Barbara Gray

Barbara is an urban planner and transportation professional with over 35 years of expertise in policy, planning, governance, permitting, and operations. Over the last three decades, she led public sector teams working alongside community members to improve neighborhoods through complete streets investments, develop service delivery and implementation programs resulting in safer streets, and innovative project outcomes.  

Her projects are in service of long-term goals but include the on-the-ground tools that deliver results including the King Street Transitway where an innovative pilot project led to the redesign and service enhancement of a major downtown corridor delivering a better customer experience and a more reliable transit travel time. She led the development of Toronto’s first Vision Zero strategy resulting in year over year improvements in road safety outcomes, and developed a construction coordination program using data, analytics, and effective communication to ensure transparency and accountability with elected leaders and the public. 

Prior to joining the City of Toronto in 2016, Barbara held numerous front line and leadership roles at the Seattle Department of Transportation. She began her professional career in the private sector as a light rail and urban planning consultant helping governments and community groups across the United States drive change through street design and safety programs. Known for her practical and collaborative approach, Barbara creates an environment where leaders and staff across teams and agencies can work effectively with elected officials to drive culture change aligned with city goals.

Barbara served as the Executive Sponsor for the Toronto Network of Women (TOnow), inspiring and empowering over 2,000 members to enhance their personal and professional development through mentorship and engagement. In 2024, she was named Woman of the Year by the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Toronto Chapter. She is also an Executive Sponsor for the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Toronto Chapter.

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