People on the Move: December 2023

INDIANAPOLIS, IN—IndyGo President and CEO Inez Evans is to step down, effective Dec. 31. Evans oversaw the construction and completion of IndyGo’s new 110,000-square-foot East Campus headquarters facility. She also collaborated with the Hogsett administration and the City-County Council to increase the city’s commitment to TOD, bringing access, opportunity, and growth to the community. Her efforts on behalf of public transit in the Indianapolis community were recognized in May of 2023 by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) with the annual Shirley DeLibero COMTO Woman Who Moves the Nation Award. She was also named the 2023 Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) International Woman of the Year. For APTA, Evans is a member of the Public Transportation CEO Coordinating Council and serves on the Bus & Paratransit CEOs, Mid-Size Operations, Research & Technology, Workforce Development, and Access committees, among others. She is a graduate of the Leadership APTA Class of 2011.

In addition, IndyGo has named Jennifer Pyrz as interim CEO until the appointment of a new permanent CEO. Pyrz is a civil engineer who joined IndyGo in April 2020 as the agency’s chief development officer and vice president of infrastructure, strategy, and innovation. Her role has included oversight of the Purple Line all-electric BRT project.

SAVANNAH, GA—Chatham Area Transit (CAT) has hired Gerald Sanders as chief administrative officer. He will lead the areas of procurement; human resources; IT/innovation; training; safety, security, and risk management; and diversity, equity, and inclusion/equal employment opportunity. Sanders brings to CAT more than two decades of experience in city and county leadership, with a focus on general administration, project management, process improvement, and analysis.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN—WSP has named Patrick Watz as Midwest district transportation business line leader. Watz, a senior vice president with the firm since 2021, brings nearly three decades of experience to his new leadership role that includes planning, design, and construction of rail transit systems, bridges, highways, and multi-modal facilities across the U.S. Watz will remain engaged with the delivery of active projects in the district, including Metropolitan Council’s METRO Blue Line Light Rail Extension project. Watz is involved in several industry and civic organizations, including the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS). For APTA, he serves on the Planning and Program Development Committee and on the Major Capital Investment Planning and Streetcar subcommittees, among others. He is a graduate of the Leadership APTA Class of 2017.

SAN DIEGO, CA—Cubic Transportation Systems, a division of Cubic Corporation, has announced Peter Torrellas as senior vice president of Cubic Corporation and president of Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), following former president Jeff Lowinger’s retirement. Torrellas will be responsible for leading CTS’ strategic vision, growing its customer base, and enhancing partnerships with existing customers around the world. Prior to joining Cubic, Torrellas was the global business unit president of Connected Communities at Parsons Corporation, leading a team of 2,500 in rail systems, traffic management, aviation, utilites, and environmental remediation—in addition to founding Parsons X, the digital transformation arm of Parsons Corporation.

WASHINGTON, DC—Robert Puentes, president/CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation, has announced he is to step down. Puentes and the Eno Board of Directors have formed an executive search committee to ensure a smooth transition to a new president/CEO. Prior to joining Eno, Puentes was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, where he directed the Metropolitan Infrastructure Initiative. He serves on a variety of boards, including the Shared-Use Mobility Center and UCLA’s Institute of Transportation Studies. Recent appointments include the Federal Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity, New York State’s 2100 Infrastructure Commission, the Advisory Council of the West Coast Infrastructure Exchange, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Transportation Reinvention Commission, the District of Columbia’s Streetcar Financing and Governance Task Force; and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority’s Technical Advisory Committee. For APTA, he is a member of the Workforce Development, Rail Transit, and Planning and Program Development committees and the Capital Projects Subcommittee.

SEATTLE, WA—Julie Timm, CEO of Sound Transit, has announced that she will be leaving the agency effective Jan. 12. Since joining the agency in September 2022, Timm has overseen a renewed emphasis on the rider experience as Sound Transit approaches the opening of several new extensions, starting with East Link next spring. In her 25+ years of experience, Timm has overseen multi-billion-dollar, multi-year light rail transit, roadway/highway, passenger rail, port, and military projects. She has worked in the private sector and for state and federal agencies on projects across the U.S. and internationally. The Sound Transit Board of Directors and staff leadership will form a transition team to navigate the agency through the leadership transition. The board is expected to appoint an interim CEO in the weeks ahead. For APTA, Timm is a member of the LGBTQ+ Resource Group and Public Transportation CEO Coordinating Council and serves on the Planning and Program Development Committee and on the Commuter Rail CEOs and Environmental subcommittees, among others.

RICHMOND, VA—GRTC has announced the hiring of Marc René as director of finance. René joined the agency after serving as vice president of finance and administration with the Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity. He brings a comprehensive background from various government, nonprofit, and commercial media finance positions. René will be leading an expanding GRTC finance team.

In addition, GRTC has promoted Michael Hurt to the position of director of marketing & communications. Hurt joined the agency last year as creative marketing and branding manager. Under his leadership, GRTC has overhauled its entire brand and launched a year-long 50th-anniversary celebratory campaign. Hurt will continue to lead marketing & communications through a number of major efforts, including outreach for new BRT lines. In his role directing creative marketing, Hurt has already overseen a historic increase in driver applications.

OAKLAND, CA—The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) has named Kevin Franklin as chief of the BART Police Department (BPD). Franklin is a 27-year veteran of the department. He was appointed interim BPD chief in May. He began his law enforcement career at the Oakland Police Department, where he served as a police cadet and police officer before transferring to BART in 1996. For APTA, Franklin is a member of the Infrastructure Security Working Group.

FORT WORTH, TX—Trinity Metro has named Reed Lanham as its new vice president of rail. Lanham most recently served as deputy vice president. He will be responsible for putting new programs into place to elevate the quality, reliability, and consistency of Trinity Railway Express and TEXRail services. Lanham joined Trinity Metro in 2015 and has held a variety of leadership roles in rail. During his tenure, he played a key role in the start-up of TEXRail and successfully led Trinity Metro’s implementation of PTC on both Trinity Railway Express and TEXRail. For APTA, Lanham is a member of the Commuter Rail Chief Operating Officers Subcommittee.

SAVANNAH, GA—Chatham Area Transit Authority (CAT) has named Mary Moskowitz, AICP, as chief of planning, infrastructure, and development. Moskowitz brings to CAT more than 19 years’ experience in the field of professional urban and transportation planning, including as project manager for several high-profile transportation planning initiatives.

WALNUT CREEK, CA—Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) has hired Lindy Johnson to serve as director of external affairs. Before her appointment, Johnson was vice president at the East Bay Leadership Council and Contra Costa Economic Partnership, where she managed projects and programs including the organization’s policy research and advocacy strategy and managed a regional transportation task force dedicated to advancing transportation projects and initiatives. Johnson also worked for Contra Costa Supervisor Karen Mitchoff as a district representative.

CHICAGO, IL—The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) welcomes Maulik Vaishnav as its new senior deputy executive director, planning and capital programming. Vaishnav will coordinate with CTA, Metra, Pace, other government entities, and civic partners to support regional and local planning and programs; the regional transit capital program; data services and analytics; and grants management. Vaishnav has spent his career in transit management and data-driven policy and program implementation. He most recently served as vice president, innovation, for CTA. He was responsible for creating CTA’s first rider-focused customer experience and marketing strategy and leading the implementation of the “Meeting the Moment” action plan to realign the agency toward post-pandemic customer success.

AUSTIN, TX—The Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) has named Brad Cummings as its new senior vice president of procurement and contract management. Cummings was most recently with Dallas Area Rapid Transit, where he served as vice president of business services. He has significant experience in leading contract and procurement functions at transit agencies across the U.S. For APTA, Cummings is a member of the LGBTQ+ Resource Group.

In addition, ATP has named Haley Garcia as its new senior vice president of program controls in the planning, community and federal programs department. Garcia has nearly two decades of experience as a program and project controls professional with such organizations as HDR, Jacobs Engineering, Burns & McDonnell, and Hill International Inc. She most recently served as the project controls manager for the light rail capital development program at Valley Metro in Phoenix. Garcia is a member of the Eno Center for Transportation.

MEMPHIS, TN—The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) announces the promotion of Tiffany Casey to the position of chief administrative officer. In this new capacity, Casey will oversee internal business operations for the finance, information technology, performance improvement, procurement, and contract management departments. Since joining MATA, Casey has served in several leadership positions—most recently as director of performance improvement. Previously, she was senior vice president of Shane Transportation, Inc., a joint-venture with Laidlaw Transit-North America (now First Transit-North America). For APTA, Casey is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Council and serves on the Marketing, Communications, and Customer Experience; Sustainability; and Bus Operations committees. She is a member of the Leadership APTA Class of 2024.