Carmen E. Turner facts for kids

Carmen E. Turner (born in 1931, died on April 9, 1992) was an important American leader. She held big jobs like Under Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and General Manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (often called Metro). She made history as the first African-American woman to lead a major public transit system in the United States.

Early Life and Education

Carmen E. Turner was born in Teaneck, New Jersey. She grew up in Washington D.C. She went to Howard University and graduated in 1968. Later, in 1972, she earned a master's degree from American University. Her studies focused on public administration and political science.

Career in Government

Turner started her career working for the government as a typist. She worked hard and moved up to higher positions. She became the acting director of civil rights at the United States Department of Transportation. While there, she helped make an important change: women in the Coast Guard were allowed to serve on ships. This was a big step forward for women in the military.

Leading Metro

Joining Metro

In 1977, Carmen Turner joined Metro as the chief of administration. Metro is the public transportation system for the Washington D.C. area. It includes both trains and buses.

General Manager

In May 1983, Turner became the acting general manager of Metro. Just two months later, she was officially promoted to general manager. This was a very important role. As general manager, she was in charge of about 7,000 employees. She also oversaw the operation of around 2,000 buses and rail cars. About 700,000 people used Metro every day under her leadership.

Metro's Growth and Success

During her seven years leading Metro, the system grew a lot. It expanded from 47 train stations to 63 stations. The number of people riding Metro each year also increased to 70 million passengers.

In 1988, Metro was recognized as the best public transportation system in the country. This award came from the American Public Transit Association. A major highlight of her time at Metro happened in 1990. Congress approved $1.3 billion to help finish the 103-mile (166 km) Metro system.

Smithsonian Institution

In 1990, Carmen Turner left Metro for a new challenge. She became the Under Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian is a famous group of museums and research centers. In this role, she had responsibilities similar to a chief operating officer, helping to manage the entire organization.

Carmen E. Turner passed away in 1992 from breast cancer.