Metro News Release

For immediate release: January 25, 2007

Veteran Transit Executive John B. Catoe, Jr. appointed Metro's next general manager

John B. Catoe, Jr. was sworn into the position of General Manager to lead the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro), today, January 25. He will  oversee the activities of nearly 10,000 employees, a $1.2 billion annual operating budget and a $3.3 billion six-year Capital Improvement Program.

Catoe has 26 years of experience in the transit industry. Since 2001, he has been the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

After being sworn in, Catoe stressed the importance of improving the quality of service, enhancing communications with customers, and having a good safety record. “While we have a strong safety record, we must have a safety record that is second to none,” Catoe said. “We will focus on becoming a great system,” he added. “The quality of our service is good and we have a good system. It will be an excellent system. We are going to take it to the next level.”

“John Catoe has outstanding credentials and experience to lead a changing Metro that is customer service driven and fiscally responsible,” said Metro Board Chairman Charles Deegan. “His appointment fulfills the Board’s commitment to select an extraordinarily strong and capable leader for Metro’s future.”

As the Deputy Chief Executive Officer for the Los Angeles County Metro, Catoe oversaw the agency’s multi-modal operations with more than 2,600 buses, three light rail lines, one heavy rail line and the motorist aid program including the Freeway Service Patrol and highway callboxes. He also oversaw the California transit agency’s planning, law enforcement, homeless assist program, safety and facilities.

Originally from Washington, D.C., Catoe, 59, is a product of the local school system and his father was a District cab driver. He started his public transportation career at the Orange County Transit District (California) in the personnel department as an Employee Training and Development Administrator in 1979 and when he left, 17 years later, he was Director of Operations. When he left Orange County Transit he went on to head the transportation department for the City of Santa Monica.

Catoe replaces Metro’s permanent General Manager Richard A. White, who left in February 2006. Dan Tangherlini, served as Metro’s Interim General Manager for nine months (February to November 2006) and Jack Requa, Metro’s Chief Operating Officer for Bus, has been serving as the Acting General Manager for the past three months since Tangherlini’s departure in November 2006. Requa now returns to his duties in Metro’s Bus Department.

Catoe earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Redlands in Redlands, CA. In 2004, he was elected Chairman of the California Transit Association for a two-year term.

History of Metro's general managers

Name

Years

John B. Catoe Jr.

January 2007 -

Jack Requa (Acting)

November 2006 to January 2007

Dan Tangherlini (Interim)

February 2006 to November 2006

Richard A. White

August 1996 to February 2006

Robert Polk (Acting)

March 1996 to August 1996

Larry G. Reuter

March 1994 to March 1996

David L. Gunn

March 1991 to March 1994

William A. Boleyn (Acting)

December 1990 to March 1991

Carmen E. Turner

May 1983 to December 1990

Richard S. Page

May 1979 to May 1983

Theodore C. Lutz

November 1976 to May 1979

Warren D. Quenstedt (Acting)

February 1976 to November 1976

Jackson Graham

February 1967 to February 1976

News release issued at 12:00 am, January 25, 2007.