photo by: Contributed/City of Lawrence

Felice Lavergne

The City of Lawrence has promoted its interim transit director to the permanent post after conducting a national search.

Felice Lavergne was named as the new director, the city announced Monday in a news release. Lavergne assumed the interim role back in November 2024, when Adam Weigel left the position, as the Journal-World reported.

Lavergne joined the City of Lawrence in 2021, leading projects that improved rider experience, expanded transit access and better connected the community, according to the release. Some of the projects Lavergne worked on include securing over $8 million in grant funding, overseeing more than 50 bus stop improvement projects, building public engagement tools and cultivating partnerships like Transit Poet Laureate and the Fruit Tree Project — a partnership between Lawrence Transit and local nonprofit Sunrise Project that planted fruit trees at three bus stops.

Before her work in Lawrence, Lavergne served as a transportation planner and project manager in New Orleans, where she supported major infrastructure and green space initiatives. She holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of New Orleans and is a certified member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Assistant City Manager Brandon McGuire said that Lavergne was selected after a “rigorous national recruitment” and that she enjoyed broad support with the existing staff and community.

“(Her) appointment reflects positively on her professional abilities as well as the City’s commitment to engaged and empowered team members who can thrive in their public service careers,” McGuire said in the release.

Lavergne said in the release that she is taking on the new role with a “strong sense of responsibility to our riders and to our city,” especially having been already working in the community. She hopes to continue the work of Lawrence Transit, which is now entering its 25th year in service.

“I look forward to continuing our many community partnerships as well as our commitment to transparency and strong public processes,” Lavergne said.