The New Orleans Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and the San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) have made new appointments to their respective leadership teams.

New Orleans RTA selects next CEO

The New Orleans RTA Board of Commissioners has selected Justin Augustine III as the agency's next CEO. He will oversee New Orleans RTA's bus, streetcar, paratransit and ferry services, along with the agency's ongoing investments and strategic initiatives.

“I’m excited about the selection of [New Orleans] RTA’s new CEO. We had an outstanding group of finalists, and I appreciate the hard work of the [New Orleans] RTA Board throughout this process, as well as RIDE’s advocacy to ensure the public had a voice," said New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno. "New Orleans needs strong leadership at [New Orleans] RTA that understands the urgency of improving service, increasing reliability and delivering a better experience for our riders. I look forward to working with CEO Justin Augustine to make meaningful progress for the people who depend on public transit every day.”

With more than 40 years of public transit leadership experience, Augustine has led multimodal transit systems in the U.S. and internationally. He previously served as New Orleans RTA CEO and held senior executive roles overseeing bus, rail, paratransit and mobility operations. His career includes leadership positions with major transit agencies and private-sector transportation providers, as well as significant contributions to the recovery and rebuilding of New Orleans transit service following Hurricane Katrina.

"I am honored by the board's confidence and the opportunity to lead this organization," Augustine said. “My focus will be on supporting our employees, serving our riders, improving reliability and ensuring [New Orleans] RTA delivers the quality transit service our community expects and deserves."

PATH Director and General Manager to retire from PANYNJ

PATH Director and General Manager Clarelle DeGraffe is retiring from the PANYNJ after more than 37 years with the agency, the last seven of which were spent leading the PATH rail transit system.

Under her leadership, in 2022, PATH was awarded the American Public Transportation Association's Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award for railroads with more than 20 million riders annually.

Long-time New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) executive James Sincaglia succeeds DeGraffe as director, alongside Matthew Reddell, a rail operations executive formerly with Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in northern California, who has been appointed deputy director for infrastructure maintenance and rolling stock delivery. Sincaglia and Reddell join Zandra Ford, who was appointed in June 2026 as deputy director for operations, as part of the organization’s new senior management team. DeGraffe will assist in the transition of PATH’s new leadership team until her retirement, effective at the end of 2026.

The new PATH leadership team will be running a railroad that has undergone transformative change since DeGraffe’s appointment as director and general manager in March 2019 and her tenure as PATH deputy director from 2015 to 2019. During her time leading PATH, DeGraffe oversaw the development of two major reconstruction and modernization initiatives: the PATH Improvement Plan in 2019 and the PATH Forward program that concluded in March 2026.

She led PATH’s response through the COVID-19 pandemic by working quickly and effectively to protect PATH workers so that riders and other essential workers could travel safely and efficiently throughout the pandemic. She also directed the $2 billion reconstruction of PATH stations, tunnels and equipment devastated by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

DeGraffe also oversaw installation and implementation of PATH’s new tap-to-pay TAPP fare system; extensive facility, track and infrastructure work at the Hoboken station in February 2025; and advanced work enabling PATH to implement “Every Line, Every Day” service in spring 2025. During her tenure as director, PATH also opened a new state-of-the-art PATH station house in Harrison, with work under way on a major new power-generating station in downtown Jersey City.

“We thank Clarelle for her leadership at PATH, as well as for her work and mentorship to female staff throughout the Port Authority,” said PANYNJ Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “PATH has been through many changes in the past few years, emerging after each a stronger and much improved system. To ensure a smooth transition as the new leadership team comes on board, Clarelle will mentor and support them before she retires from the Port Authority.”

DeGraffe noted that the "past seven years have been the highlight of my Port Authority career. It’s been a privilege to work with so many dedicated and talented colleagues in overseeing the growth and modernization of a railroad that has been serving the public for 118 years. I’m leaving PATH knowing that the leadership of the railroad is in very capable hands.”

Sincaglia most recently served as NJ Transit's senior vice president and general manager of rail operations, his last stop during nearly three decades with NJ Transit. He got his start with NJ Transit's bus division in 1996 before embarking on a rail operations career as a train dispatcher. Later, he moved to a top management position at the NJ Transit rail operations center, where he served as a supervisor of train operations, before being named manager of train operations and then senior director of system operations.

Between 2015 and 2020, Sincaglia served as NJ Transit deputy general manager of transportation. In 2020, he was appointed acting head of rail operations for the railroad and was formally named senior vice president in 2020. Sincaglia’s leadership was pivotal in the successful implementation of NJ Transit's Positive Train Control project. He also supervised the restoration of the railroad’s depleted ranks of locomotive engineers, an effort that has led to improved on-time performance for rail customers.

Reddell most recently managed track and structures for BART, where he was responsible for the inspection, maintenance and reliability of critical rail infrastructure. His railroad career has included leadership assignments with Amtrak, Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, BNSF Railway, NJ Transit and other rail and transportation organizations. In addition to his public transportation work, he is a retired U.S. Army officer.

San Joaquin RTD appoints next COO

The San Joaquin RTD has appointed John Van Camp as its permanent COO. Van Camp brings more than two decades of experience in maintenance operations, fleet management, organizational leadership and public transportation services to his new role.

He previously served as San Joaquin RTD's maintenance superintendent before being appointed acting COO. In this role, he will provide executive leadership and oversight of the agency's maintenance, facilities and transportation departments. He will be responsible for strengthening operational performance, promoting safety and accountability, improving service reliability and ensuring the efficient delivery of public transportation services throughout San Joaquin County, Calif.

Prior to joining San Joaquin RTD, Van Camp spent nine years with Cummins as a shop foreman, where he developed extensive experience in diesel technology, maintenance management, workforce supervision and operational efficiency.

"John Van Camp has earned the respect of his colleagues throughout [San Joaquin] RTD through his dedication, professionalism, strong work ethic and willingness to lead by example," said San Joaquin RTD CEO Eric Williams. "One of my priorities as CEO is to recognize and develop the talented individuals already within our organization who have demonstrated the ability to lead [San Joaquin] RTD into the future.