Barbara Gray, MUP

Senior Advisor

Barbara is an urban planner and transportation professional with over 35 years of expertise in policy, planning, governance, permitting and operations. Known for her practical and collaborative approach, Barbara creates an environment where leaders and staff across teams and agencies can work effectively with elected officials to drive culture change aligned with city goals.

Prior to joining Access, Barbara spent a decade at the City of Toronto as the General Manager, Transportation Services Division. Before that, she held numerous roles at the Seattle Department of Transportation, including Deputy Director. She began her professional career in the private sector as a light rail and urban planning consultant helping governments and community groups across the United States drive change through street design and safety programs.

Barbara is passionate about cities and leading teams to deliver transformational projects that tackle common challenges. This work includes the King Street Transitway, an innovative pilot project that redesigned and enhanced service on a major corridor in downtown Toronto, and the creation of comprehensive Vision Zero strategies for both Seattle and Toronto that have resulted in sustained improvements in road safety outcomes. She also led the development of construction coordination programs that delivered new data, technology and funding tools, on-the-ground traffic management resources, and improved agency coordination so that decisions about construction impacts are made with transparency and accountability with elected leaders and the public. 

Barbara is a dedicated mentor and advocate. She served as an executive sponsor for the Toronto Network of Women (TOnow) and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), Toronto Chapter. In 2024, she was named Woman of the Year by the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), Toronto Chapter.

Barbara holds a Bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College in English and Government and a Masters in Urban Design and Planning from the University of Washington.