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 Valley Metro, OCTA, MCI, and FDOT.

Valley Metro Names New Deputy Chief of Service Planning

Phoenix’s Valley Metro named Michael Eshleman as deputy chief, service planning.

In his new role, he will oversee service planning and scheduling for the agency ensuring that Valley Metro’s transit services are efficient, responsive, and aligned with the region’s growing transportation needs. 

His leadership will be instrumental in shaping future service strategies and strengthening partnerships with regional stakeholders to enhance public transit accessibility and reliability.

Eshleman comes to Valley Metro from the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District in Oakland, Calif., where he served as service planning manager since 2015. In that role, he led a team of professionals and interns, overseeing service planning for a 23-jurisdiction area with a fleet of 630 buses and 1,200 operators. 

MCI Adds Wellington to Financial Services Team

Phil Wellington joined MCI as regional account manager, financial services, taking over for recent retiree David Johnson.

Wellington brings more than 15 years of prior financing experience to MCI, having previously worked for multiple lending organizations, mostly in heavy equipment financing. 

His introduction to the motorcoach industry began in 2016, when he first started working on financing contracts with MCI for Edson Financial. 

In his new role, Wellington will be responsible for assisting MCI private market customers on the U.S. west coast, as well as mountain west and northeast regions, with their financing needs. Based in the Los Angeles area, he will report to Financial Services Manager Tony Pederson. 

California’s OCTA Adds to Planning Team

Rose Casey was named executive director, planning, for California’s Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA).

Casey replaces Kia Mortazavi, who retired in March after nearly 40 years of transportation planning in Orange County, dating back to a time before OCTA was formed in 1991. He and Casey spent the last several months sharing the role, to ensure a smooth transition in the effort to continue providing Orange County with a balanced and sustainable transportation network.

In her new role, Casey will lead OCTA’s Planning Division, responsible for developing long-range transportation plans, guiding sustainable and equitable mobility initiatives, and coordinating regionally with stakeholders to address the county’s evolving transportation needs. Her leadership will remain critical in shaping multimodal corridor strategies, expanding options for transit and active transportation such as cycling and walking, and ensuring Orange County remains connected and mobile.

In support of the continued growth of OCTA’s Planning Division, the agency has also named Dan Phu as the new director, transportation planning and analysis. His appointment underscores OCTA’s strong commitment to succession planning and promoting internal talent.

Most recently, Phu has played a vital role in addressing coastal rail challenges, leading planning efforts to identify vulnerable areas and working with regulatory partners to help prevent future rail service disruptions.

FDOT Names Braun to SFRTA Governing Board

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) appointed Steven C. Braun, PE, as its representative on the SFRTA Governing Board. 

Braun is a registered professional engineer and a certified public manager who has enriched his leadership skills through the FDOT Leadership Academy, the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute, and the AASHTO Executive Leadership Institute. 

As the Secretary for District 4, Braun is at the helm of a team of almost 700 dedicated FDOT employees responsible for the execution of an impressive $5.6 billion multimodal transportation work program across Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties.