OCTA names Bergener COO

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has named Jennifer Bergener chief operating officer.

She'll be responsible for all of the agency's transit operations, including rail and future streetcar operations. Bergener also will oversee the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency (LOSSAN), as well as microtransit and contracted services.

"This new position unifies all of our transit operations and maintenance under one umbrella and sets OCTA on a course for success as we continue to reinvent the way in which we deliver public transportation," said OCTA Chief Executive Officer Darrell Johnson in a press release. "Jennifer's experience and skills make her the ideal leader to take on this role."

Bergener has more than two decades of experience as a transit professional. For the past 15 years, she's worked at OCTA, where she has worked in rail planning, project and program delivery, and new transit services development.

She also served as LOSSAN's managing director for Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner route. In 2014, Progressive Railroading recognized Bergener as a "Rising Star" in the rail industry.

Prior to her time at OCTA, Bergener worked for the San Mateo County Transit District and Amtrak.