Mark Elias Joins First Transit as Region Vice President of Operations for the West Region

First Transit has announced the appointment of Mark Elias as region vice president of operations, effective August 1. In this role, Elias will focus on operations in the Northwest region.

“Mark is a highly accomplished transportation executive with extensive experience in fixed-route, paratransit, school bus, and airport and university shuttle operations,” said Beverly Edwards, chief operating officer for First Transit. “His leadership and dedicated focus on the needs of customers make him an excellent addition to our team.”

Elias has more than 15 years of transportation experience in areas such as operations management, finance, legal, labor negotiations, technology innovation, customer engagement and leadership. He most recently was chief operations officer at Tire Disposal & Recycling. Prior to that, he was with MV Transportation Inc.

Elias earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Oregon. Elias and his family reside in Vancouver, Washington.