Wanda Dunham, chief of system safety, security and emergency management, is retiring from the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) May 15 after 34 years of service to the agency.
Dunham started her career with the MARTA Police Department as a uniform patrol officer and worked her way up the ladder over the next three decades. In addition to the uniform patrol division, she served as a commander in the criminal investigations unit and internal affairs. She was later promoted to captain and major, where she served as a precinct commander before being promoted again to assistant chief of police. In May 2006, she made history with her appointment to chief of police/assistant general manager at MARTA. She was the first African American and first woman to hold this position.
In September 2018, she made history again, when she was promoted to MARTA’s C-Suite as chief of system safety, security and emergency management. As a member of MARTA’s executive team, Dunham was granted expanded areas of responsibility, including the department of safety and quality assurance and the office of the chief information security office (CISO). Additionally, she retained her responsibility for police and emergency management until Atlanta Police Department Deputy Chief Scott Kreher was named as MARTA’s new chief of police on March 9, 2020.
“I am incredibly thankful for Chief Dunham’s hard work and commitment over the last three decades, providing critical leadership around MARTA’s most important and impactful events,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker. “Thanks to her guidance, MARTA remains one of the safest transit agencies in the country. Her legacy and accomplishments will be lasting.”
Dunham retires after more than three decades of experience with transportation law enforcement. At her direction, MARTA Police Department has distinguished itself as one of the top law enforcement agencies in the country, receiving consecutive Gold Standard Awards from both the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Baseline Assessment for Security Enhancement.
“I am proud of the accomplishments that the MARTA Police Department has made over the past 14 years during my time as chief and I am extremely thankful for all the professional opportunities I had along the way,” said Dunham. “It has been an honor to serve the customers of MARTA over the last 34 years and I know the men and women of the MARTA Police Department will continue to deliver first class customer service.”
Dunham reaches another milestone with her retirement, as she is now the longest serving law enforcement officer in the department’s 43-year history.
