Robert Bunda, a former president of the Hawaii state Senate, has announced he will be stepping down from the board that oversees Oahu’s elevated rail transit project.

Bunda said he will leave the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board of directors on June 30 to spend more time with family.

“The experience I have gained as a member of the HART board has given me a deep sense of appreciation for my colleagues on the board and for the entire HART team, all of whom work hard each day to make the project successful,” Bunda said in a statement released Friday by the agency. “The one thing we never get back is time.”

Bunda joined the HART board in 2011. His term was set to expire in 2018, according to the HART release.

He previously served as a state Legislator for more than 25 years, including six years as Senate president.

The HART board will issue a call for nominations in July and then later hold a public hearing and selection process for Bunda’s replacement, according to agency officials.

Bunda’s departure comes as another prominent HART board member prepares to leave. Carrie Okinaga, the HART board’s former chairwoman, has been recommended to take a job as the University of Hawaii’s general counsel; she is slated to leave HART if she’s hired.