L.A. Metro appoints six to executive cabinet

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) last week announced the appointment of six new people to its executive cabinet.

Seleta Reynolds was named chief innovation officer. She comes from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, where she has been general manager since 2014. At LADOT, Reynolds led rider-serving initiatives, including the introduction of mobile ticketing and free transit for students. She has also published four articles in Forbes and one in Eno Center for Transportation regarding the adaptation of Los Angeles for urban mobility, L.A. Metro officials said in a press release.

Jennifer Vides will become L.A. Metro's first-ever chief customer experience officer. She will oversee customer care, communications, marketing and the customer experience, with the goal of advancing a rider-first culture, L.A. Metro officials said. Vides most recently served Metrolink in Southern California, where she launched high-touch programs, including the SoCal Explorer loyalty program and the five-day and 10-day Flex Passes targeting post-pandemic telecommuters.

Sharon Gookin was hired as deputy CEO, responsible for providing daily support and oversight of long-term planning and the build-out of the transit system. Gookin spent the previous 30 years at Fluor Corp., an engineering and construction firm, in multiple roles, most recently as the design-build project director for the $4.9 billion LAX Automated People Mover Project.

Conan Cheung took on the role of chief operations officer-mobility services and development. He will oversee operations and maintenance of the rail and bus systems, ExpressLanes, Metro Micro and bikeshare. He’s also responsible for capital project startup, resource and service planning. Cheung most recently was director of planning and scheduling for the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System.

Gina Osborn was installed as chief safety officer — the first to serve in that role — and will oversee system safety, law enforcement, risk and assessment management. She previously worked as a counterintelligence special agent and staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, as well as a special agent of the FBI.

Finally, Robert Bonner was hired as chief people officer, also the first to serve in that position. He leads a department overseeing the agency’s labor and employee relations, talent acquisition and development and information technology departments. Bonner has more than 25 years of experience in leadership at the city, county and state levels, and most recently was assistant director of human resources for Marin County in Northern California.