Central Maryland Regional Transit Corporation Selects New Chief Executive Office

James B. Perez

The Central Maryland Regional Transit Corporation (CMRT), manager of the Howard Transit and Connect-A-Ride fixed route services and paratransit services in Central Maryland, is proud to announce and welcome James Perez as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Perez, who will begin his tenure on September 24, 2012, brings over 24 years of experience in public transportation, working most recently as the State Public Transit Manager for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). In this role, Mr. Perez administered grant programs for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the state, coordinated statewide strategic planning efforts, defined branding and marketing of services and oversaw operating and capital budgets.  A major accomplishment within his role at KDOT was the development of a performance measurement tool, called the Transportation for Regionally Accessible Communities in Kansas (TRACK), a product that ultimately led to improved efficiencies and outcomes for the state transit systems.

Prior to his work at KDOT, Mr. Perez spent over two decades as a Transit Operations Specialist for the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), where he managed the third largest service contract for the system, which included fixed route and paratransit operations.

Mr. Perez will be joining CMRT at a time when service is seeing record ridership, with over 1.6 million riders annually in Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Northern Prince George’s County and the City of Laurel.

“CMRT is an innovative and dynamic company that looks to find creative solutions to major transportation issues,” stated Mr. Perez, “As I join CMRT, I see our role as a regional leader to set the agenda for tackling major issues such as congestion, environmental sustainability and regional mobility.”