advertisement

---

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has restructured its management, including the appointment of Jesse Oliver as the new deputy executive director.

Oliver, a lawyer, has experience in labor and employment issues, legislative processes, legal expertise and transit development, DART officials said in a prepared statement. A former Texas legislator, he co-sponsored the legislation that created DART. Later, he was appointed by Dallas city officials to the DART board and served for 10 years as a member and its chairman. In his new post, he reports to DART President and Executive Director Gary Thomas.

The restructuring also included the appointment of Carol Wise as executive vice president and chief operating officer, the promotion of Senior Vice Presidents David Leininger and Timothy McKay to executive vice president, and the naming of Tim Newby as vice president of transportation.

Wise most recently served New Jersey Transit and has held various positions at transit agencies in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Ohio. In her new role, she will lead light rail, bus, maintenance, mobility management, DART Police and materials management.

Leininger, DART’s chief financial officer, now will assume additional responsibility for procurement, information technology, risk management and marketing and communications. He has served DART since 2008. McKay, previously SVP of rail program development, will assume the responsibilities of EVP of growth and regional development, as well as service planning and a new unit designed to address “innovative services.” He joined DART in 2001.

Previously DART’s assistant VP of bus operations, Newby will take on the overall responsibility of DART’s light-rail and bus operations. He joined DART in 1997.

Also making personnel changes is Chicago’s Metra, which recently hired Alex Wiggins as deputy executive director for administration. He serves as the commuter-rail agency’s top administrative officer and reports to Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Alex Clifford.

Wiggins previously served the North County Transit District in Oceanside, Calif., where, as chief administrative officer, he oversaw human resources, information technology, customer service, safety and security and many other areas.

Meanwhile, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has begun a nationwide search for a new CFO to succeed Michael Fabiano, who plans to retire at year’s end, PANYNJ officials said in a prepared statement.

Fabiano, who has served the agency for more than 36 years, will work closely with the authority’s human resources department and search firm Krauthamer & Associates Inc. to find his replacement.