People on the Move: January 2024 | Passenger Transport

INDIANAPOLIS, IN—Inez Evans has joined WSP as senior vice president, national bus practice. Most recently, Evans was the first black female president and CEO of the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo), where she ushered in the agency’s first all-electric bus line. Prior to IndyGo, she held leadership positions with Valley Transportation Authority, Santa Clara, CA; Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority; Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority; and Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro), Austin, TX. Evans serves on the WTS International Board of Directors and was recognized in 2021 as the WTS Indianapolis Woman of the Year and in 2022 as the International Woman of the Year. In 2023, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials honored her with a Shirley DeLibero Women Who Move the Nation Award. For APTA, Evans is a member of the Public Transportation CEO Coordinating Council and serves on the Bus & Paratransit CEOs, Mid-Size Operations, Workforce Development, and Access committees, among others. She is a graduate of the Leadership APTA Class of 2011.

In addition, WSP has hired David Cochrane as senior vice president and transportation program director, based in the Pacific Northwest region. He will be responsible for delivering emerging complex mega-projects in response to significant congestion and growing mobility needs in the region. Cochrane has more than 35 years of experience, having held numerous senior leadership positions delivering civil engineering transport infrastructure in the UK, including high-speed rail and highway programs. His most recent and notable work was on High Speed 2 (HS2), Britain’s new zero-carbon, high-speed railway. HS2 connects communities across England and is Europe’s largest infrastructure project in terms of scale and length.

ATLANTA, GA—Collie Greenwood, general manager and CEO, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, has been named one of Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians for the second year in a row, in recognition of his “extraordinary work ethic and professionalism.” Greenwood is a member of the APTA Board of Directors and Public Transportation CEO Coordinating Council and is chair of the Standards Development Oversight Council. He serves on the Rail Transit CEOs, Bus & Paratransit CEOs, and BRT committees, among others.

AKRON, OH—METRO RTA announces Gert Wilms as its new legal and government affairs officer. She will oversee legal and government affairs matters, providing strategic guidance and support for compliance with local and federal regulations, as well as assist with the development and implementation of public policies and programs to help local communities and generate support for the strategic goals of METRO. Wilms served as a prosecutor for more than 20 years, as an advocate for the Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit County, and most recently as Mayor Horrigan’s chief of staff, where she was a founding member of the Akron Pride Festival and oversaw strategic initiatives and special projects out of the mayor’s office.

STEVENSVILLE, MD—Stertil-Koni USA Inc. has named Scott Steinhardt as company president. Steinhardt, who joined the firm as VP of sales in 2022 and was named general manager in 2023, brings more than 28 years of industry sales, marketing, and distributor management experience. He succeeds Dr. Jean DellAmore, Stertil-Koni’s first president, who served in that capacity since the company’s U.S. launch in 1987.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI—American Seating welcomes Heidi Peterson as its new chief operating officer. Peterson brings a wealth of operational expertise and strategic leadership to the role, where she will oversee all operational and engineering functions within the company. Peterson’s career includes tenure as vice president of operations at Haworth, where she spearheaded lean processes and quality enhancements across North American manufacturing and supply chain operations.

WASHINGTON, DC—AlphaVu has hired Mitchell Parsons as its first-ever CTO. Parsons brings more than a decade of experience in technology leadership. His former roles include chief cloud officer and software engineer, with clients including the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

NASHVILLE, TN—WeGo Public Transit has promoted Lydia Benda to director of engineering, construction, and project management. Benda joined WeGo in 2018 and has been managing infrastructure and stop-improvement projects at sites across Davidson County as part of the ongoing WeGo effort to improve both rider experience and increase transit service. She previously served as a traffic engineer in the Traffic Management Center in Kane County, IL.

WeGo also promoted Kia Lewis to senior project manager. Lewis joined the agency two years ago and has been managing several high-profile projects, including the construction of the Dr. Ernest Rip Patton Jr. North Nashville Transit Center and the renaming of the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central. She previously served as project manager, development and engineering.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN—Mpact, (formerly Rail~Volution) has announced the election of new officers for 2024-25. Mpact convenes and supports a network of leaders, practitioners, and advocates working in public transportation, connected mobility and technology options, land use, and development. Flora M. Castillo, president, Pivot Strategies, LLC, and a former APTA chair, will serve as Mpact president. She is joined by Taiwo Jaiyeoba, city manager and CEO, City of Greensboro, NC, as vice president; APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas as treasurer; and Adelee Le Grand, strategic advisor, Intellectual Concepts, LLC, as secretary. Diana Mendes, corporate president for infrastructure and mobility equity, HNTB, continues as immediate past president.

For APTA, Castillo is a member of the Board of Directors, LGBTQ+ Resource Group, Diversity and Inclusion Council, and Mobility Recovery & Restoration Task Force and serves on the Legislative; Access; Sustainability; Marketing, Communications, and Customer Experience; Business Member Small Business; Mobility Management; and Workforce Development committees, among others.

Taiwo Jaiyeoba is a graduate of the Leadership APTA Class of 2014. Adelee Le Grand is a former vice chair of the APTA Board of Directors and is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Council, LGBTQ+ Resource Group, and Mobility Management Steering Committee, and serves on the Workforce Development and Planning and Program Development committees and on the Streetcar Subcommittee, among others. Diana Mendes is a former member of the APTA Board of Directors and is currently a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Council, High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail and Sustainability committees, among others.

In August 2023, Castillo and Mendes were appointed by USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg to serve on the Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity.

In addition, the Mpact Board of Directors has appointed long-time board member and public transit industry leader Grace Crunican, principal, Crunican, LLC, to serve as interim CEO. Crunican has held key leadership posts in the industry for more than 40 years, including as general manager, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) for eight years, director, Seattle DOT for eight years, and director, Oregon DOT for five years. She also has served as FTA deputy administrator. She is a former member of the APTA Board of Directors.