New director to lead environmental and construction planning into the LA Basin 

SACRAMENTO – California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Roelof van Ark has announced that Timothy Buresh has been appointed to the position of Southern California Regional Director, overseeing the planning of the high-speed rail alignment from south of Bakersfield to San Diego. In this capacity, Buresh will be the lead representative for the Authority throughout the most populous region of our state.

“This historic project has long needed strong leadership and representation in the southern part of our state. Tim Buresh brings significant executive professional engineering and construction experience to this project. I am pleased that he will guide these key segments of the statewide system to bring the benefits of high-speed rail to the major metropolitan areas in Southern California sooner rather than later,” said van Ark.

The Southern California Regional Director is a key senior level state management position. The hire is another step toward fully staffing the executive management of the California High-Speed Rail Authority that began in 2010 when the Board of Directors hired van Ark as CEO.

Over the past year, van Ark has spearheaded both a change of senior management within the Authority’s largest contractor – its program management team Parsons Brinckerhoff – and the hiring of new financial advisors. Last week, the Authority announced the hiring of Christopher Ryan as Chief of Staff.

Buresh has over 30 years of executive experience with civil and public works projects, in all aspects of engineering, construction, project development and organizational management. He has overseen large design-build and design-bid-build contracts in California. He further brings experience in large program environmental management including environmental mitigation, permitting, regulatory, outreach and contract skills.

“I see the huge potential this project has to transform our state’s transportation network and the intricacies that lie ahead to implement high-speed rail from the Central Valley through the LA Basin and into San Diego. I believe strongly this project can be and should be accomplished for California’s future,” said Tim Buresh. “I am pleased to begin working with our regional planning partners and stakeholders to design and construct a proven, profitable and efficient system that brings high-speed rail to Southern California’s nearly 20 million residents and reduces infrastructure impacts wherever possible.”

Recently Buresh served as Vice President of Special Projects at the Tutor-Perini Corporation, a major civil and building construction company.  He also served as Chief Operating Officer of the Los Angeles Unified School District, Board member of Railworks Corporation, Chief Engineer of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority and Vice President of Civil Projects at Jacobs Engineering.

Buresh graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and from the University of Denver with a Juris Doctor.