John Catoe joins MV Transportation as strategic advisor

Less than a year after resigning his post as general manager of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), John Catoe has accepted a position as strategic advisor to MV Transportation, a private bus operator headquartered in Fairfield, Calif.

Catoe announced his resignation at WMATA in January 2010, saying his presence was causing an "unhealthy distraction" at the agency, where he had held the top spot for three years. During Catoe's tenure at WMATA, the agency was plagued by a series of safety-related incidents, including the June 22, 2009, crash on Metro's Red Line that resulted in 9 deaths and dozens of injuries.

MV officials said Catoe will assist the company in developing long-range business plans and growth initiatives. Catoe has more than 30 years of transit experience.

Before taking the GM position at WMATA, he was the No. 2 executive at Los Angeles County's Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Catoe also was a top manager at the transportation authority in Orange County, Calif.

Catoe received APTA's top individual award in 2009, being named Outstanding Public Transportation Manager at the association's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

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