It’s been over 10 years since Christopher A. Durand joined RIPTA as a budget analyst. Since then, he’s risen through the ranks, going from senior financial analyst and director of finance and budget to executive director of finance and budget and chief financial officer. By 2024, he was appointed interim CEO and in January 2025, his appointment was made permanent. Throughout his time at RIPTA, Durand has expanded his role from finance to overseeing customer experience enhancements, service updates, infrastructure improvements and workforce development.  

When he was responsible for financial stewardship, Durand was a key player during the COVID-19 pandemic. He helped stabilize the agency’s finances to ensure full service was maintained. Thanks to his efforts, the agency came out of the pandemic on solid footing.  

As CEO, he has led several initiatives to enhance the rider experience. This includes launching the Flex On Demand microtransit service, investing in bus stop improvements and working towards implementing open payments. He also expanded the agency’s paratransit service area beyond the ADA requirement with the RIde Anywhere campaign—providing more mobility options to qualified people throughout the state. Durand equally prioritizes his employees’ experience. He led the construction of dedicated staff restrooms at RIPTA’s primary downtown transit hub, helping improve daily operations for frontline staff. 

But perhaps one of Durand’s most impactful achievements was creating a dedicated data team to reshape how the agency operates, which he developed from the ground up. For example, RIPTA is leveraging data to improve on-time performance, assess service gaps and strategically allocate resources. The data team analyzes ridership patterns, travel times and operational constraints to optimize routes and schedules—ensuring any service adjustment is informed by evidence and not assumptions.  

The team is also tasked with establishing consistent data standards across departments and developing user-friendly dashboards, helping foster intra-agency collaboration and empowering all staff to leverage data to make informed decisions.   

Durand embraces innovation beyond operations, infrastructure and service improvements to workforce development. To address a driver shortage, he created a CDL training program to develop a direct pipeline for new operators. This led to increased applications that stabilized the agency’s workforce, allowing RIPTA to maintain service levels while building resilience for future staffing needs. Outside of the agency, he coordinates with local stakeholders and major employers so transit investments align with economic development and workforce needs.  

Whether he’s focused on service delivery, financial stability, workforce development or the rider experience, colleagues say they’re inspired by his level of energy and commitment he brings to his job every day. 

Is there a specific experience that led you to where you are today?  

My finance background and time in the finance office at RIPTA helped me get a deep understanding of the authority, public sector finance and federal transit funding. That experience has been deeply helpful as CEO in knowing how things work and how to get things done. 

What do you enjoy most about your job? 

I love the people here at RIPTA and the people we serve. Every employee is incredibly dedicated to their work no matter what their role is, and we all know how valuable our services are to our riders. 

What’s the most challenging part of your job? 

Trying to make the authority better every day with limited resources is definitely the biggest challenge.  

What is the accomplishment you’re most proud of and why? 

We have made many structural changes to our hiring practices, including higher starting wages and new training programs to create more opportunities for people to have a good career. We have much work to do, but I’m very proud of the results and their impact. 

What is an accomplishment you would like to work towards in your career? 

I would like to see RIPTA on a stronger financial footing with the resources it needs to make improvements to service and spend more time looking forward. 

What is your best advice you can share from your area of expertise? 

Dig in. Take the time to learn about the transit industry. Ask questions, listen and help others do the same. It’s a complicated field and the more we can help each other build a better understanding, the more we all benefit.