AKRON— METRO Regional Transit Authority is looking to the future and making marked changes to its leadership team at the executive level.
Jarrod Hampshire, the current Chief of Operations (COO), is being promoted to Chief of Staff starting January 1, 2025. This newly created position furthers METRO’s succession plan, creating flawless transitions when a person is absent, retires, or leaves the organization. Hampshire will now be responsible for providing strategic direction, will oversee daily operations, lead special projects, build and maintain relationships and partnerships, analyze METRO operations, lead change initiatives, and foster, promote a positive organizational culture, and assume CEO responsibilities, as needed.
METRO’s Chief of Police Shawn Metcalf has also been promoted to Chief Protection and Development Officer, joining the executive-level leaders. Safety and Security play a key role in METRO’s daily operations and this position will further highlight METRO’s commitment to Safety, a core vale of the METRO team. He will be responsible for keeping METRO’s leadership apprised of security issues, will continue to oversee training, promote risk management best practices, and ensure METRO is compliant on the local, state, and federal level in relation to safety and security measures.
METRO’s CEO Dawn Distler stated, “METRO has always been a forward-thinking organization and we want to address the needs of METRO’s team and transit-loyal riders by preparing for future endeavors and challenges we may face. We want to be fair and equitable in our decision-making and in our programming for riders and do so with limited to no disruptions when there are staffing, funding, or other unforeseen circumstances within our organization and industry. Planning and preparing for future endeavors is vital to METRO’s continued successes. These changes to METRO’s leadership will address the needs of today, tomorrow, and the immediate future.
METRO RTA is the public transportation provider in Summit County. METRO enhances the quality of life for our community by providing innovative transportation solutions that are safe, equitable, dependable, cost-effective, and customer-focused, now and into the future.