William Hudson, President / General Manager

William Hudson, Jr. began his transit career as a bus operator in April,1964. For 45 years, he has worked in nearly every aspect of transit and has quickly advanced at MATA. Prior to being named President/General Manager in 1993, Hudson held numerous positions including Director of Transit Operations, Customer Service & Marketing, Labor Relations and field operations.

Since Hudson assumed leadership of MATA, several major projects such as Central Station, Riverfront Loop, the North End Terminal, American Way Transit Center, daily service to West Memphis and the Madison Avenue Rail line have been completed. Recognized as a leading expert in transit operations, Hudson developed a safety program that is considered as a national model. He has conducted seminars in transit management, safety and labor negotiations, and consulted with transit systems across the country.

He is a 1999 Leadership Memphis Graduate, Past President of the Tennessee Public Transportation Association and a Board member of the Mid-South Minority Business Council, Memphis Food Bank, Riverfront Development Corporation and the American Public Transportation Association. In February 2001, Hudson was named one of the Downtowners of the Decade. Africa in April Festival, Inc. honored Will Hudson as Executive of the Year for 2001 during their annual activities. He also serves as chairman of the Trustee Board at Monumental Baptist Church.

Hudson is happily married to Gracie and they have one adult son who is married with two sons.