APTA Honors 2025 Awards, Hall of Fame Winners at TRANSform

9/24/2025

APTA honored 13 organizations and leaders with the 2025 APTA Awards at the Honors Luncheon, held Sept. 16 during TRANSform in Boston, MA. The association also inducted six new members into the prestigious APTA Hall of Fame.

The 2025 APTA Awards recognize organizations and leaders in the public transportation industry in North America who have demonstrated significant leadership, are outstanding role models of excellence, and whose accomplishments and innovations have greatly advanced public transportation.

ORGANIZATION AWARDS

Outstanding Public Transportation System
  • Monterey-Salinas Transit, Monterey, CA–3 million or fewer annual passenger trips
  • Metro Regional Transit Authority, Akron, OH–More than 3 million but fewer than 15 million annual passenger trips
  • Utah Transit Authority (UTA), Salt Lake City, UT–More than 15 million but fewer than 50 million annual passenger trips
  • Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Washington, DC–50 million or more annual passenger trips
Joel Young (right), APTA vice chair and board member, AC Transit, with Carl Sedoryk, CEO, Monterey-Salinas Transit; Mary Ann Carbone, Monterey-Salinas Transit board chair; and Steve Ramirez, ATU Local 1225 president.
Brad Miller (right), CEO, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, with Dawn Distler, CEO, Akron Metro; Robert DeJournett, Metro Board of Trustees & former Metro board president; Carol Haymond, customer care representative; and Molly Becker, director of public relations & marketing.
Frank White (right), CEO, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, with UTA CEO Jay Fox, Carlton Christensen, chair, Board of Trustees; Jeff Acerson, trustee; Beth Holbrook, trustee; and Andres Colman, chief operations officer.
Erika Mazza (right), senior advisor, MBTA, with Randy Clarke, WMATA general manager and CEO, and Valerie Santos, WMATA board chair.
Outstanding Partnership in Public Transportation
  • WMATA, Kimley-Horn, and Foursquare ITP
Ben Limmer, bureau chief, CTDOT, and Susan Sweat, COO of transit, Transdev U.S., with Outstanding Partnership in Public Transportation Award winners Allison Davis, vice president of planning and program development, WMATA; Lucas Muller, senior project manager, Kimley-Korn; and Jessica Alvarez, vice president and senior project manager, Foursquare ITP.

INNOVATION AWARDS

  • Oklahoma Transit Association, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges and Tunnels, New York, NY
  • Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), Portland, OR
  • Sound Transit, Seattle, WA
Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., CEO, Jacksonville Transportation Authority (right) presents the award to Gilbert Nuncio, transit director, Red River Transit, for the Oklahoma Transit Association.
Rich Andreski (right), CEO, Trinity Metro and chair of the 2025 APTA Awards Committee, with winner Janno Lieber, chair and CEO of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
MJ Maynard-Carey, APTA immediate past chair and CEO, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, presents the award to TriMet’s John Weston, executive director of maintenance; Donovan Young, manager of rail maintenance of way; and Sean Hall, assistant manager of rail maintenance of way.
Dow Constantine (left), CEO, Sound Transit receives the award from Michelle Allison, CEO, King County Metro.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Distinguished Service
  • Matthew J. Welbes, executive director, FTA
Outstanding Chief Executive Officer
  • Kenneth A. McDonald, Long Beach Transit, Long Beach, CA
Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member
  • David M. Stackrow, Capital District Transportation Authority, Albany, NY
Outstanding Public Transportation Business Member
  • Buddy Coleman, chief customer officer and principal, Clever Devices, Woodbury, NY
Winner Matthew J. Welbes (second from left) with FTA Administrator Marc Molinaro (right), APTA Chair Leanne Redden, executive director, Chicago Regional Transportation Authority, and APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas.
Debra Johnson, general manager and CEO, Denver Regional Transportation District, and Kenneth A. McDonald.
Diane Shaw, board member, AC Transit, presents the award to David M. Stackrow.
Kim Green (right), Senior Advisor, Genfare (awards sponsor), with award winner Buddy Coleman.

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

  • Frank DiGiacomo, Torrence, CA (posthumous)
  • Mark Donaghy, Petersburg, KY
  • Jeanne Krieg, Antioch, CA
  • Feysan Lodde, Dallas, TX
  • William R. Mooney III, Chicago, IL (posthumous)
  • Peter Varga, Grand Rapids, MI
Jannet Walker-Ford, advisory and planning business line executive, WSP, and APTA secretary-treasurer; with Pat Scully and Alan Wulkan, who receive the honor on behalf of Frank DiGiacomo.
Inez Evans Benson, senior vice president, WSP, with Mark Donaghy and his son Shawn, CEO of the North County Transit District.
Jeanne Krieg with Doran Barnes, CEO, Foothill Transit.
Feysan Lodde (left) with Raquel Olivier, president, Olivier, Inc.
Dorval R. Carter, Jr. (right), former APTA chair and former CEO, Chicago Transit Authority, with Mooney’s widow, Ileene-Marie, and Michael Scanlon, former APTA chair and 2016 APTA Hall of Fame inductee.
Peter Varga (left) with Jim LaRusch, chief operating officer and corporate counsel, Raul V. Bravo + Associates.