METRO’s People Movement highlights the latest leadership changes, promotions, and personnel news across the public transit, motorcoach, and people mobility sectors.

In this edition, we cover recent appointments and announcements at the STV, MCI, LIRR, and more, showcasing the individuals helping to shape the future of transportation.

RTC of Southern Nevada Names Castro as Next CEO

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) board appointed longtime RTC executive Angela Castro as the agency’s next CEO.

Castro will officially assume the role on January 15, leading RTC as Southern Nevada grows and the agency continues to work with regional partners to address long-term transit funding challenges and meet the region’s evolving transportation needs.

Castro, who currently serves as RTC deputy CEO, brings 18 years of experience at the RTC and has played a key role in advancing major mobility and infrastructure initiatives across Southern Nevada. As deputy CEO, she serves as a senior strategist and advisor to the CEO and oversees government affairs, media and marketing, procurement, safety and security, and transportation demand management.

Castro will succeed longtime RTC executive M.J. Maynard-Carey, whose leadership has helped shape the agency and advance transportation and mobility throughout Southern Nevada.

Throughout her tenure at RTC, Castro has played a key role in advancing transportation investments, strengthening regional partnerships, and supporting economic development. She helped lead the effort to secure fuel revenue indexing, providing critical funding for roadway projects across Southern Nevada, and has worked with federal partners to secure additional infrastructure investments. Known for her ability to build relationships and bring stakeholders together, Castro helped navigate complex transportation policies and funding issues while championing opportunities for small businesses through the RTC’s RiSE program.

Before becoming deputy CEO, Castro held other senior leadership positions at RTC, including chief strategy, policy, and marketing officer. Before joining the agency, she held marketing and media roles with the Las Vegas Monorail, MGM International, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

MCI Strengthens Product Development, Engineering Team

Motor Coach Industries (MCI) is reinforcing its commitment to product innovation and customer-focused development through a dedicated engineering leadership structure focused exclusively on the MCI coach platform.

As part of this strategic alignment, Craig Westervelt has been promoted to Product Technical Director, and Brian Nuessler has been appointed Sales Engineering Manager.

Together, they will help drive product development, technical leadership, and customer-focused engineering initiatives for MCI.

Westervelt brings more than 20 years of engineering experience across MCI and New Flyer. In his new role, he will provide technical leadership for the MCI product and assume overall 0ownership of product design, helping ensure alignment between customer needs, engineering execution, and long-term product strategy.

Nuessler joins MCI with more than 14 years of engineering and technical sales experience. As Sales Engineering Manager, he will serve as the voice of the customer within the organization, helping align product specifications, engineering priorities, and customer requirements.

Lopez Joins WSP

Nivardo Lopez joined WSP in the U.S. as a vice president and strategic growth and project development director for the firm’s Transportation and Infrastructure business in New York. 

In his new role, Lopez will lead strategic growth and project development efforts across the New York region, helping WSP anticipate market needs, strengthen client relationships, and position teams to advance complex infrastructure programs. He will report to Tom Scerbo, New York regional executive. 

As infrastructure owners face growing pressure to deliver more with available funding, Lopez will help WSP engage earlier in the project development process, identify innovative delivery approaches, and bring together expertise across the firm to help clients make the most of their infrastructure investments, officials said.

Lopez joins WSP from the Gateway Development Commission, the bi-state public authority responsible for delivering the Hudson Tunnel Project, where he most recently served as principal deputy chief program officer.  

Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free Announces Retirement

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chair/CEO Janno Lieber announced Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) President Rob Free will retire on November 20.

Free, a 34-year LIRR veteran who worked his way up from station cleaner, has served as president since 2023. The MTA will conduct a nationwide search for Free’s successor.

He departs after a remarkable career at LIRR. A Port Jefferson native, he started his career cleaning Jamaica Station, led operations through the COVID-19 pandemic, and touched nearly every corner of the agency in between.

 According to the agency, since Free began leading the agency in 2023, on-time performance reached 96%, the highest level in over a decade; public safety reached new heights; and weekday ridership soared to 102% of pre-COVID levels. Free also oversaw the first three years of service to Grand Central Madison, the country’s first major new station in more than half a century.

BAE Systems Adds Steele as Regional Sales Manager

Mandee Steele has joined BAE Systems as regional sales manager for the Eastern U.S. and Canada, supporting the company’s ground electrification business.

With a career spanning public agencies and the private sector, Steele brings deep industry knowledge and a proven track record delivering complex business solutions and managing national and international public-private partnerships.

In this new role, Steele will focus on strengthening customer relationships and driving business growth through BAE Systems’ industry-leading electrification solutions.

Her commitment to advancing the transportation industry is further demonstrated through leadership roles with the American Public Transportation Association, Women’s Transportation Seminar International, and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials.

STV Names New VP, Digital Solutions

STV announced that Mark McElroy has been promoted to vice president, digital solutions.

In his expanded role, McElroy will scale digital solutions that integrate and automate workflows, unlock actionable insights, and advance new approaches to project delivery.

McElroy has 20 years of experience at the intersection of software development, data, and technical program management. His expertise spans building information modeling (BIM), project management information systems (PMIS), geographic information systems (GIS), machine learning, data engineering, and analytics. He applies these capabilities to turn complex project information into practical digital tools for planning, reporting, and decision-making, STV officials said.

STV’s digital advisory practice combines deep infrastructure expertise with strategic consulting, advanced AI analytics, and product development. STV has applied these capabilities across key projects, including an AI-powered transit safety pilot for the Chicago Transit Authority; digital assessment tools for the New York City Housing Authority and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority; and advanced project management technologies for the Austin Independent School District.

Voith Appoints Mike Hevey in Dual Leadership Roles

Voith announced Mike Hevey as President of Voith Turbo in North America and as Regional President, North America for the Voith Group, which is a newly created role. Hevey brings more than 30 years of experience across the energy, industrial, and infrastructure sectors.

As Regional President, he will focus on the company’s strategy within the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. He will lead cross-functional collaboration across all of Voith’s Group Divisions in North America, including Voith Hydro, Voith Paper, and Voith Turbo, as well as the Corporate Center.

As President of Voith Turbo in North America, Hevey will oversee the operational and market strategies of the Voith Turbo Group Division across its industry, rail, and marine markets within North America.