Monica Backmon is the Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) and has led NVTA since May 2014. With more than 25 years of public and private sector transportation experience, Ms. Backmon oversees the region’s long-range planning, prioritization, and funding of regionally significant projects that bring multimodal transportation solutions to Northern Virginia. Managing over half a billion in annual revenue, Ms. Backmon has led NVTA through the adoption and implementation of seven funding programs, the most recent occurring in July 2024. With a mission to reduce congestion in Northern Virginia by planning, funding, and advancing multimodal transportation solutions with a focus on safety, equity and sustainability, NVTA is advancing 135 regional multimodal transportation projects totaling nearly $3.8 billion for congestion reduction throughout the region. Ms. Backmon also oversees the annual distribution of more than $140 million to the Authority’s nine member jurisdictions for transportation purposes of their choice.
Under Ms. Backmon’s leadership, NVTA continues to update TransAction, Northern Virginia’s long-range multimodal transportation plan. TransAction outlines investment opportunities that reduce congestion, improve connectivity and expand travel choices. It also incorporates innovative technologies and individual Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes that make up a regional transit system among its 400+ projects.
Ms. Backmon has won prestigious awards, including being recognized as a Virginia Business Power 500 List Honoree (from 2023-2026) and being honored as the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials’ (COMTO) Women Who Move the Nation, in addition to many others.
With Ms. Backmon at the helm, NVTA has won numerous awards including being recognized as one of the Best Workplaces for Commuters (BWC) 2025 and Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) DC’s Employer of the Year 2025 and is featured in the bestselling book “The Future of Public Transportation,” by Paul Comfort.
In addition, Ms. Backmon has served on WTS International’s Board of Directors since 2024. She also is a member of the American Planning Association, American Public Transportation Association, American Metropolitan Planning Organization, COMTO and the Virginia Planning Association.
Prior to her tenure with NVTA, Ms. Backmon served for a decade as Prince William County’s Regional Transportation Planner. She has established herself as a leader in the region through her collaborative work with local governments, the Commonwealth of Virginia, regional entities, and transit agencies.
Ms. Backmon holds a B.A. in Psychology and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Ms. Backmon oversees the region’s long-range planning, prioritization, and funding of regionally significant projects that bring multimodal transportation solutions to Northern Virginia
