Former WMATA chief White to be inducted into APTA Hall of Fame

Richard (Dick) White, chief strategic officer at SYSTRA will be inducted in the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Hall of Fame. The award will be presented at the APTA TRANSform Conference in October 2019 in New York.

The honor is for professionals who have extensive and distinguished careers serving the public transportation industry.

“With 45 years of experience, he has served in a variety of high-level positions, including CEO of BART and CEO of WMATA, where he kept the DC public transit system open on 9/11 so people could safely leave the city,” said APTA President/CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. “A leader in APTA, he led the industry first as APTA Chair and later as Acting President and CEO.”

Currently, White is leading the development, communication, execution, and sustainment of SYSTRA’s corporate strategic initiatives. Formerly, he was the longest serving GM and CEO of WMATA. One of his greatest accomplishments was his leadership of WMATA following the September 11 attacks. Under his guidance, the agency moved hundreds of thousands of people throughout the National Capital Region during a vulnerable and scary time in the region. Following this response, White was awarded the Meritorious Leadership Award from Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta.

As APTA’s acting president and CEO, White stabilized then improved the 1,500-member organization during a turbulent time. He addressed several contentious issues to help regain the trust of external partners and diverse APTA membership.

White’s long service and accomplishments in the transit industry began at the Federal Transit Administration where he was introduced to the public transportation industry and benefited from a national and federal perspective of transit programs and industry issues. Later, he led the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District as deputy GM then GM and has held management positions at NJ TRANSIT and the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. He has also worked for private sector firms that serve the transportation industry.