Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) CEO Will Kempton is retiring from the agency and plans to continue his work in the field by leading a statewide non-profit dedicated to transportation advocacy and education.

Kempton, who has led OCTA since August 2009, has accepted the position of executive director for Transportation California and plans to leave the agency in February 2013.

“I’m incredibly proud of our accomplishments over the past three years and grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the people of Orange County,” Kempton said. “During my tenure, OCTA has responded to many challenges, while always keeping in mind the best interests of our residents, businesses and all those who depend upon OCTA’s services.”

Kempton successfully led OCTA during the worst economic period in the agency’s history. He guided OCTA through difficult service reductions and despite a substantial drop in revenues, Kempton ensured the promises of the Measure M half-cent sales tax program were delivered to voters and will continue on that path through the Measure M2 timeframe.

During the past three years, nearly $2 billion in transportation projects have been completed or started, resulting in thousands of private-sector jobs in construction, engineering and related fields at a time when they are desperately needed.

In addition, Kempton spearheaded OCTA’s first five-year strategic plan, which redefined OCTA’s vision, mission and goals and created performance metrics to ensure the highest levels of accountability and transparency to the public.