Executive Management Team
Henry Li
General Manager/CEO
Henry Li is a transformational and visionary transit leader with over two decades of extraordinary business acumen driving strategic innovation, service excellence, safety and security ingenuity, inclusive and equitable workforce development, and fiscal renewal within some of the most highly-visible, and dynamic multimodal transportation systems in North America.
A well-respected industry leader, Henry is credited with establishing many firsts in the transportation industry throughout the years earning a reputation as a national change agent, relentlessly pursuing excellence for the advancement of public transportation. As a result, he was recognized as the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) 2019 Outstanding Public Transportation Manager Award. This prestigious and highly competitive award is the highest honor given to only one CEO in North America each year.
After swiftly implementing a series of transformative initiatives under Henry’s bold leadership, SacRT was also awarded as the APTA 2021 Outstanding Public Transit System of the Year, continuing the agency’s upward trajectory by leading the industry in best practices.
During Henry’s over six-year tenure with SacRT, the agency has also been honored with numerous other awards, such as: Government Finance Officers Association’s Outstanding Budget Award each consecutive year; APTA’s 2021 and 2020 First Place AdWheel Awards; APTA’s 2021 and 2020 Rail Safety Gold Awards; Caltrans 2020 Excellence in Transportation Award; Federal Transportation Security Administration’s 2019 Gold Standard Award for Security; 2019 Good Governance Award from the Sacramento Taxpayers Association for his outstanding leadership in defending taxpayer funds; National Metro Magazine’s 2018 Innovative Solutions Award; and Sacramento Clean Cities 2018 Clean Air Champion Award.
Prior to his arrival at SacRT, Henry served as the Vice President of Finance and Technology/CFO at Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), which was named as an APTA 2016 Outstanding Public Transportation System of the Year. He also served as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for Hampton Roads Transit, Director of Administration/(CFO) for the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority and held senior management positions at some of the largest transit agencies in the nation, including the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MUNI) and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).
Shelly Valenton
Deputy General Manager/CEO
As Deputy General Manager/CEO, Shelly Valenton provides executive leadership to administrative, finance, organizational development and business effective functions at SacRT. She works with the General Manager/CEO and on his behalf on policy and strategic directions and ensures accountability in the delivery of projects and programs across the organization. She also provides executive oversight to the areas of Finance, Procurement and Real Estate, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Training and Workforce Development, Information Technology, Internal Audit, Strategic Projects and Performance, and Board Support.
Before joining SacRT in 2019, Shelly served on the Executive Leadership Team at San Joaquin Delta Community College District and prior to that, at San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD), handling major projects and strategic initiatives for the district. RTD is a recipient of APTA’s Transit System of the Year Award. Shelly’s work on project management and strategic communications garnered regional and national awards, including an APTA AdWheel grand prize award and various awards from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations. Shelly holds a Transit Paratransit Management Certificate and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She served as a Board officer for the California Community College Public Relations Organization and currently serves on the Sacramento Works Board.
Blanca Araujo
VP of Operations
As the Vice President of Operations for SacRT, Blanca Salcedo oversees fixed-route bus, paratransit service, contract service and light rail operations and maintenance. With over 18 years at SacRT in various operational roles, Blanca is an experienced public transit professional that works to ensure SacRT services are safe, convenient, and efficient for the Sacramento region. Throughout her career, she has been committed to public service and fostering continuous improvement within SacRT’s transit system.
Blanca holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Sacramento State, along with two Associate of Science degrees in Social Sciences and Liberal Arts with a Behavioral and Social emphasis, as well as an Associate of Arts in Administration of Criminal Justice.
Chris Flores
Chief of Staff/VP Real Estate
Chris Flores is the Chief of Staff/Vice President of Real Estate for the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) where he is responsible for the daily oversight of SacRT’s Real Estate department and works closely with the Communications and Government Relations team. He also plays a key role in the district-wide strategic initiatives.
In this position he manages the crucial link between external and internal resources by identifying key issues and concerns, and facilitates the development and implementation of key project objectives. Chris has been at SacRT for over six years, previously serving as the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Special Assistant to the General Manager.
Before he joined SacRT, Chris was a Senior Field Representative and Policy Advisor in Congresswoman Doris Matsui’s office providing assistance on matters related to transportation, the environment, energy, small business, labor and more. Chris also serves on the Boards of the Sacramento Clean Cities Coalition and Breathe Sacramento. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communications from the University of California at Davis.
Laura Ham
VP, Planning, Grants & Procurement
As VP of Planning, Grants, and Procurement, Laura Ham provides executive direction and strategic management over the planning; grants; capital programming; transit asset management; disadvantaged business enterprise; and procurement functions at SacRT. With over 24 years at SacRT, she is an experienced public transit professional who is committed to continuous service improvement and project delivery for the organization.
Notable projects developed under Laura’s leadership include the Systemwide Improvement Initiative, readying the agency for service to the new Golden 1 Center; the award winning SacRT Forward Bus Network Redesign project, a total reimagining of the SacRT’s bus network to meet today’s service needs; and the SacRT SmaRT Ride program, one of the first, largest and most successful microtransit programs of its kind in the nation. In her current role, Laura and her team plan, develop, and obtain grants for various service and capital improvements to support the implementation of SacRT’s strategic initiatives – She is also responsible for oversight of compliance in key programmatic and regulatory areas, including SacRT’s procurement functions and SacRT’s other disadvantaged and small business programs.
Laura graduated from Sac State with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and a minor in Liberal Arts and Social Science. Laura also holds a Transit and Paratransit Management certificate from Pepperdine University.
Lisa Hinz
VP of Safety, Security and Customer Satisfaction
Lisa Hinz brings over 28 years of policing experience to her role as the Vice President of Sacramento Regional Transits (SacRT’s) Security, Safety and Customer Satisfaction Divisions. She is a proven leader who retired from the Sacramento Police Department at the rank of Captain. She has a master’s from the University of San Diego in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership.
Lisa is an innovative leader, who has been part of an award-winning Safety and Security Team during her 3 years with SacRT. Lisa is accredited with bringing many firsts to the agency, such as “the Voice of God”, a public address system at every light rail station utilized to seamless correct bad behavior and a Licensed Social Worker, dedicated to provided resources to the rapidly growing homeless population throughout the four jurisdictions serviced by SacRT.
Henry Ikwut-Ukwa
VP, Capital Programs
As Vice President of Capital Programs for SacRT, Henry Ikwut-Ukwa provides oversight to SacRT’s Construction and Engineering team and working with the Executive Management Team and the General Manager/CEO in the implementation of $1.9 billion in active and planned capital projects for the agency, including the light rail modernization project, streetcar, BRT, and major facilities upgrades to meet zero emission vehicle mandates.
Henry is a transportation executive with over 23 years of experience in the transit industry. He comes to SacRT from Phoenix, Arizona where he was Chief of Capital and Service Development at Valley Metro, leading the Capital and Service Development Division of Valley Metro Rail, Inc. and the Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA). Prior to this he held executive and management positions with Atlanta BeltLine Inc., Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA), and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). His early career covers extensive consulting experience with major engineering companies including Parsons Corporation, URS Corporation, and HDR Inc.
Jason Johnson
VP, Finance/Chief Financial Officer
Jason Johnson is the Vice President of Finance/Chief Financial Officer for the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) where he is responsible for the oversight of SacRT’s Finance & Treasury, and Office of Management & Budget.
Jason has a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Accounting and Information Systems from California State University Sacramento and has over 20 years of professional experience. His background includes leadership in government sector financial accounting and reporting, bond financing, human resources, information technology, capital project management, fleet management, and budget process management.
Jason has been with SacRT since 2019, previously holding the position of Director, Office of Management & Budget.
Devra Selenis
VP of Communications and Partnerships
As VP of Communications and Partnerships for the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT), Devra Selenis leads SacRT's Communication, Marketing, Public Information and Government Affairs teams. Devra is a long-standing colleague at SacRT, having distinguished herself in a variety of positions within the agency over the course of 19 years. In her current role, she oversees the marketing and communications; media relations; community engagement; partnership building and government affairs programs that support SacRT's strategic initiatives. Prior to her arrival at SacRT, Devra had an extensive career directing the marketing, communication and public relations endeavors for a high-tech visual branding company, and a global background screening and reporting firm.
During her tenure at SacRT, Devra's team has received several distinguished regional, state and national awards for marketing and public outreach, including the 2021 American Planning Association's Award of Merit in Public Outreach; 2020 American Public Transportation Association's First Place AdWheel Award for Comprehensive Outreach Campaign; 2020 California Association of Public Information Officials EPIC Award for Public Awareness Campaign; 2020 California Association of Public Information Officials Award of Distinction Community Relations/Participation Campaign; and 2008 American Public Transportation Association's First Place AdWheel Award for Print Media.
Devra is an alumnus of the University of Miami, Florida holding a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and Advertising. She currently serves on the boards for the Power Inn Alliance, R Street Partnership and Sacramento Transportation Management Association.
David Topaz
VP, Employee Development and Engagement
David Topaz brings nearly 30 years of government service, including more than 20 years of labor relations, human resources, and training and workforce development experience in multiple government roles in California and Washington to SacRT. He leads a highly talented group of 20+ staff who recruit, train, support, and manage the labor relations, human resources, and training and workforce development needs of SacRT. Their total focus is on recruitment, talent management, employee development and engagement, working towards making SacRT the best employer in the Sacramento region.
David began his career in Sacramento in 1991 working for U.S Representative Robert T. Matsui, followed by a 16 year stint at the Sacramento Police Department, first as a management analyst, then as a decorated police officer. During his time at the Sacramento Police Department, he was the police union president, he was a field training officer and academy instructor, and an adjunct professor at several private universities.
He has more than 20 years of experience as a professional labor negotiator at the Sacramento Police Officers Association, the Mastagni Law Firm, the City of Tacoma, WA and King County, WA, returning to SacRT in 2020 as the Senior Manager of Labor Relations, then being promoted to Assistant VP of Human Resources and Labor Relations in December 2021.
He holds SHRM-Senior Certified Professional and Certified Labor Relations Professional designations, certifications in Workplace Investigations and Force Science Investigation. David received his Master of Public Administration degree from the University of San Francisco, and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Oregon State University.