MARTA statement on interim
General Manager & CEO
In a unanimous vote, the MARTA
Board of Directors has named Collie Greenwood as interim General Manager and
CEO of MARTA at a specially called board meeting on Saturday, January 15, 2022,
held after the sudden death of Jeffrey Parker.
An experienced transit professional
and former Chief Service Officer with the Toronto Transit Commission, Greenwood
joined MARTA in 2019 as the head of Bus Operations and was promoted to Deputy
General Manager of Operations last January.
Jeff
Parker has built an incredible team of professionals to lead MARTA into its
expansion phase with a renewed commitment to improving the customer experience.
As the head of operations, Mr. Greenwood has been central to that work and his
appointment ensures continuity of our shared vision.
Statement on passing of MARTA
General Manager & CEO Jeffrey Parker.
With very heavy hearts, we
share the official news of GM/CEO Jeffrey Parker’s tragic passing on Friday
evening, January 14, 2022. Please keep his family in your prayers and
meditations.
In the coming days, we will
share more information on the transition plan, including grief counseling for
employees as we process this devastating news.
Jeff cared deeply about MARTA
and his leadership gave us a strong foundation from which to carry forward.
Statement from MARTA Board of Directors Chairwoman Rita
Scott on the passing of MARTA General Manager & CEO Jeffrey Parker.
The MARTA Board of Directors grieves the shocking
death of our GM/CEO Jeff Parker who has died by suicide. He was an outstanding
leader and steward of MARTA whose passing leaves us all heartbroken.
As Chairwoman and on behalf of my fellow MARTA board
members, we are devastated at this loss as we valued Jeff’s leadership and
looked forward to him bringing his vision for transit to fruition. The entire
metro Atlanta region owes him a debt of gratitude for his transformational
efforts and we will not stop working to build on the foundation he created.
As we struggle to understand the complexity of this
tragedy, we grieve with and for his wife Erin, his daughters and all of Jeff’s
family and friends as well as his MARTA family. As we continue to grieve, we want
you to know that suicide is preventable and help is available to you.
For access to services and immediate crisis help, call
the Georgia Crisis & Access Line (GCAL) at 1-800-715-4225, available 24/7.
