OAKLAND — A bicyclist killed Sunday in a crash in the Oakland hills was a highly respected and beloved BART manager, the transit district said.
Jamal Thompson, 41, of Oakland, died Sunday afternoon from injuries suffered when he crashed his bicycle in the 5900 block of Shepherd Canyon Drive. The crash remains under investigation by police; they are trying to determine if speed or a medical issue was a contributing fctor.
BART officials said in a statement “the BART family is mourning the death of Jamal Thompson, manager of engineering programs.”
“Jamal had a fervent passion for planning, sustainability, and mentoring,” the statement said. “His face would light up when helping others and his laugh was genuine and warm. He also loved cars and bicycles.”
Thompson had been with BART since September 2017 “and his contributions have been numerous,” the statement said. He held a master’s degree in engineering and a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, both from Howard University, BART said.
He started his BART career as a project manager, immersing himself in maintenance-facing projects with Train Control and Traction Power, the statement said. One of the critical projects he was involved in was ensuring the system’s power supply and flow of current that operate trains was functioning properly, BART said.
After being promoted to manager of engineering programs in December 2018, his most recognizable contribution was that of program manager for Measure RR, the $3.5 billion program with over 150 projects to modernize and improve the reliability of the BART system., the statement said.
He was responsible for coordinating with project teams to pull together, validate, publish, and present the quarterly report to the RR Oversight Committee. His knowledge of project management, and project controls along with his knowledge of the projects themselves, and his ability to communicate was foundational to the success of the RR program, the statement said.
His contributions as part of the Planning and Analytics team, though less obvious, are none less significant, the statement said. “He took rudimentary spreadsheets, added his own vision, engaged a team and elevated them into an innovative and comprehensive monitoring and reporting framework. To use terminology he might have, he took our processes from an AMC Pacer to a Maserati,” the statement said.
The statement’s ending said Thompson’s “mantra was ‘make your own path and leave a trail.’ “He was kind, patient, friendly and simply a good human being. Most of all he was loved, considered family, and will be sorely missed.”