TriMet GM Sam Desue Jr. announced the agency has selected Bonnie Todd as TriMet’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Effective Dec. 30, Todd will join the TriMet executive team and will fill the COO role previously held by Desue prior to him being named GM in June of this year.

“I’m excited to serve TriMet riders and support critical environmental efforts, planned and underway, to better the greater Portland community, “said Todd. “I look forward to joining and working with the executive team at TriMet to identify ways to improve performance and I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve this region under the excellent leadership of General Manager Sam Desue.”

Todd brings multi-modal transit experience and a proven record of safety, maintenance, and customer-focused operational excellence.

Todd served as COO at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority before joining TriMet. She oversaw operations and maintenance for their fixed-route bus, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), automated people mover, ferry, paratransit, and alternative on-demand services for the 1,000 square-mile service area of Jacksonville and NE Florida.  

Todd’s history also includes 12 years as the executive director of Operations at Sound Transit in Seattle, Washington. There, she oversaw the operation and maintenance of the light rail, commuter rail, commuter bus, and a streetcar system covering the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area.

She also served as the chief of Safety and Security at Miami-Dade Transit where she developed and managed the comprehensive transit system safety and security programs for their Metrobus, Metrorail, and Metromover systems.

Todd additionally served as the Director of Rail Safety Audits Programs for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and began her transit career at Washington Metro in Washington D.C.