Greater Dayton RTA Welcomes New Directors to its Leadership Staff

The Greater Dayton RTA has announced the selection Roland Caldwell as the agency’s new director of transportation and Arthur “Skip” Dunkle as the new director of security safety.

Roland Caldwell has over 30 years of leadership and management experience and spent the last 10 years of his career at the Central Ohio Transit Authority in Columbus. Caldwell started as a bus operator with COTA and quickly moved up the ranks, holding positions as a street supervisor, superintendent of ADA and compliant investigations, superintendent of dispatch and superintendent of one of COTA's two garages. His last position at COTA was as the Interim Director of Transportation, where he was directly responsible for the overall operations and approximately 750 union and administrative employees. 

“He is an astute leader with an extensive track record of building and aligning teams to achieve excellence, financial accountability, and unparalleled customer service in the transportation industry,” said RTA Chief Operating Officer Chris Cole.

As the Director of Transportation in Dayton, Caldwell will focus on improving the efficiency and delivery of services at the RTA. He will develop the transportation staff and assess the paratransit and fixed-route operations systems, including recommendations for training, department structure and goals for union and administrative employees.

Skip Dunkle will use his knowledge of over 20 years’ experience at public and private transit agencies he has worked for in the past to help develop, implement and monitor the safety, security, risk management training and accident grading as the director of security and safety for the RTA. For the past six years he has worked as the public transit manager for the Ohio Department of Transportation. Dunkle’s other prior work experience includes his role as the senior director of operations for the Fairfax County Department of Transportation and as a general Manager with the Washington Flyer Coach Service in Virginia. 

“Skip has an overwhelming passion for public transit,” Cole said. “His skills with developing, implementing and monitoring safety programs alone with his expertise in security, operations and training will be instrumental as he leads the Security and Safety Department at the RTA.”

Caldwell started in his role at RTA on Jan. 2 and Dunkle on Jan. 29.