TriMet names Bonnie Todd new Chief Operating Officer

Todd will be first female COO in agency history and brings more than 20 years of executive-level multi-modal transit experience

TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. has selected Bonnie Todd as TriMet's new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Effective December 30, 2021, Todd will join the TriMet executive team and will fill the COO role previously held by Desue prior to him being named General Manager in June of this year.

"I'm excited to serve TriMet riders and support critical environmental efforts, planned and underway, to better the greater Portland community, "said incoming TriMet Chief Operating Officer Bonnie Todd. "I look forward to joining and working with the executive team at TriMet to identify ways to improve performance and I'm honored to have the opportunity to serve this region under the excellent leadership of General Manager Sam Desue."

As a more than 30-year transportation veteran, Todd brings multi-modal transit experience and a proven record of safety, maintenance, and customer-focused operational excellence. Prior to joining TriMet, Todd served as COO at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority where she oversaw operations and maintenance for their fixed-route bus, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), automated people mover, ferry, paratransit and alternative on-demand services for the 1,000 square-mile service area of Jacksonville and NE Florida.

Todd's history also includes twelve years as the Executive Director of Operations at Sound Transit in Seattle, Washington. There, she oversaw the operation and maintenance of the light rail, commuter rail, commuter bus, and a streetcar system covering the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area.

She also served as the Chief of Safety and Security at Miami-Dade Transit where she developed and managed the comprehensive transit system safety and security programs for their Metrobus, Metrorail and Metromover systems. While there she developed the nationally recognized Hurricane Manual for Miami-Dade Transit.

Todd additionally served as the Director of Rail Safety Audits Programs for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and began her transit career at Washington Metro in Washington D.C.

Todd is a United States Marine Corps veteran who served as an avionics technician with tours of duty in Okinawa, Japan and Norfolk, Virginia.

TriMet operations leadership

As COO, Todd will lead TriMet's Transportation, Maintenance and Safety & Security divisions. She also will direct operational training & development and provide leadership to operations planning and development. She will provide critical transportation and urban planning leadership and oversight of the deployment of capital projects and development.