One word to describe yourself: Collaborative
Fast fact about yourself: I was the first male cheerleader for my high school.
What’s your best experience on transit and what made it memorable? My best experience on transit was when I was growing up and rode the tri-rail and amtrack with my mom going to visit family in different states or taking part in the activities the different companies were hosting.
Kelly Gordon is the general manager for Transdev’s operational and maintenance paratransit contracts with Palm Tran Connection out of West Palm Beach, Fla. His transit career has spanned more than 10 years at various locations in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
He began his career in 2014 as a dispatcher, then moved to scheduler and was promoted to operations manager and assistant general manager. Since 2022, he has served as the general manager at the Palm Tran Connection contract location. In this role, he effectively manages all day-to-day aspects of this unionized paratransit operation, including maintenance, safety, location dispatch, operators and administrative employees. He oversees daily, weekly and monthly reviews of key operational metrics, provides support to local management staff on departmental performance and working conditions and reviews action plans for location improvements.
Gordon is described by colleagues as a dedicated leader and someone who has built his career through an understanding of service delivery, data analysis and cross departmental team leadership. Since coming to West Palm Beach, he has improved staff morale by fostering team development and creating opportunities for team members. He has cultivated meaningful relationships with frontline workers and ensures he regularly engages with staff at every level to expand his understanding of their roles.
Colleagues say Gordon is a true entrepreneur who is willing to dig in during difficult situations and continue to service his riders. One example of his entrepreneurial spirit is a recent project where issues beyond his control required him to break the project into three separate facility locations. He worked out of temporary facilities to keep the project in motion, all while maintaining a positive work environment and with support from the great team he has developed.
During his time at Palm Tran, Gordon has led his team to increasing efficiencies. He has also streamlined a few of the previously manual processes to be cloud-based. He continued to spearhead technology innovation, implementing a shared drive so all the teams could quickly share large files. He also piloted the majority of the new software now in use, giving valuable feedback and ways to improve it. In addition to digitizing reporting data, he also created a set of standard procedures for emergencies and incidents so that everyone stayed informed in a timely manner.
In the past year, Gordon compiled a suite of applications to be utilized on tablets, allowing for instant communication, review/coaching access, document generation and reporting from virtually anywhere for supervisors and improvements are made periodically with continued input. This has positively impacted the safety culture of the location, with this program expanding to other Transdev locations. Efficiencies have also increased due to the ease of access to information and communication. These innovations are in line with Gordon’s ultimate goal, which he describes as driving the future of transit by using technology, streamlining procedures and implementing innovative solutions that improve efficiency and accessibility for all riders and communities.
As a testament to his dedication to his team, Gordon is a Transportation Safety Institute certified instructor and a Certified Safety & Security officer, which he’s used to train operators and other staff, as well as assist community partners with their activities and general knowledge. He regularly engages with community stakeholders to ensure the paratransit services align with the evolving needs of riders and broader transit goals. He attends conferences when he’s able, especially those in Florida. He’s also a newly appointed board member of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials - Palm Beach Chapter.
Outside of his role in transit, Gordon is hands-on with many local organizations and nonprofits, including Florida Outreach for the Blind, Lighthouse for the Blind of Palm Beach, the Office of Community Revitalization (he received a letter of gratitude for him and his teams willingness to always provide support and in-kind services) and Leadership Palm Beach County, providing volunteer assistance setting up, financial resources and promoting outreach.
He is currently a participant in the 2026 Beyond the Fair program with the South Florida Fairgrounds, a leadership initiative for young professionals focused on organizing and enhancing events throughout Palm Beach County. He is also the president of Black Genius In Flight Inc, a nonprofit focusing on promoting S.T.E.A.M. education in marginalized communities.
Is there a specific experience that led you to where you are today?
Starting as a dispatcher over a decade ago gave me firsthand insight into the frontlines of transit operations. That experience grounded my leadership style and inspired my belief in cross-functional understanding, which has been pivotal to my growth. One of my mentors made a comment saying, “Make it so that your projects work with minor oversight, so you can tackle new obstacles,” and that stuck with me.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy working alongside my team, peers and people who are deeply committed to making a difference in the lives of riders and community. The ability to solve real-world problems through collaboration and innovation keeps me motivated daily. I also enjoy working with our community to collaborate and create a cohesive group to do all we can as a company and county.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Leading through change and maintaining team morale during high-pressure situations is always a challenge—but it’s also an opportunity to grow stronger as a team and show up for our community in a meaningful way. This past year, we have been through some challenges and the team I have pulled through and toughed it out, making the best of an unideal situation.
What is the accomplishment you’re most proud of and why?
I’m especially proud of leading my team to increase efficiencies by modernizing manual processes through cloud-based solutions. This improvement directly impacts service reliability and customer satisfaction.
What is an accomplishment you would like to work towards in your career?
I aim to return to a regional/national role where I can use technology and data to drive more scalable, efficient and rider-centric transit operations across multiple platforms and agencies.
What is your best advice/tip/best practice you can share from your area of expertise?
Always stay connected to the people behind the data. Technology and systems are only as effective as the teams who implement and interact with them. Invest in your people, and innovation will follow.
About the Author
Megan Perrero
Editor in Chief
Megan Perrero is a national award-winning B2B journalist and lover of all things transit. Currently, she is the Editor in Chief of Mass Transit magazine, where she develops and leads a multi-channel editorial strategy while reporting on the North American public transit industry.
Prior to her position with Mass Transit, Perrero was the senior communications and external relations specialist for the Shared-Use Mobility Center, where she was responsible for helping develop internal/external communications, plan the National Shared Mobility Summit and manage brand strategy and marketing campaigns.
Perrero serves as the board secretary for Latinos In Transit and is a member of the American Public Transportation Association Marketing and Communications Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism with a concentration in magazine writing and a minor in public relations from Columbia College Chicago.