Criminal defense and immigration attorney Olivia Rodriguez was sworn in Monday as a member of the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District District Board of Directors.

It will be Rodriguez’s second term on the MTD board, having served from 2002-05.

She fills the vacancy caused by the untimely death of board director Sharon Anderson in 2009.

Rodriguez is a longtime supporter of the Santa Barbara community. She worked in the Ventura County Office of the Public Defender from 2006-07. From 2000-05, Rodriguez was the loan officer for Women’s Economic Ventures. She is on the board of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and serves as a Teen Court Judge for CADA.

Appointed by the Santa Barbara City Council, Rodriguez was sworn in at Monday’s board meeting by chairman Dave Davis, who welcomed her back to the board.

“I am honored to be back on the MTD board because public transit is the future of our community,” Rodriguez said. “It is vital to so many here in Santa Barbara County.”

Rodriguez brings to MTD more than 20 years of service in the legal field and more than five years in finance with a nonprofit organization. She has served on many community-oriented boards and is the mother of three children.

— Kate Schwab is the assistant manager of marketing and customer service for the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District.