American Logistics names vice president of transit market development

American Logistics has selected Ron Brooks as the vice president of transit market development.

“Ron is incredibly experienced and well-respected in the public transportation sector and we are very pleased to have him join our team,” said Craig Puckett, CEO, American Logistics. “His passion and deep industry knowledge will serve us and our customers well as we continue to expand and introduce innovative approaches to support high-quality, cost-effective transportation for all.”

Brooks is a transportation industry veteran with more than two decades of management experience in the accessible transit and paratransit industry in both public agencies and private companies and is well-versed in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transportation requirements.

After losing his eyesight at age 14, Brooks experienced first-hand the challenges that millions of people with disabilities face each day when trying to use conventional public transit. As a result, he dedicated his career to the planning, development and management of public transportation and paratransit services that can empower people with disabilities to participate fully in the social, economic and civic lives of the communities where they live and travel.

Prior to joining American Logistics, Brooks served as the manager of accessible transit services at Valley Metro, where he was responsible for overseeing ADA paratransit and alternative transportation services provided for seniors and people with disabilities in participating communities in the Phoenix, Ariz., metropolitan area. He also spent 13 years with Veolia Transportation, where he served in a variety of leadership roles before being named vice president of Intelliride and paratransit business development in 2012. Before joining Veolia in 2000, he spent several years during the 1990s managing accessible transit and paratransit services for the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District and for the Palm Beach County, Fla. Public Transit System.

Brooks currently serves as the chairman of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Access Committee and is a member of the APTA Board of Directors. He also serves as a member of the APTA Diversity Council and the association’s Mobility Management Committee. Brooks has served on several committees sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s Transportation Research Board, including the Transit Research Analysis Committee, the Paratransit Committee and the Access and Mobility Committee. He is a board member for Ability360, one of the largest independent living centers in the country, serving Phoenix and the entire state of Arizona.

“I’m excited to join the American Logistics team and to have the opportunity to work on the development of approaches to paratransit that will increase flexibility and choice for riders and financial sustainability for the agencies and taxpayers who help fund these services,” Brooks said. “Emerging technologies and evolving business practices are reshaping the transportation landscape and are giving transit agencies across the country the opportunity to offer paratransit and alternative transportation services that will enable millions of seniors, people with disabilities and other transit dependent people to travel with greater convenience, flexibility, and with more independence and personal dignity than ever before. It is an exciting time and I can hardly wait to begin this new chapter in my own personal transportation journey.”

Brooks has a Liberal Arts degree from Indiana University and has completed post-graduate work in the field of International Relations at California State University in San Francisco.