Today, Keolis announced the appointment of Erika Mazza as the new VP of Keolis Operations for the western region of North America. Mazza brings over two decades of planning and operational management experience with an emphasis on economic development, urban planning, affordable housing, and transit to this role, where she will be responsible for leading the company’s operations across various modes in western North America.

Prior to joining Keolis, Erika Mazza served as Mountain Line’s CEO/GM, overseeing all aspects of this award-winning transit agency in Flagstaff, Ariz. She led and directed all business activities to ensure the organization provided safe, on-time service and oversaw 125 employees and a total transit budget of $43M. She previously served as Mountain Line’s deputy GM. A few of her successes during her tenure include: facilitating nearly 100 percent ridership growth, reducing accident frequency to 0.003 percent per mile, and lowering employee turnover from 15 percent to 2.5 percent, in addition to a current zero percent vacancy in open positions.

Mazza also serves on the APTA Board of Directors and the Transit Cooperative Research Program’s Oversight and Project Selection Committee. She is a graduate of the American Public Transportation Association’s Leadership Program and serves as Vice-Chair for the Legislative Committee.

Erika is active in her local community, where she serves on the Northern Arizona Leadership Alliance and the Downtown Business Alliance Board of Directors. Prior to joining Mountain Line in 2011, Mazza was the Human Services Planning Director in Boulder, Colo., where she led efforts to enhance mobility opportunities for low-income households.

“I am thrilled to be joining an organization with such an impressive global track record and forward-thinking aspirations,” said Mazza. “I look forward to working with our partners, cities, community organizations, and agencies to help evolve their business models, develop new modes of transportation, and most importantly, respond to their riders’ – and non-riders’ – demands and expectations.”

This role will report directly to Aline Frantzen, CEO of U.S. Bus Operations, and will include oversight of all facets of Keolis’ operations in western North America, including safety, operational excellence and customer satisfaction, economic performance, staffing and managerial leadership, corporate social responsibility and partnerships.