CAT announces new executive director

Posted on January 25, 2022

The Chatham Area Transit (CAT) Board of Directors on Tuesday unanimously selected Faye DiMassimo as the agency's new executive director.

DiMassimo brings more than 40 years of experience with federal, regional, and local public entities as well as the private sector in the development, management, and delivery of multimodal transportation programs. She is currently the Senior Advisor for Transportation and Infrastructure to Metro Nashville Mayor John Cooper and has served as the Interim Director of the Metro Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT).

"We are extremely excited to have Ms. DiMassimo join the CAT Team," said CAT Board Chairman Deidrick Cody. "She will bring a wealth of leadership and transportation experience to our already strong staff."

Prior to Metro Nashville, DiMassimo served with Deloitte Consulting and as the City of Atlanta Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST General Manager and the Director of the Cobb County Department of Transportation.

Notably, she has been involved in public transportation for much of her career. For example, in Nashville, she oversaw the development of a multi-modal transportation plan. In Atlanta, she worked with MARTA and other public and private partners to create the city's first Smart Corridor. In Cobb County, among other things, she oversaw Cobb LINC (formerly Cobb County Community Transit).

"Beyond her extensive knowledge of transit, one of the things that really attracted us to Ms. DiMassimo was her contacts in Georgia and in Washington, DC," said CAT Board Vice Chairman Helen Stone. "She already knows and has a working relationship with many of the key players."

"I am thrilled to be selected as CAT's executive director and to return to where my husband and I have our home," DiMassimo said. "We all recognize the potential for CAT in our community and the needs it serves in getting people to the places they need and want to go. It will be my honor lead this team to our bright future."

Board member Clinton Edminster added, "I am excited to have Ms. DiMassimo on board and to be a part of our agency. I am really looking forward to working with her and the rest of the board to capitalize on her knowledge and experience to make CAT a leader in the industry!"

Chairman Cody added, "I know I speak for the board in saying we want to recognize the service Valerie Ragland rendered as the interim executive director. She did a wonderful job in some very challenging circumstances."

Nashville's Mayor John Cooper said, "Faye answered the call when Nashville needed a transportation strategy to serve us all. She brought a deep talent to our city and she poured her heart into her work. Now, she's moving back home, to Savannah, to be with her husband and the two dogs - and to use her great expertise there. I know she will be just as much of a powerhouse in her next endeavor, back home."

Continuing, Mayor Cooper said, "Even in the middle of a global pandemic, Faye helped bring Nashville together, to create a neighborhoods-first transportation plan. Metro has already leveraged that plan to secure $44 million in matching state and federal dollars, including for a new traffic management center. She helped launch Nashville's first department of transportation. Thanks to her leadership, we're moving forward with a Vision Zero action plan to eliminate pedestrian deaths. Meanwhile, Metro will finally modernize its coin-based parking meters, to capture millions in revenue without selling off our public assets."

DiMassimo has a bachelor's degree in public administration, and master's degrees in community planning and public administration from Auburn University. Additionally, she is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners (FAICP) and has participated in numerous leadership programs and community organizations over the years. Among her many awards and recognitions are being selected as WTS' Atlanta Woman of the Year in 2012 and as one of the Nashville Business Journal's "10 People to Watch." She presently serves on the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Board of Trustees here in Savannah.

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