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- Carole Ward Allen is an American politician, professor, and political consultant. She is a member of the Democratic Party, and serves as the chief executive officer of CWA Partners, LLC. As a mass transportation executive in the State of California, Ward Allen served three four-year terms as an elected member of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District Board of Directors representing the 4th district from 1998 until 2010. During the 1980s and early 1990s, she was often featured in Jet Magazine for making history in state and local politics. Before entering the transportation industry, Ward Allen was appointed to serve on the California Commission on the Status of Women by 34th Governor of California Jerry Brown in 1980. In 1983, she was elected by her colleagues to serve as the commission's first African American chairperson for a one-year term. Ward Allen served on the state commission until 1985. In 1987, Ward Allen was appointed to the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners by Oakland's 45th Mayor Lionel J. Wilson. In 1990, she was elected among board members to serve as president; making her the first African American female and the longest woman to achieve such stride with two one-year terms. After having served six years in public office at the Port of Oakland, her tenure ended in 1993. In 1998, Ward Allen was elected by voters to the BART board of directors. As a BART director representing the 4th district (Oakland, California and Alameda, California), she led efforts to secure $4 billion in capital for system rehabilitation projects, the transit system's transit oriented development of the Fruitvale Village, and seismic retrofit programs. On December 15, 2005, the BART board of directors elected Ward Allen to serve as its president and Lynette Sweet as its vice president; making BART the first major transportation agency to be led by two African-American women in American history. In 2010, she led the BART Board and San Francisco Bay Area region through the process of approving the $484 million Oakland Airport Connector project, and securing federal funds under President Barack Obama's administration. (en)
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