People news from Valley Metro, WeGo Public Transit and MARTA

Valley Metro in Phoenix has named Trevor Collon chief of capital development. Collon will lead the planning, design and construction of light-rail, streetcar, bus and rail facilities and associated infrastructure. He and his team opened up the Northwest Light Rail Extension Phase II ahead of schedule and are currently managing the 5.5-mile South Central Extension/Downtown Hub that will create a two-line rail system in downtown Phoenix. He also will help the agency leverage new technology and best practices to find ways to expedite design and construction and bring about a new era of electric charging infrastructure. Collon joined Valley Metro in 2019, most recently as interim chief of capital development.

Edward Oliphant on June 1 will retire as chief financial officer for WeGo Public Transit in Nashville. He was appointed to the position in October 2002, serving as Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (Nashville MTA) first CFO. Since 2008, he has also served as CFO of the Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee as part of a management agreement with the Nashville MTA. During his time as WeGo's CFO, the annual operating budget has grown from $26 million and 325 employees to an annual budget of more than $130 million and 800 employees. The transit agency operates the WeGo Star rail service.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) recently hired two government relations professionals who will join the Office of External Affairs. Senior Director of Government and Community Affairs Jennifer Larosa and Government Affairs Program Manager Stephanie Johnson Hardy bring decades of experience to MARTA’s Government Affairs team, MARTA officials said in a press release. Larosa previously worked as a lobbyist for MARTA while at Ohio River South and McGuire Woods Consulting; Hardy most recently was a regional director at AT&T handling legislative and community engagement.