Kooistra appointed GM of Minneapolis' Metro Transit

Wes Kooistra will become the next GM of Metro Transit  the Minneapolis-based transportation operator, announced the Metropolitan Council. Kooistra has served as the Council’s Regional Administrator since 2015; prior to that he was the deputy regional administrator and CFO.

Kooistra has served in executive leadership roles at public agencies for more than 20 years, most notably with the Council and the Minnesota Department of Human Services. His leadership spans policy, finance and budget, operations, government relations, and communications.

Kooistra will replace Brian Lamb, who is not being re-appointed. Lamb has served as General Manager since 2004, when he was appointed under the Peter Bell Administration at the Council. During that time, Metro Transit was named System of the Year by the American Public Transportation Association in 2016, ridership hit its highest levels in a generation, and the agency opened several new transit lines, including the Green Line LRT and the A Line rapid bus line.

Lamb has dedicated more than 30 years of service to Metro Transit, including 15 years as GM.

Lamb began his career in Metro Transit's Research Department. He later created and led the agency’s first customer service department and served as director of service development. In 1999, he joined the Minnesota Department of Public Safety as director of driver and vehicle services. He served as the state’s commissioner of administration from 2003 to 2004. Lamb returned to Metro Transit in 2004, becoming the agency's tenth GM.