A former Regional Transit Authority executive who applied to be the agency's next CEO was pulled from contention after he had already received word from the search firm that he was a semifinalist for the job.

Derrick Breun, who served as the chief operating officer at the RTA from 2008 to 2013 and was a finalist in the agency's search for a CEO in 2019, received an email in early August from search firm KL2 Connects informing him that he was one of five candidates they submitted to move on to the next selection round, according to a copy of the email.

But when the search firm sent its short list to RTA officials a week later, Breun wasn't included. The reshuffling of semifinalists by the consulting firm came after Mayor Helena Moreno raised concerns that the search hadn't included any New Orleanians among its five semifinalists.

It was the first of two instances where Moreno pressed RTA officials to redo part of the search process. Following the intervention, two former RTA executives, Mark Major and Justin Augustin, were added as semifinalists.

Moreno told WWL Louisiana earlier this month that she asked KL2 Connects to reconsider applicants from New Orleans after learning that the two former RTA executives didn't make the initial top five. The two men made the finalized shortlist KL2 Connects sent to RTA officials on Aug. 13 and are currently among three finalists still in the running for the role.

In a text message last week, Moreno said she provided the feedback after she "was told that there was no New Orleans candidate in the top five list initially."

"Too often, talented New Orleanians are overlooked for major leadership positions in their own city," Moreno said in a statement Monday. "That is why I made clear throughout this process that qualified local candidates, particularly those who understand RTA, our community and our riders, deserve serious consideration."

"That is not advocating for any particular person; it is advocating for New Orleans talent," Moreno added.

Breun lives in Kenner, which was part of the RTA's service area until Jefferson Parish removed itself from the agency's board in 2024. He currently serves as regional vice president at the transit management firm Transdev, overseeing 15 transit agencies, including in Jefferson Parish.

In a statement, Breun confirmed that he received the emails and said he was proud of his track record at the RTA.

"I have committed the last 27 years of my life to transit throughout the New Orleans market," Breun said. "I wish all the best to whoever is chosen for the CEO position, and hope that the best interests of the rider are at the forefront of any decision that is made."

KL2 Connects did not respond to requests for comment. RTA Board Chair Ann Duplessis, who selected the search firm, declined to comment.

Monthslong search

The RTA board kicked off its search for a new chief executive after former CEO Lona Edwards Hankins resigned in May. The board, appointed by Moreno in April, hired KL2 Connects on a $60,000 contract.

The search firm delivered its finalized shortlist to the RTA on Aug. 13. It included three out-of-state contenders and two local applicants: Augustin and Major, who both began working at the RTA in 1983 and later held leadership roles at the agency under Transdev management.

The RTA board narrowed the field down to three finalists in late August. Augustin, the former general manager at the RTA and regional vice president at Transdev, advanced to the final round. Major, a former deputy CEO at the RTA and finalist in the 2023 search who also served on Moreno's mayoral transition, came in fourth, knocking him out of the running.

Two weeks after the vote, Moreno sent a letter to the RTA board asking them to revisit their decision and instead allow all five candidates to advance to the final round.

The mayor pointed to a letter she had received from the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1560, which represents nearly 500 RTA employees, asking for her "direct involvement" in the selection and that the "full field of candidates" be reconsidered.

Duplessis declined Moreno's request and said the board would stick with its decision to narrow the field to three finalists.

On Sept. 17, however, one of those finalists, Bernard Jackson, the chief operating officer at the New York City Transit Authority, withdrew his application. The RTA board then voted to include Major, along with Augustin and Reginald “Reggie” Mason, CEO of the Greensboro Transit Agency in North Carolina, in the final round.

Public forum, selection

The three finalists are scheduled to appear at a community forum on Oct. 26 hosted by the transit-advocacy group RIDE New Orleans. Ahead of the event, RIDE plans to convene a group of stakeholders to publish a scorecard on the finalists.

At its Oct. 27 meeting, the RTA board plans to interview each of the three candidates again in executive session before holding a public vote to pick the agency's next CEO.

"At this point, we have three outstanding candidates with decades of combined experience in public transit and executive leadership," Moreno said in her statement Monday.

"Ultimately, the Board will make the decision," Moreno added. "I will respect that decision and look forward to working with whoever is selected."

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