Several senior San Joaquin Regional Transit District officials are no longer listed on the agency’s leadership website, the latest sign of turnover at the countywide bus provider after months of controversy and changes at the top.
Noël Mink, RTD’s director of human resources, and Maximilian Cao, the agency’s marketing and customer engagement supervisor, were not listed on RTD’s leadership page as of Thursday.
RTD’s website now lists the director of human resources position as vacant and says the agency is “currently identifying candidates for this role.” The page still lists Bearnard O. Veasley as interim chief executive officer and Eric Williams as chief operating officer.
Cao’s LinkedIn profile says his employment with RTD ended in June. Mink’s LinkedIn profile still listed her as RTD’s human resources director, though the agency website lists the position as vacant.
Kenneth Baxter, who has been identified in past RTD records as director of government affairs, also is no longer listed on the agency’s leadership page. RTD’s current website lists former San Joaquin County Supervisor Miguel Villapudua as director of government relations. Villapudua, who left the Board of Supervisors in January 2025, says on LinkedIn that he began the RTD role in June.
Stocktonia asked RTD to confirm whether Mink, Cao and Baxter resigned, were terminated or left for other reasons. The agency did not immediately respond.
The apparent departures come during a turbulent year for RTD, which provides bus service in Stockton and across San Joaquin County. The turmoil followed a shift on the RTD board of Directors earlier this year, when newly appointed members changed the makeup of the five-member board. The new majority quickly moved to change the agency’s direction, setting off months of leadership changes.
The RTD Board of Directors voted in February to fire former CEO Alex Clifford without cause after a service disruption that left some riders stranded. Around the same time, former Chief Operating Officer Ciro Aguirre resigned, leaving the district without a permanent CEO, chief operating officer or chief financial officer.
The district later appointed Kimberly Turner as interim CEO, but she resigned by early April. Two longtime board members, Gary Giovanetti and Les Fong, also resigned. Giovanetti previously told Stocktonia that a newly seated board majority had left him unable to influence decisions.
RTD appointed Veasley as interim CEO in April and later hired Williams as chief operating officer. Still, the agency’s website continues to list other senior positions as vacant, including chief financial officer and director of human resources.
According to RTD’s board documents from a Wednesday meeting, the agency reported a 13% vacancy rate for represented positions, with openings in maintenance and transportation. The report was required under a new state law that requires public agencies to publicly report job vacancies and explain what they are doing to recruit and retain workers before adopting their final budgets.
The board packet also listed Thomas Dempsey, RTD’s director of procurement, as acting chief financial officer, and the agenda included closed session items related to the chief executive officer position.
RTD has not said whether the leadership changes will affect service. The agency has continued to post rider alerts and service updates on its website.
RTD serves Stockton and other San Joaquin County communities, including Lodi, Manteca, Tracy, Lathrop, Ripon, French Camp and Thornton. The agency operates local, commuter, Hopper, paratransit and on-demand services.