What started as a simple job search in 1990 became a lifelong career in public transit for Sabrina.
When she first walked into Sun Tran, she intended to apply for an administrative assistant position. When told the job had been filled, staff suggested something she had never considered: becoming a bus operator. Surprised to learn that women could drive buses, she decided to take the chance.
She was soon in training and it was also the first year drivers were required to obtain a Commercial Driver License (CDL). Although English was not her strongest language, she completed and passed the test in English. She was on her way as a part-time operator.
Those early years demanded resilience. Shortly after starting, she became the primary provider for her family. Earning $7 an hour, she worked as many extra shifts as possible to support her household. In 1991, her dedication paid off when she earned a full-time position.
After nearly a decade behind the wheel, she began pursuing leadership roles, eventually becoming a supervisor in radio and dispatch. Even with the promotion, she continued working weekends at a second job to support her family.
Her responsibilities continued to grow; she served as interim superintendent and later as Operations Coordinator, supporting logistics and fleet management. In 2009, she was promoted to Operations Manager, overseeing operations during the development of a new facility. A year later, she joined Sun Van as their Scheduling and Operations Manager.
In 2014, she was promoted to Assistant General Manager of Sun Van, where she helped lead the paratransit system through operational improvements and increased service demand.
In 2017, a management contract change threatened her position, but she chose to stay in Tucson and keep serving the community. By 2018, she stepped in to temporarily oversee both Sun Van and Sun Tran, guiding the agencies through a leadership transition before returning to Sun Tran as Assistant General Manager.
Today, women continue to play a growing role across the city’s transportation system. Across Sun Tran, Sun Van, and Sun Link, 293 of the system’s 895 employees are women — representing 32% of the workforce.
At Sun Tran, women make up 29% of employees, including seven serving as department directors. At Sun Van, women represent 42% of employees, while Sun Link employs nine women among its 47 employees (19%).
For Sabrina, these numbers represent progress and opportunity. She believes transit offers many pathways for growth and wants more women to see the industry as a place to build meaningful careers.
Her advice for young women interested in transit is simple:
“Never give up. Keep going. There is always room for us in transit.”
From operator to executive leadership, Sabrina shows us that with determination, hard work, and a willingness to keep learning, a single opportunity can lead to an extraordinary career.
