Jeff Nelson Retires as MetroLINK CEO/Managing Director; Benjamin Limmer Named Successor

Jeffrey A. Nelson, chief executive officer and managing director of the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLINK), Moline, IL, has retired, following a 42-year career of advancing public transportation, mobility, and community development in the Quad Cities region and beyond. The agency has named Benjamin Limmer as his successor.

With more than two decades of experience in strategic planning, capital development, and organizational leadership, Limmer most recently served as chief of public transportation at Connecticut DOT, where he played an integral role in preparing the state’s long-term strategic vision with a focus on innovation to improve customer experience.

Prior to his role in Connecticut, Limmer’s career included senior leadership roles at the Charlotte Area Transit System, NC; Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, FL; Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority; Valley Metro in Phoenix; and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority.

For APTA, Limmer is a member of the Board of Directors and serves on the Public Transportation CEO Coordinating Council and on the Rail Transit CEOs, Commuter Rail, Rail Transit, High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail, Bus Operations, Legislative, and Mobility Management committees. He is a graduate of the Leadership APTA Class of 2014.

Limmer is a recipient of the Women’s Transportation Seminar, Honorable Ray LaHood Man of the Year Award.

Jeffrey Nelson’s MetroLINK tenure was marked by a focus on leveraging transit investment to drive community transformation. His work led to the creation of multimodal transit facilities in downtown Moline, East Moline, and Rock Island; the construction of a state-of-the-art operations and maintenance center; and the development of the “Q” Multi Modal Station—a $30 million public-private redevelopment project in downtown Moline that will serve future passenger rail service between Chicago and Moline.

Nelson was an early champion of alternative-fuel technology, introducing Compressed Natural Gas buses in 2002 and later expanding MetroLINK’s fleet to include battery-electric vehicles.

Under Nelson’s leadership, MetroLINK received APTA’s 2012 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award. Nelson served as APTA chair from January 2021 to October 2022, assuming the role when Nuria I. Fernandez was appointed FTA deputy administrator. He has also served as president of the Illinois Public Transportation Association and chair of the National Transit Institute at Rutgers University.

Nelson has received numerous national and state honors, including FTA’s State Leadership Award, the Illinois Public Transportation Association’s William Volk Lifetime Achievement Award, and the River Action Lifetime Achievement Award.

For APTA, Nelson has served on a variety of committees and working groups, including the Executive Committee, Public Transportation CEO Coordinating Council, Bus & Paratransit CEOs Committee, and Authorization Task Force. He was chair of the Legislative Committee and the Bus & Paratransit CEOs Committee.