Yesterday afternoon, Metro announced in an internal email (full copy below) that L.A. Department of Transportation (LADOT) General Manager Seleta Reynolds will be leaving the agency sometime in August to join Metro as the Chief Innovation Officer and head of the Department of Strategic Innovation.
Reynolds has been a part of Mayor Eric Garcetti's administration since 2014 - almost his entire term in office. Between Streetsblog's launch in 2008 and her appointment, LADOT had had five general managers and interim general managers, so her time at LADOT brought stability at the top of the organization. Her tenure began encouragingly enough, with the launch of programs such as Great Streets and the Mayor's much-ballyhooed Vision Zero Plan. However, a lack of follow-through from the Mayor's Office in these and other areas and uneven commitments (or even downright opposition, particularly to Great Streets projects) from local councilmembers led to these programs not reaching their full potential.
In the email to staff, Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins summarized some of Reynolds' accomplishments.
A national leader, Seleta currently serves as the General Manager for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Among her accomplishments are the nation’s largest electric vehicle carshare program and the nation’s largest universal basic mobility plan pilot. Previously, she served at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, leading the Livable Streets Unit.
She has published four articles in Forbes magazine and a key article in the Eno Center for Transportation regarding the adaptation of Los Angeles for Urban Mobility in our Digital Age. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in American History from Brown University.
As head of the Department of Strategic Innovation, Reynolds will oversee efforts to "focus the entire agency on purpose-driven innovation to enhance the customer experience," including implementing Metro's strategic plan and implementing new pilot programs. Her first day at Metro will be August 30. There has not been an announcement from the City on plans for an interim-general manager or new general manager for LADOT. With the run-off for mayor-elect just a few months away, a permanent replacement may not be announced until next year.
Metro Email Announcing Seleta Reynolds as new Chief Innovation Officer:
Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2022 9:38:16 AM
To: All_Staff <All_Staff@metro.net>
Subject: Leadership Announcement: Chief Innovation Officer
Dear Metro Family,
I am excited to share with you the following leadership announcement for the Office of Strategic Innovation.
As you may have heard me share before, I believe the pandemic has offered us a unique opportunity to rethink our value proposition and allow us to put an even deeper focus on our customers, putting them at the center of everything we do. The decision to change the name of the Office of Extraordinary Innovation to the Office of Strategic Innovation was intended to shift the office to a strategic position that would focus the entire agency on purpose-driven innovation to enhance the customer experience. With this in mind, we recently completed an external, competitive recruitment process to fill the position of Chief Innovation Officer, which will oversee the Innovation Office (with a special focus on preparing for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games), update the Strategic Plan, serve as the bridge between the public and private sector, and implementation of new pilot programs.
I’m pleased to announce and welcome Seleta Reynolds as Metro’s new CIO.
A national leader, Seleta currently serves as the General Manager for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Among her accomplishments are the nation’s largest electric vehicle carshare program and the nation’s largest universal basic mobility plan pilot. Previously, she served at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, leading the Livable Streets Unit.
She has published four articles in Forbes magazine and a key article in the Eno Center for Transportation regarding the adaptation of Los Angeles for Urban Mobility in our Digital Age. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in American History from Brown University.
Please join me in welcoming Seleta to Metro—her first day as CIO will be August 30th.
I want to thank Bryan Sastokas, who has been serving as the Interim Chief over the past few months. His willingness to step into this role during our transition shows his commitment to service and Metro’s success and is truly appreciated. Bryan will return to his role as Deputy Chief of Information Technology on August 30th.
Stephanie
