The Capital Area Transit System’s CEO Search Committee narrowed its pool of 17 eligible applicants to 12 on Wednesday evening.
The committee’s members, seated together, called out the names of applicants they were interested in interviewing for the open position.
Applicants who had received four or more votes from committee members are being offered the opportunity to interview in August for the transit system’s top post.
The smaller pool includes interim CATS CEO Bill Deville. There was minor discussion on a few of the candidates as members had individually decided their preferences prior to Wednesday’s meeting to narrow the applicant pool.
Former CATS CEO Brian Marshall, who surprised many when he resigned in 2013 through a public relations firm, also applied for the post, but his name is not among those committee members advanced to the next round. According to his resume, Marshall is the current director and general manager of the Fresno Area Express in Fresno, California.
The applicants are all seeking to replace former CATS CEO Bob Mirabito, who abruptly resigned to return to life in the private sector. Mirabito became CEO in spring 2013. In his resignation letter, Mirabito noted the scrutiny he received during this time in the public sector and said he was more comfortable in the private sector.
Deville, who had previously worked with CATS, was named interim CEO on April 8 and has publicly stated his intention seek the position permanently. The CATS CEO Search Committee began sorting through applicants in June. During Wednesday’s meeting, the committee also discussed potential questions to ask applicants—including one member who wants to ask each candidate exactly why they want to work for CATS—and who would conduct the interviews.
Other selected applicants are:
- Stephen Banta, the former CEO of the Valley Metro Rail Inc. in Phoenix. Banta, who has been accused of misspending, has filed a $1.65 million wrongful termination and breach of contract lawsuit against his former employer.
- Wilfred L. Beal, a graduate of Southern University, is a principal at W.L. Beal & Associates and provided consulting services to the Detroit Department of Transportation.
- Jonathan Davis retired from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority where he served as the deputy general manager, chief financial officer and had a stint as acting general manager.
- Albert Eby is the current executive director of the Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority in Wilmington, North Carolina.
- Barbara Hays, the longtime operations manager of the Ben Franklin Transit in Richland, Washington.
- Adam Giambrone is the former executive transit director for the city of Milwaukee and is chief of planning and strategy at Chatham Area Transit.
- Ivan Maldonado, the former executive director of Star Metro, a mass transit system in Tallahassee, Florida, and current senior manager of transit and paratransit operations for the city of Tallahassee after a restructuring.
- James Perez, a public transit manager for the city of Billings Metropolitan Transit System.
- James Price is the current chief transit operations officer for the Hampton Road Transit in Chesapeake, Virginia.
- Ramond Robinson is chief of transit services in Alexandria, Virginia.
- Michael Stewman is the regional vice president of operations for MV Transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area.
—Alexandria Burris
