Announcing our next Education Series Event
Hydrogen Fueling in Action
May 16, 2025 10 AM - 1 PM
Join us for a presentation by SARTA Executive Director and CEO Kirt Conrad,
as well as a tour of his fueling facility and fuel cell buses.
A light lunch will follow.
This in-person event will be held at the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA),
1600 Gateway Blvd. SE, Canton, OH 44707
PLEASE NOTE:
There is no charge for this event but it is limited to 30 registrants.
We appreciate your interest, but please only sign up if
you are able to commit to attending.
Limit two per organization/company.
A short wait-list will be kept to fill any unexpected last-minute cancellations.
Deadline to register is May 7th, 2025
Meet our Presenter, KIrt Conrad
Executive Director/CEO, Stark Area Regional Transit Authority
Kirt Conrad is a senior executive in Public Transit with expertise in alternative energy and public policy. During his career, he has lead campaigns that have increased ridership over 30% and increased revenues by 20%, secured over $50 million in competitive grants and managed construction programs from railroad rehabilitation to LEED certified building in the transportation industry. He also lead the purchase of 50 miles of railroad right-of-way and use of transportation infrastructure as a multi-modal corridor for both freight and commuter service.
Since 2009, Kirt Conrad has been the CEO of the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) in Canton, Ohio. SARTA operates 100+ buses with 200+ employees. Last year nearly 2.6 million passenger trips were transported by over 30 fixed routes or demand response services throughout Stark County.
SARTA, under Conrad’s leadership, has replaced much of its bus fleet, purchased buses that run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), opened Northern Ohio’s first public-private CNG fueling facility, revamped many of its routes, built the Belden Village Transit Center and advanced the Mahoning Road corridor project. They are also deploying 11 fuel cell buses, which will be the largest fleet in the country outside of California. SARTA along with Ohio State University’s Center for Automotive Research lunched the Midwest Fuel Cell Center of Excellence and the Renewable Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Collaborative in 2017.
Prior to joining SARTA, Kirt was employed by METRO Regional Transit Authority (Akron, Ohio) as a Planner, Grants Manager and then Director of Planning. He received a Bachelor’s in Political Science with a minor in business administration from Kent State and a Master’s of Public Administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Akron. He also completed a graduate certificate in finance from the Grenoble Ecole de Management in Grenoble, France.
Kirt, as Metro’s Director of Planning, had years of experience planning complex transit projects as the project manager for the construction of the downtown Akron