Julie Kirschbaum was named the SFMTA’s Director of Transportation on Feb. 18, 2025. She oversees the Municipal Railway (Muni), parking, traffic engineering, bicycle and pedestrian safety, transportation accessibility and taxi regulation for the City & County of San Francisco.
Kirschbaum served as the agency’s Director of Transit since 2018 and was the first woman to hold the role. As Director of Transit, she led the systemwide redesign of Muni service. She led the division through the COVID-19 pandemic and during that time began instituting the changes that have been instrumental in making Muni service better today than it has been in decades
Kirschbaum joined the SFMTA in 2007 to lead the agency’s Transit Effectiveness Study, which evolved into the Muni Forward Program, one of her signature achievements during her tenure as Director of Transit. During its first ten years, Muni Forward has built more than 100 miles of transit-priority infrastructure that have reduced travel times and improved transit reliability. Muni Forward projects have also reduced injury collisions on multiple corridors by 50% or more.
During her tenure, Muni ridership surpassed more than 500,000 average daily riders for the first time since before the pandemic.
Kirschbaum was drawn to work in transportation for its critical role in advancing equity, supporting communities and addressing the climate crisis. Among her achievements as Director of Transit, she co-developed the Muni Service Equity Strategy with transit, housing and social justice advocates. The Strategy is an agencywide commitment to correct historical inequities in transit investments and prioritize the needs of historically underserved communities. This strategy is becoming an industry standard.
Kirschbaum is passionate about streets design and transportation systems that are safe and accessible to all users. She began her career designing trails for people with disabilities. In all her jobs, Kirschbaum has stressed the importance of collaboration and mentoring employees into new and more challenging roles.
Prior to joining the SFMTA, Kirschbaum was a senior transportation planner with the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and previously had worked as a consultant in the private sector. She received her undergraduate degree from Brown University and a master’s degree in Transportation and Urban Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children.