Kimberly M. Cella Bio
Kimberly Cella leads the nationally recognized transit advocacy organization, Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT). The non-profit organization was established in 1985 to help bring light rail to St. Louis and works to champion, challenge, encourage and advocate for public transit in an effort to drive economic growth and improve quality of life. Over her more than 30-year tenure, Cella’s vision, tenacity and extraordinary leadership have been credited with moving transit forward by ensuring access to an affordable, convenient and safe public transportation system.
Among her many achievements, Cella helped secure a federal grant through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Program to conduct the Central Corridor Feasibility Study, which ultimately laid the groundwork for the development of the Cortex MetroLink Station. She played a pivotal role in bringing regional leaders together to address safety and security issues on MetroLink and became a key member of the Transit Advisory Working Group, ensuring safety remains a top priority. She spearheaded the first-ever Economic Impact of Public Transit Services in the State of Missouri to quantify the impact transit has on the vitality of communities. She also helped implement the MetroLink Control Access pilot project and secured more than $15 million in grant funds to establish and maintain programming that has successfully introduced 15,000+ individuals to the local transit system – while building support in the local communities, whether residents ride transit or not.
Cella is also credited with bringing “placemaking” to life in our region. This is a concept that activates unused, open spaces that people just pass through – like those found around MetroLink and MetroBus – into refreshed, interactive and engaging corridors that encourage community. Under her leadership, CMT and AARP in St. Louis have teamed up with St. Clair County Transit District and Metro Transit to complete seven “Transit Stop Transformation” projects at Fairview Heights, Emerson Park, 5th & Missouri, Belleville and North Hanley transit centers and at MetroBus Stops in Maplewood and Soulard. Each project converted empty concreted areas into engaging spaces with artwork, seating, shading, green space, flowers, plants and more. To date, an additional $33 million in investment has been made near these stops since the transformations were completed.
Her influence in the St. Louis region, coupled with her passion to ensure transit accessibility throughout the state of Missouri, led to her also being named the executive director of the Missouri Public Transit Association (MPTA) in 2016. She and her team at CMT partner with Michael G. Winter Consultants to elevate the status of transit in Missouri, build new coalitions to expand the advocacy base, and support MPTA members. Under Cella’s leadership and direction, MPTA has hit record membership levels, secured critical state and federal funding for transit, and conducted statewide economic impact and needs assessment studies.
Over the years, Cella has become an industry thought leader. She has been nationally recognized by both the Federal Transit Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. The St. Louis Chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), an international organization dedicated to the professional advancement of women in transportation, named Cella the “Woman of the Year” in 2016. She was also named among the “50 Missourians to Know” by Ingram’s Magazine in 2024.
Cella was appointed to the St. Louis County Public Transportation Commission in 2012, chairs the Transit Advisory Working Group, has previously served as Chair of the St. Louis County Public Transportation Commission, serves on St. Louis County’s 2050 Plan Steering Committee and is involved with numerous other boards and committees in the St. Louis area tied to transit and non-transit related endeavors.
Cella received her master’s degree in business administration from Saint Louis University. She resides in St. Louis County with her husband and their two children.