METRO's People Movement covers the latest personnel moves in the public transit, motorcoach, and people mobility industries. 

In this latest edition, METRO covers the latest announcements at MARTA, NCTD, and more.

MARTA Announces Leadership Restructuring

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Interim GM/CEO Jonathan Hunt announced a restructuring of his leadership team with a renewed focus on operational safety, reliability, and project delivery.

MARTA’s Chief Customer Experience Officer, Rhonda Allen, has been appointed deputy general manager. She will oversee several critical departments, including the Divisions of Customer Experience and Technology, Operations and Urban Planning, Capital Programs, Engineering & Infrastructure, Administrative Services, as well as the Department of Police Services and Emergency Management.

Larry Prescott, MARTA's assistant GM, infrastructure, will serve as interim chief capital officer. According to an agency release, Prescott has been closely involved with the planning and development of MARTA's capital projects and is ready to hit the ground running. At the same time, MARTA launches a national search to identify a permanent leader to take on this role.

MARTA's Chief of Operational and Urban Planning, Paul Lopes, will also expand his responsibilities to include oversight of all transit operations, including bus, rail, mobility (paratransit), and the streetcar.

Portland, Oregon’s TriMet Makes 2 Key Appointments

TriMet GM Sam Desue Jr. selected Inessa M. Vitko to serve as COO and promoted Mary L. Hill to the position of executive director, transportation.

The promotions come at a time of historic change at TriMet. They are part of an agency-wide focus to improve fiscal efficiency and stewardship.

The executive-level promotions reward two dedicated transit professionals for decades of hard work and commitment. Both Vitko and Hill began their professional careers with TriMet, with Vitko coming on in 2006 as a training services administrator and Hill beginning her career at TriMet in 2003 as a bus operator. 

Coincidentally, both left TriMet to gain additional experience at C-TRAN before returning to the 2020s for more challenging roles.

Formerly TriMet’s senior director, operations command center and rail operations, Hill joins TriMet’s executive leadership team in her new role, assuming the position previously held by Vitko. 

Cincinnati Metro Names New Senior Director, Maintenance

Metro named Tony Balmert as its new senior director, maintenance operations, who brings with him more than two decades of leadership experience in fleet management and transportation operations.

Balmert joins Metro after serving as fleet manager for PepsiCo/Frito-Lay in Dallas, where he oversaw large-scale maintenance operations for one of the nation’s most complex corporate fleets. 

He previously held leadership roles in the rail sector, including regional senior manager of maintenance for Progress Rail, and a series of progressive roles with Norfolk Southern Rail, where he developed deep expertise in maintenance performance, workforce leadership, and operational reliability.

As senior director, maintenance operations, Balmert will oversee all aspects of Metro’s maintenance activities, ensuring optimal fleet performance, safety, and readiness as the agency continues to expand service and invest in the future of public transit in Greater Cincinnati.

San Diego’s NCTD Taps New Director of IT

North County Transit – San Diego Railroad (NCTD) promoted Jeffery Wymer to the position of director, information technology (IT). 

In this role, Wymer oversees all aspects of NCTD's IT infrastructure and operations, ensuring the smooth and secure delivery of services to the community.

Wymer brings over two decades of experience in IT and has been with NCTD for three years, starting as a senior systems engineer and most recently serving as the cybersecurity manager. He was instrumental in NCTD’s procurement of dedicated cybersecurity insurance and assisted the District in its successful Federal Transit Administration Triennial Audit and Transportation Security Administration Cybersecurity Review.