As the Muni system faces significant fiscal challenges, Kirschbaum’s focus on accountability and record of results make her the best person to lead the system into a new era, according to SFMTA.
The first woman appointed permanent Director of Transportation in San Francisco’s history, Kirschbaum brings two decades of transportation experience to the role, most recently leading the SFMTA’s largest division as Director of Transit from 2018 to 2024. In this capacity, she guided the agency through “unprecedented and extraordinary challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, not only rebuilding the entire Muni system multiple times but also helping to improve the SFMTA’s customer satisfaction ratings. In 2024, under her leadership, those ratings were the highest they’ve been in the agency’s history,” SFMTA noted.
“Accountability, results, community partnership, and staff empowerment have been hallmarks of Kirschbaum’s leadership,” agency said. “She has delivered operational improvements throughout the system, including embracing the proactive, preventative maintenance practices that have helped reduce subway delays by an astonishing 70%.”
According to SFMTA, Kirschbaum has made customer experience her “North Star,” elevating the experience for Muni’s 500,000 daily riders. Among other things, she launched an innovative customer experience initiative to systematically identify and resolve pain points for riders. “Together, the reforms Kirschbaum spearheaded have dramatically improved Muni speed, reliability, and customer satisfaction, maximizing limited resources in the face of immense fiscal constraints,” the agency noted.
As Acting Director of Transportation, Kirschbaum has already demonstrated how she plans to find common ground among all users of the transportation system and push for commonsense solutions to challenging problems. Earlier this month, after listening extensively to community feedback, she announced a new plan to prioritize fair enforcement of the state’s “daylighting” law.
Kirschbaum was recently awarded the 2024/25 Katherine G. Johnson Trailblazer Award by the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) SF-Bay Area Chapter for her groundbreaking work in transportation.
Kirschbaum resides in Ingleside with her husband and two kids and cites her experience transporting her kids around San Francisco—on foot and bike, by car and by Muni—as deeply informing her perspective on how to best serve San Francisco residents and improve safety on Muni and in the streets.
“Julie Kirschbaum has delivered transformative change and real results for hundreds of thousands of Muni riders, and that’s exactly the kind of leader the SFMTA needs right now,” said Mayor Lurie. “Under her leadership, Muni has reached new heights for speed, reliability, cleanliness, and safety. And with her commitment to collaborating with residents and businesses, Julie Kirschbaum is the right leader to tackle the significant challenges facing our transportation system and bring it forward into a new era.”
“I’m incredibly honored by this opportunity to serve the city I love,” said Kirschbaum. “Having a world-class transportation system is key to San Francisco’s economic recovery, and I’m going to make sure we maintain the incredible improvements we’ve made to the Muni system, despite the SFMTA’s daunting financial challenges. Fighting for transportation funding is going to be one of my top priorities. But an equally important priority is going to be rebuilding trust where trust has been lost between our agency and some of the communities and businesses we serve. I’m committed to listening, collaborating, and bringing people together to come up with solutions that will benefit all of us.”
