm has a contingency clause.
Meilbeck, 60, had been in Traverse City since his official start day on Oct. 1, Linguar said, and was transitioning into the post when he resigned.
In earlier interviews, Meilbeck said that his parents were from Cheboygan and he spent much of his childhood in northern Michigan.
Nearly one in three residents of northern Michigan (2020 population 506,658) live in the Traverse City metropolitan area. BATA serves riders in Grand Traverse County and nearby sections of Leelanau County.