New Jersey Transit has appointed Dennis J. Martin as Interim Executive Director effective Dec. 28, 2015, replacing Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim, who left NJT to become President of MTA New York City Transit.
NJT describes Martin as “an experienced transit professional with more than 30 years of industry experience,” all with NJT, mostlyl in bus operations. He has served as Vice President and General Manager, NJ Transit Bus Operations; General Manager, NJ Transit Mercer, Inc.; and General Manager, NJ Transit Morris, Inc., since the fall of 2014. Martin served as Acting VP/GM of NJ Transit Bus Operations from June of 2014 prior to his permanent appointment.
“Martin has strong technical and business qualifications with an impressive track record of hands-on experience in transportation, customer service, call center management, operations planning, scheduling, supervision, terminal operations, revenue security, project management, and emergency response,” NJT said. From 1998 to 2003, he served as Director of Terminal Operations at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City for NJ Transit Bus Operations. He was accountable for bus operations, on-time performance, lease agreements, ticket sales and revenue collection and security. During his tenure, Martin led the evacuation coordination out of New York City during the August 2003 regional blackout and established temporary operations at the Meadowlands Sports Complex and directed on-street boarding of customers during the Port Authority Bus Terminal shutdown.
As Senior Director of NJ Transit Customer Resources from 2003 to 2011, Martin directed the development and implementation of corporate-wide customer service strategies including customer relationship management, provision of transit information, training, reward and recognition programs, data collection, issue identification, analysis and reporting.
Martin also “was instrumental in crafting and implementing a detailed plan to overhaul the Port Authority Bus Terminal staging for NJ Transit Bus Operations, to provide a safe and more efficient traveling experience for NJT customers,” NJT said. “This required multiple-agency coordination as well as managing relationships with the Port Authority, private bus carriers within the facility and creating a tactical plan for effective and comprehensive communications to NJT customers.”
Martin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Rutgers University.