Walter “Lenny” Cooksey Jr. has been named COO at Savannah, Ga.’s Chatham Area Transit.  

Cooksey brings with him 25 years of management experience in public and private transportation, financial services, marketing, and emergency management. He joins CAT after serving as GM of MV Transportation’s paratransit service in Baton Rouge, La. In addition, he served on the Safety and Emergency Preparedness Task Force with the Capital Area Transit System.

As GM with MV, Cooksey instituted best practices in the control center and created a safety and security policy. His leadership led to an improved safety record, a secure work environment, and a better customer experience. Cooksey also was an instrumental voice in the agency’s purchase of new paratransit vehicles and protective barriers for operators.

Prior to his role with MV, Cooksey served as director, fixed-route services, for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). He managed over 400 employees, which included bus operators, service delivery managers, road supervisors, control center operators, and station supervisors. Under Cooksey’s leadership in operations, JTA saw performance increases in on-time performance, and his contributions helped lead to JTA being recognized as the 2016 Outstanding Public Transportation System.

Cooskey’s arrival comes after CAT’s former COO, Michael Brown, resigned in August.