What does Kevin Desmond like to do in his free time?

Kevin Desmond

First, his professional life: Desmond is national director, transit and rail for consulting and engineering firm, Sam Schwartz. A passionate champion of ridership growth and improving customer experience, he has more than 30 years of public transit operating experience. Prior to joining Sam Schwartz, Desmond was CEO of Vancouver, BC-based TransLink, which was named APTA's outstanding large transit agency during his tenure. Additionally, he has helmed King County Metro in Seattle and Pierce Transit in Tacoma, Wash., and started his transit career as chief of operations planning at New York City Transit.

What do you like best about your current city of residence?

My wife and I have lived in Tacoma, Washington (lovingly referred to as 'T-Town') for the past 14 years as empty nesters in a home with sweeping views of and access to the Puget Sound and its abundant marine wildlife (spotting the occasional whale is a treat), Mount Rainier and the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. It's also a gritty, multi-modal modal environment with the Port of Tacoma shipping traffic, SeaTac flight arrivals and departures, the BNSF mainline and Joint Base Lewis-McChord aircraft. We even get a front row view of the city's Fourth of July fireworks show igniting on Commencement Bay.

Desmond, shown here with his son Andrew, backpacks in the mountains to stay active and reconnect with nature.

Favorite ways to stay active?

Living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest provides endless outdoor opportunities throughout the year, even during the long, damp rainy season. The salt water always beckons and my kayak and stand-up paddle board are at the ready. Getting out for a hike or backpack in the mountains reconnects me to the embrace of Mother Nature. Biking, cross country skiing and tennis round out my athletic pursuits.

What is your favorite book?

Having grown up and started my public-sector career in New York, Robert Caro's The Power Broker was essential to my appreciation of how government works and how the New York region's highways, bridges and parks were developed. For science fiction, I've come back to Frank Herbert's Dune over and over again in search of some new "deep inner meaning." And finally, I first read Tolstoy's Anna Karenina in college while studying classic Russian literature. Tolstoy was a master at conjuring and telling a story, and I am waiting for the perfect time to pick it up again.

Hiking with his grandson, River.

If you had to watch one movie multiple times, what would it be?

I love movies of all sorts of genres so it is just not possible to select just one that I can watch over and over. Stanley Kubrick's "Dr Strangelove" is a brilliant, height-of-the-cold-war satire, with some haunting and hilarious set pieces anchored by Peter Sellers' three characters and supported by several great performances. Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" set the standard for organized crime films with unmatched atmosphere and Marlon Brando. The "Matrix" makes you always have to ask whether you'd take the blue or red pill, and consider the implications of artificial intelligence. Finally, when I want to be nostalgic, I can always jump into any part of "Woodstock - 3 Days of Peace & Music."

Favorite way to relax?

Playing guitar, reading and watching a show with my wife.

Favorite food?

An easy one — my wife's homemade pasta sauce. Delicious and satisfying. My two little grandsons love it too!

Desmond and his wife Cyndi backstage at a U2 concert in Barcelona, Spain.

Favorite guilty pleasure?

We've been following U2 around the world since the early 1990's Zoo TV tour. Maybe the highlight of all the great shows was getting to go backstage in Barcelona and hold The Edge's guitar. Most recently, we saw their show at the Sphere in Vegas, on the second night after opening. What an amazing concert venue!

Tell us about a recent ride you took on public transit

When I need to go up to Seattle on business I always take transit, just as I did for my daily commute when I was general manager of King County Metro. Typically, I'll take the express bus from the Tacoma Dome Station up to Seattle, benefiting from the HOV lane, and the Sounder Commuter Rail back. It's convenient, reliable and of course avoids the terrible traffic tedium of I-5. Prior to the pandemic, these services were thriving and often at full capacity.

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