MARTA has settled on two finalists for the transit system’s next general manager and chief executive officer.

The MARTA board said Sept. 14 that Stephen G. Bland, CEO of the Allegheny County Port Authority in Pittsburgh, and Keith T. Parker, president/CEO for VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, are being considered for the job.

The winner will replace Dr. Beverly Scott, who did not renew her contract that ends in December. Scott joined MARTA in 2007.

Both emerged as finalists after a nationwide search conducted by the executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles.

Barbara Babbit-Kaufman, chair of the board’s ad hoc selection committee, called the search difficult and exhaustive because of the many excellent candidates.

“We’re extremely confident that the process has been sound and that we’ve identified the very best candidates for the job,” she said. “We would be very fortunate to have either one of them as MARTA’s general manager.”

Bland, who oversees the Pittsburgh region’s primary transit system, has held his present post since June 2006. The system provides bus, light rail and paratransit service daily to nearly 230,000 riders. His career spans more than 20 years. He also worked as executive director of the Capital District Transportation Authority in Albany, N.Y.

Parker has served as VIA’s president/CEO since July 2009. He oversees the San Antonio region’s primary transit system, which provides bus, streetcar and paratransit service daily for nearly 150,000 riders. Parker previously served as CEO for the Charlotte Area Transit System, where he helped develop light-rail plans.

The MARTA board will schedule a meeting to select the best qualified candidate with a 14-day public notice period.