The Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) and Valley Metro Rail (VMR) Boards of Directors have elected officers for the Fiscal Year 2026 term, which runs from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.

Avondale City Councilmember Max White will serve as vice chair of the Valley Metro Board. She is also serving a two-year term on the Audit and Finance Subcommittee, where she is currently chair, and is a member of the Valley Metro RPTA and Valley Metro Rail Joint Board Subcommittee. White served as treasurer of the Board in FY 2025. The Valley Metro Boards set policy direction for the regional transit system, which provides high-quality and cost-effective transit services to more than 130,000 daily riders across the Valley.

Transportation has long been a passion for White, who represents Avondale on the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Transportation Policy Committee and is an active member of the National League of Cities’ Transportation and Infrastructure Services Federal Advocacy Committee.

“Transportation is key to the success of our communities and our residents, affecting access to education, jobs, basic services like food and health care, and recreation,” White said. “I am deeply honored and humbled that my colleagues selected me for this leadership position on the Board and will continue working through all of the vehicles open to me to ensure Avondale, the Maricopa region, and the state of Arizona have access to the transportation funding and support critical to keeping us all moving in the right direction.”

Councilmember White, a champion for public transit in her city, highlighted the success of Avondale’s innovative on-demand microtransit program, WeRIDE, and the impact it has had in the community. Since it was launched in Nov. 2022, WeRIDE’s ridership surpassed 195,000 passenger boardings with over a 97 percent on-time performance, and a 4.92 out of 5 customer satisfaction score.

For more information about Valley Metro leadership and transit services, visit valleymetro.org.