Board biographies

Christopher Zimmerman, Chairman of the Board, has served on the WMATA Board as Principal Member representing Arlington County, VA, since January 1998, and he was Chairman of the Board in 2002. He has served on the Arlington County Board since 1996, as Chairman of the County Board in 2006. Now an economic consultant, he formerly served as Chief Economist and Committee Director for Federal Budget and Taxation at the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Jim Graham, Vice Chairman, joined the WMATA Board in January 1999. Mr. Graham serves on the Council of the District of Columbia, representing Ward I. He served as Executive Director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic 1984-1998. Previously, Mr. Graham served as Staff Counsel for Senator Abe Ribicoff (D-Conn) and Clerk to Chief Justice Earl Warren (Rtd.) Mr.Graham is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia and before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Peter Benjamin, Second Vice Chairman, joined the WMATA Board in April 2007 as Principal Director, representing Montgomery County and the State of Maryland. Mr. Benjamin previously served as Metro’s Chief Financial Officer from 1993-2006, Director of Planning from 1989-1993, and Senior Financial Advisor from 1986-1989. Prior to that he was Associate Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. He has been elected Mayor of Garrett Park, Md., for three terms and has led and served on numerous committees and panels of the American Public Transportation Association and the Transportation Research Board.

Catherine Hudgins joined the WMATA Board in January 2004 as an Alternate Director. In 2008 she was appointed as Principal Director representing Fairfax County, VA. Mrs. Hudgins was elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in November 1999. She is currently Chairperson of the Fairfax Board’s Human Services and Housing and Community Development Committees, Vice-Chairman of the Information Technology and Transportation Committees and a member of the Economic Advisory Committee. Mrs. Hudgins is a member of the Transportation Planning Board, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors, and the Human Services Policy Committee. She is also a member of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and chairs its Human and Community Services Committee. She is a member of Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District Commission, and Secretary of the Area Health Education Center. Additionally, Mrs. Hudgins is a member of the Virginia Association of Counties Board of Directors and was appointed by Virginia Governor Mark Warner to the State Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board.

Emeka C. Moneme joined the WMATA Board in February 2007 as Principal Director, representing the District of Columbia. Appointed as the Director of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) in January 2007, Mr. Moneme served as Metro's Chief of Staff in 2006. He joined the District of Columbia government in 2000 in the Department of Public Works (DPW), where he was instrumental in developing and implementing a separate Department of Transportation.

Elizabeth M. Hewlett joined the WMATA Board in April 2007 as Principal Director, representing Prince George's County, MD. In 2006, she completed her term as Chair of the Prince George’s County Planning Board, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Previously, Ms. Hewlett served as Associate General Counsel to the Commission and Attorney with the law firm of Meyers, Billingsley, Shipley, Curry, et al. She is currently a principal in the law firm of Shipley & Horne, P.A. and is licensed to practice in Maryland, Massachusetts, the District of Columbia and before the United States Supreme Court.

William D. Euille joined the WMATA Board in July 2000 as Alternate Director representing the City of Alexandria, VA. Mr. Euille is currently the Mayor of Alexandria, and he has served on the Alexandria City Council since May 1994. Mr. Euille is Founder/President/CEO of William D. Euille & Associates, Inc., a construction services company formed in April 1987 with offices in Washington, DC and Alexandria, VA. Mr. Euille began his business career in 1972 as an Accountant with A.A. Beiro Construction Company, where he held a variety of increasingly responsible positions, ultimately serving as Vice President/Controller.

Marion Barry joined the Board in January 2005 as Alternate Director. Mr. Barry serves on the Council of the District of Columbia, representing Ward 8. Mr. Barry was elected Mayor of the District of Columbia for four terms. Mr. Barry became the second Mayor ever elected in DC in the year of 1978 and served as Mayor for three terms until 1990. In 1992, Barry returned to DC politics by winning a seat on the City Council and made history in 1994 by winning a landslide victory returning him to the Mayoral seat. Mr. Barry created the District Youth’s Employment Act of 1979 guaranteeing a summer job to every young person who resided in the District of Columbia regardless of their economic status. In 1971, Mr. Barry was elected to serve on Washington, DC’s first school board. Upon Congress granting the District of Columbia the right to hold its own local elections, Barry won a seat on the DC City Council in 1974 and was named chair of the Finance Committee. Under his leadership as chair, he offered trailblazing property tax legislation; established an equitable income tax system and cut taxes for senior citizens.

Gordon Linton joined the WMATA Board in May 2004 as Alternate Director representing Montgomery County, MD.  Mr. Linton is a former Federal Transit Administrator (1993 to 1999) during President Clinton’s administration, and he is widely recognized for advocating and promoting transit and commuter tax benefits.  Mr. Linton has an acknowledged record of accomplishment in advancing and executing transportation and other public policies at the local, state, and national level.  He was a major architect of the Federal Transit Authorization Act of 1998, which authorized an unprecedented $41 billion of new investment in bus and rail transit systems throughout the country.  Mr. Linton launched the Federal Transit Commuter Choice Program and the Livable Communities Initiative to strengthen the linkage between transit services and communities.  He is a Senior Advisor and Vice President of Business Development with WageWorks, Inc.

Jeffrey C. McKay joined the Board in January 2008 as an Alternate Director from Fairfax County, VA. Mr. McKay currently serves as the Lee District Supervisor.  Mr. McKay is a sworn Reserve Deputy Sheriff for Fairfax County, a member of the Southeast Health Planning Task Force, and a former board member of United Communities Ministries (UCM) and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Committee on Reapportionment.

Anthony R. Giancola, P.E. joined the Board in February 2007, as Alternate Director representing the District of Columbia. Since 1993, Mr. Giancola has served as the Executive Director of the National Association of County Engineers. Previously, Mr. Giancola served in the Civil Engineer Corps of the U.S. Navy for 20 years, retiring from active duty in 1987. He helped found in 1998 and presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Gateway Georgia Avenue Revitalization Corporation. He has served as the Public Works Director for the City of Takoma Park, Md. and as the Chief Engineer in the Public Works Department Frederick County, Md. He is a licensed professional engineer in the District of Columbia and Maryland.

Marcell Solomon joined the Board in March 2003 as an Alternate Director from Prince George’s County, MD. Mr. Solomon currently practices law at Solomon & Martin in Greenbelt, MD, with broad experience in handling commercial litigation and securities transactions. Mr. Solomon previously practiced law with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in New York City from 1986 to 1994.