People on the Move: September 2023
9/1/2023
DETROIT, MI—Mikel Oglesby has announced he is to leave his position of executive director of transit for Detroit DOT. Current executive paratransit manager, G. Michael Staley, will serve as interim executive director. When Oglesby, a Miami resident, accepted the position in May of 2020, he indicated that he saw his role as a three-year commitment. Oglesby came to Detroit with more than three decades of public transit experience. He began his career at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority after graduating from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and rose through the agency’s ranks to the position of assistant general manager. For APTA, Oglesby has served on the Public Transportation CEO Coordinating Council and on the Bus & Paratransit CEOs and Mid-Size Operations committees.
BUFFALO, NY—After several years in AECOM’s Pittsburgh, PA, office, Stacie E. Ewing transfers to the firm’s Buffalo, NY, office, where she will focus on transportation related activity within Western New York, engage with local agencies and DBE firms and work to grow AECOM’s transportation business in Buffalo. With extensive experience in project management, Ewing has been involved with rail, highway, traffic, utility and aviation engineering on numerous transportation projects in Pennsylvania and New York. She has been with AECOM for nearly 17 years.
SNOHOMISH COUNTY, WA—Information technology veteran Charles Stearns has joined Community Transit as chief information officer. Stearns previously was regional information officer with Kaiser Permanente Northwest, serving members in communities across Oregon and Southwest Washington state. He also worked for Booz Allen Hamilton as a project delivery lead and client manager for strategy, organizational change and software development initiatives.
CHICAGO, IL—The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has hired Denise W. Barreto as its first chief equity and engagement officer. Barreto will work to expand CTA’s partnerships within the industry and the communities it serves to advance equity initiatives and opportunities. Before CTA, Barreto served as the inaugural director of equity and inclusion at Cook County for the past three years and spent more than a decade as a private-sector consultant to local government, corporate and philanthropic entities. In 2014, former Gov. Pat Quinn appointed her to the Illinois Business Enterprise Program Council, a state commission that implements, monitors and enforces goals of the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Females and Persons with Disabilities Act. For APTA, Barreto is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Council.
CINCINNATI, OH—William Spraul has rejoined Cincinnati Metro as vice president of operations, responsible for delivering fixed-route, Access Paratransit and MetroNow! on-demand services. This includes oversight of Metro’s operations staff and drivers, as well as the Customer Care Center, safety & security, risk and performance management departments. Spraul has more than 35 years of transit management experience in both the private and public sectors. He most recently served as region vice president for Transdev North America. He also served as chief operating officer of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. He began his transit career with Metro in 1982 as fleet manager and served in maintenance and operations-related roles during a 30-year career at the agency, including leading fixed-route service as director of transit operations.
NEW YORK, NY—The Routing Company (TRC) has named Fisher Pressman as vice president of finance. Pressman joins TRC from global fitness franchisor F45 Training Holdings Inc., where he most recently served as senior vice president of finance and analytics. During his time at F45 he also held the roles of VP of analytics and VP of financial planning & analysis. Prior to F45, Pressman worked at Deutsche Bank in the investment bank section.
SANTA BARBARA, CA—Connectpoint has announced the appointment of Patton Gregg as general manager. He will oversee all daily operations for the company. He previously served for more than 11 years at Moseley Associates Inc., a designer and manufacturer of digital transmission systems for telecommunications, radio and television broadcast industries—rising to the position of general manager.
Also, Connectpoint has named John O’Conner as director of engineering, to manage the software development process and its deliverables. O’Conner’s responsibilities include feature development, team management, incident resolution, delivery schedules and infrastructure management. He has more than 30 years of experience developing software and leading teams, with roles at Sun Microsystems, Yahoo and Intuit.
In addition, Brian Beynon has been named technical project manager for Connectpoint. He is responsible for overseeing all projects for the company, serving as a primary point of contact for customers and internal teams. He also interfaces with transit agencies and stakeholders to ensure smooth project structuring, implementation, and completion. Beynon previously served for more than 10 years as director of operations at Medtastic, an agriculture technology company.
NEW YORK, NY—The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has named Lourdes Zapata as its chief diversity and inclusion officer. Zapata served as chief diversity officer for the State of New York under Governor Andrew M. Cuomo from 2018 to 2019. Most recently, she served as president and CEO of the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (SoBRO). Zapata originally joined the nonprofit in September 1997 as director of community development. Throughout her work at SoBRO, Zapata has developed and managed more than 750 affordable housing units, planning efforts to rezone the Third Avenue corridor, Bruckner Boulevard and other sections of the Bronx. In her return to the organization in August 2019, she made history as its first woman and Latina leader. Zapata has also served the state as executive vice president of the division of minority and women’s business development at Empire State Development, where she was responsible for oversight of statewide MWBE procurement policy.
IRVING, TX—RailPros has hired Jennifer Drake as its vice president of engineering central, based out of a new Chicago office. She will also serve as a client liaison on business development and cross-selling strategies across all lines of business. Drake has more than 20 years of experience in transportation, rail and infrastructure engineering. Her background includes business development and project management, encompassing all aspects of rail and highway bridge design and rehabilitation from preliminary engineering through construction support for typical to complex structures.
WALNUT CREEK, CA—Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) announces that Rashida Kamara has been selected as accessibility and equity program manager. Prior to her appointment, Kamara was with the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority, first serving as manager of accessible services, then director of ADA and specialized services. She spearheaded the One-Seat Ride program, which is built on a partnership among four transit agencies in Contra Costa County. Before Central Contra Costa Transit Authority, she was general manager for East Bay Paratransit (a paratransit service for BART and AC Transit operated by Transdev North America) and director of Transit Logic Consulting Services. For APTA, Kamara is a member of the Access Committee.
KANSAS CITY, MO—John Walsh has joined EO Charging as chief commercial officer of the company’s Americas business. He brings more than three decades of experience in the transportation industry, with expertise in transit and school bus electrification solutions. Prior to EO, Walsh served as chief commercial officer of Proterra Inc. Before that, he was president and CEO of Davey Coach Sales, Inc., president of the REV Group and vice president of sales and marketing at ARBOC Specialty Vehicles. For APTA, Walsh is a member of the Business Member Workforce Development, Zero Emission Fleet and Bus Safety committees.
PEORIA, IL—CityLink recently welcomed Miguel A. Sanchez as its new director of safety and training. He has more than 30 years of experience in operational leadership, with a singular focus on safety. Sanchez had a long-tenured career in various roles at UPS, and most recently worked as the environmental, health and safety director at Chicago Magnesium Cast Co.
