The Director Team
Dale Keller, P.E.
RTC Executive Director
Phone: (775) 332-2141
Dale Keller serves as Executive Director of the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, leading the agency’s work across public transit, regional transportation planning, capital construction, and traffic engineering for the Truckee Meadows. He was appointed Executive Director in October 2026 after serving as RTC’s Deputy Executive Director and Director of Engineering.
Dale Keller joined the RTC in July 2019 and was promoted to Director of Engineering in July 2022. Under his leadership, RTC launched its Regional Traffic Management Center in April 2026, constructed the Arlington Avenue Bridges project, and helped secure over $220 million of discretionary funds to support transportation investments throughout the region. He works closely with the RTC Board of Commissioners, local jurisdictions, NDOT, federal agencies, and Nevada’s congressional delegation.
He has over 15 years of experience leading major transportation improvement projects including the design and management of major interstate, expressway, and arterial projects. Prior to the RTC, Dale worked for the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) where he was the project manager for Project Neon; the state’s largest public works project in Nevada history.
Dale is a Nevada native. He holds a Professional Engineer (P.E.) certification, is a registered Civil Engineer in Nevada, and is a University of Nevada, Reno graduate.
Jim Gee
RTC Director of Public Transportation and Operations
Phone: (775) 335-0020
Jim Gee has worked for the Regional Transportation of Washoe County since 2019. He served as Manager of Service Planning and Innovation for nearly four years before taking the Director of Public Transportation and Operations job. He has 30 years of transit experience and has previously served as a General Manager, a Director of Planning, and also has experience overseeing public transit marketing, information technology, and procurement.
Jim graduated from the University of Toledo where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geography and planning with a specialization in transportation. He has also served at the University of Toledo as an Adjunct Professor in the past.
Prior to coming to the RTC, Jim worked for the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) in Ohio for 25 years, including 16 years as the agency’s Chief Executive Officer.
Vanessa Lacer
RTC Director of Planning
Phone: (775) 335-1901
Vanessa Lacer joined RTC Washoe in July 2024 as Director of Planning. In that role, Vanessa leads regional planning efforts including the development of plans required by federal legislation and the RTC’s Metropolitan Planning Organization designation.
Vanessa has ten years of local government and planning experience including roles in public transportation, town transportation planning, long-range urban planning, and multimodal regional planning. Most recently, she led the long-range transportation planning division at the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO) in Wilmington, North Carolina. Vanessa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Sociology, and a Master’s in Public Administration, both from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is also a nationally certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
Christian Schonlau
RTC Director of Finance/CFO
Phone: (775) 332-9511
Christian Schonlau joined the RTC in April 2022 as the Director of Finance, CFO. He is a finance professional with 15 years of experience working in government finance and has a diverse background in local funding, grants, accounting, budgeting, and regulatory operations. Christian most recently served as CFO for the Board of Pharmacy for the State of Nevada. Previously, he held the position of CFO for the Nevada Attorney General’s Office and also worked in the Governor’s Finance Office.
Christian oversees the accounting, budgeting, auditing, federal grant compliance, risk management, procurement, and financial planning functions of the RTC.
Christian is a lifelong Reno resident. He has a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics from the University of Nevada, Reno. He is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association.
Adam Spear
RTC Director of Legal Services
Phone: (775) 332-2158
Adam Spear joined the RTC in October 2017 as the Director of Legal Services. Adam has represented government entities in Nevada since 2007, developing a focus on federal and state transportation law and regional transportation issues. Most recently, he served as General Counsel for the Tahoe Transportation District at Lake Tahoe. He has a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. Adam serves as RTC’s in-house counsel and manages its legal programs and activities, and advises management, staff, and the RTC Board of Commissioners. He is licensed to practice law in Nevada and California (inactive).
