Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has named Paul Wiedefeld to become its new General Manager and Chief Executive Officer. Wiedefeld is expected to be formally appointed at WMATA’s Nov. 19 board of directors meeting.
Wiedefeld brings 30 years of public and private sector transportation management experience in the rail and airline industries. He previously was CEO of Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI), where he managed an operations that served a record 22.7 million passengers in 2012. At BWI, Wiedefeld oversaw the largest expansion in the airport’s history including the design and construction of a 26-gate terminal for Southwest Airlines. He is credited with leading BWI’s growth to become the busiest passenger airport in the Washington metropolitan region.
Prior to leading BWI, Wiedefeld’s career included service as Administrator of the Maryland Transit Administration, where he managed regional/commuter rail, subway, light rail, buse and paratransit day-to-day operations. He also spent a decade in the private sector in engineering project management with WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff’s aviation practice.
“This board is very pleased to have a senior executive of Wiedefeld’s caliber who will help us build a new standard of safety, reliability and financial stability for our system,” said WMATA Board of Directors Chairman Mort Downey. “Paul brings to WMATA a depth of transportation knowledge and regional experience, and we are absolutely united in our support for him. The board will continue in our governance and oversight role in a manner that helps Paul succeed in running the day-to-day operations of WMATA to better serve our riders, rebuild faith in management and restore credibility with stakeholders.”
WMATA said it expects to finalize a contract agreement with Wiedefeld in time for the Nov. 19 board meeting, when it will vote to appoint him to the position and announce a transition plan. Jack Requa will continue to serve as Interim General Manager until Wiedefeld comes on board.