TriMet hires transit veteran as deputy top executive

A smiling woman with red hair, wearing a black blazer and a white shirt.

Bonnie Todd comes to the Portland-area transit agency from FloridaTriMet

TriMet has hired a veteran transit executive to oversee the agency’s transportation, maintenance and safety divisions.

The agency on Tuesday named Bonnie Todd as its new chief operating officer. She will fill the role vacated by Sam Desue Jr., who became general manager of the agency in June.

Todd, who will start Dec. 30, is the first woman to hold the second-in-command job at TriMet. She most recently worked in Florida as the chief operating officer of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. She has also worked as an executive at Sound Transit in Seattle and has been in the transportation industry for more than 30 years.

Two of TriMet’s most recent top executives have been promoted from the second-in-command role: Desue Jr., the current general manager, and his predecessor, Doug Kelsey.

—Jayati Ramakrishnan

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