Editor's Notebook: Showing Support for our Transit Leaders
Saturday, Jan. 15, was a heartbreaking day. News spread that morning of Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority General Manager and CEO Jeffrey A. Parker’s death by suicide the evening prior. The shock and collective sadness felt by the industry at his loss was for a good man, an industry leader and someone who brought passion and vision to Atlanta’s mobility network.
Parker’s family could have left this as a private matter, but they took a courageous step by openly sharing Parker’s manner of death. In doing so, they not only chipped away at the stigma surrounding suicide, but also helped jump start a conversation about mental wellness among the transit industry’s leaders.
Occupying the top spot at a transit agency, while gratifying, an honor and a great responsibility, can come with a certain level of loneliness and isolation.
New York State Sen. Liz Krueger succinctly summed up the pressures of leaders in transit during a speech from the New York State Senate floor on Jan. 20 ahead of a vote to confirm Janno Lieber as CEO and chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
“You sometimes wonder why there are people…who want these jobs,” Sen. Krueger said. “These are 24/7 jobs with enormous responsibilities, and guess what, pretty much everyone is always angry at them because everybody always thinks [the transit agency] isn’t working for them and must be working for someone else.”
Transit leaders from 20 years ago had to contend with angry community members at public meetings, comments through the mail, emails and phone calls. The pressure modern transit leaders are placed under can be exacerbated by the various social media platforms where trolls can quickly spread or amplify antagonistic messages.
Normal leadership challenges have also intensified under the umbrella of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have written about the industry’s ability to stay flexible and nimble, which is no small feat and a testament to the quality of leadership within this industry. Jobs have been preserved, networks reimagined and new services delivered to communities who rely on transit most. However, it also means transit leaders have been in a sort of hyper problem-solving mode for months and years on end.
Taking care of your mental health runs along a spectrum of needs. These can include what we think of as self-care, such as doing activities you enjoy, to professional and medical intervention.
Peer support can be a critical component to fighting against the isolating elements of a leadership position. There are, literally, thousands of research papers and articles within the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health database on measurable impacts peer-to-peer support can have on wellness. Check on each other, utilize the groups provided by industry associations and know that if you are struggling, you have value and there is help in whatever form is needed and required.
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The industry will continue to mourn the loss of Jeffrey Parker. Parker’s wife, Erin, and two daughters, Gabrielle and Isabella, have set up the Jeffrey Parker Memorial Fund through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to honor his life.
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If you or someone you love is in crisis or experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.