Metro News Release

For immediate release: June 28, 2007

Metro's Executive Leadership Team takes shape under General Manager John Catoe

Since arriving at Metro nearly six months ago, General Manager John Catoe has reshaped his executive leadership team as part of his overall restructuring of the agency to focus on Metro’s core mission of providing safe, reliable, cost-effective and responsive transit services.

Catoe quickly filled key management positions including a deputy general manager and inspector general, and rounded out his staff of chief advisors with veteran Metro employees, former Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority colleagues and a former executive from the District of Columbia.

“I have assembled a diverse management team with the expertise, dedication and drive to work with Metro’s employees, riders, funding partners and stakeholders to make Metro the best transit agency in the country,” Catoe said. “We are focused on our mission of safety and providing quality transportation and customer service to the millions of riders in the region who rely on Metrobus, Metrorail and MetroAccess.”

In restructuring Metro to focus on operations, Catoe appointed a Deputy General Manager, whose primary responsibility is overseeing the day-to-day operations of bus, rail and paratransit services.

Gerald Francis joined Metro in April as Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer, bringing with him more than 28 years of experience in rail freight and mass transit. Francis manages Metrobus, Metrorail and MetroAccess services, and directs the rail car maintenance and engineering, and operations support functions, which includes plant maintenance, elevators and escalators, parking and customer service. Before Metro, Francis was with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), serving as Metro Rail General Manager.

Operations staff reporting to Francis includes Assistant General Manager (AGM) for Access Services Christian Kent, AGM for Bus Operations Milo Victoria, AGM for Rail Service Steve Feil, AGM /Chief Mechanical Officer David Kubicek and AGM for Operations Services Jack Requa.

As the AGM for Access Services, Christian Kent oversees MetroAccess, the transit authority’s paratransit service that provides transportation for persons with disabilities in the Washington metropolitan region, and Metro’s Office of Americans with Disabilities Act Programs, which focuses on quality, accessible transportation services and programs for customers with disabilities and senior citizens. Kent joined Metro in 2005 as Director of MetroAccess. He has 20 years of public transit experience including general manager of FASTRAN, Fairfax County’s paratransit system, and general manager of contracted paratransit systems in Georgia, New Jersey and California.

Milo Victoria joined Metro in June to manage Metrobus operations. He has responsibility for Metro’s fleet of 1,500 buses, which operate more than 360 bus routes across 1,500 square miles for more than 450,000 people each weekday. He supervises the activities of both bus transportation and maintenance. Victoria has 30 years of experience in transit, most recently at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority, where he had been the Deputy Executive Officer of Maintenance and Rebuild since 2002.

AGM for Rail Service Steve Feil has been in charge of Metrorail since June 2004. He oversees transportation services for five rail lines that provide an average of 700,000 trips each weekday. In addition, Feil is responsible for the rail operations control center, and the track and structures/systems maintenance department. Feil has more than 30 years of experience in the rail transportation industry, including vice president and general manager of operations for the Hudson-Bergen light-rail system for Washington Group International in New Jersey, 10 years with Amtrak and 10 years with the New York City Transit Authority.

AGM /Chief Mechanical Officer David Kubicek started with Metro in May. He is responsible for rolling stock engineering, design, procurements, railcar maintenance activities, storeroom support, warranty, training and quality departments. Kubicek brings 20 years of experience in rail and mass transit, most recently with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority where he was the Deputy Executive Officer of Rail Fleet Services.

Jack Requa is the AGM for Operations Services, which includes plant maintenance, facility and systems engineering, elevators and escalators, training, service planning, parking, infrastructure renewal program and customer service. Requa has been with Metro since 1998, serving as the Chief Operating Officer at Metrobus from 1998 to 2006 responsible for operation and maintenance of the extensive bus system that reaches into two states and the District of Columbia. From November 2006 through January 2007, Requa served as Acting General Manager.

As part of his overall restructuring, Catoe ensured that all of the agency’s non-operating departments directly supported Metro operations. He tapped talent both within and outside of Metro to improve services and safety throughout the region.

Catoe created a department that focused on the safety of Metro’s employees, customers and facilities, and selected Polly Hanson to lead the new department. AGM for Safety, Security and Emergency Management Hanson, formerly chief of the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD), now oversees three offices, corporate safety and risk management, emergency management, and MTPD. Until her recent appointment, Hanson had been police chief since 2002, leading the tri-state police department of 423 sworn police officers and 130 non-sworn personnel.

Suzanne Peck joined Metro in March as AGM for Information Technology. Her responsibilities include voice and data communications, business management and technology, project management, and operations and maintenance of information technology equipment. Prior to her appointment at Metro, Peck was the Chief Technology Officer for the District of Columbia.

H. Charles Woodruff has served as Metro’s Chief Financial Officer since October 2005. Now as the AGM for Financial Services, Woodruff manages the $2 billion operating and capital budgets, and heads the accounting, financial management, treasury, procurement and SmarTrip offices. Woodruff has more than 30 years of financial expertise, including financial management experience at public school systems in Virginia.

Andrea Burnside joined Metro as Assistant General Manager of Human Capital in June. She is responsible for the human resources and related functions for the transit authority and its 10,000 employees. Burnside oversees human resources and management services, compensation and benefits, civil rights, labor relations, organizational development and training, and administrative programs and services. Burnside has more than 14 years of experience in public transportation, most recently at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority where she was a managing director of transit operations support functions of central instruction and corporate safety.

Nat Bottigheimer is the AGM for Planning and Joint Development and was appointed to this position in March. Bottigheimer manages Metro’s planning and project development, and joint development and land management offices. He is responsible for long range capital and strategic planning, planning for bus service and station access enhancement, joint development and real estate asset management. Bottigheimer joined Metro in 2005 as the Director of Business Planning and Project Development.

Sara Procacci Wilson was appointed AGM of Corporate Strategy and Communications in May. In this role, Wilson oversees the government relations, public affairs, marketing, customer communications and executive/corporate strategy functions for Metro. Previously, Wilson served as Catoe’s Chief of Staff for the first five months of his tenure. Wilson joined Metro in 2002 in the Government Relations office.

Taking over the Chief of Staff position is Shiva Pant, who has 37 years of technical, administrative and senior management experience in transit, and has been with Metro since 1999. As Chief of Staff, Pant will coordinate and assist in major policy and project issues, serve as representative and liaison on behalf of the General Manager, and will be responsible for quality assurance on major and critical studies. Pant also serves as Catoe’s liaison and policy manager for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail project. Previously, Pant was Metro’s Virginia Government Relations Officer and worked on key initiatives including funding for Metro, parking facilities and Metrorail cars. Before coming to Metro, Pant was the Director of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation for 26 years.

Carole O’Keeffe has served as General Counsel since 2005. She joined Metro in 1993 as Principal Deputy General Counsel. O’Keeffe has both private and public agency experience, and is admitted to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia, and admitted to practice before the bars of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, including Trial Bar, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, District of Columbia Circuit, and U.S. Supreme Court.

News release issued at 12:00 am, June 28, 2007.