Kristina Brevard was hired at the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) in 2007 as the agency’s marketing assistant. Brevard’s drive and commitment to DCTA and public transportation enabled her to move up to marketing & communications manager, and up to her current position as DCTA’s vice president of marketing & communications.
For more than six years, Brevard has led the agency’s marketing and communications efforts promoting public transportation alternatives, increasing agency awareness among passengers and non-passengers, regional transit agency coordination and cultivating local community partnerships. She also heads up the agency’s Information Technology (IT) and Service Planning departments.
Brevard is a true leader who inspires others to do the best work they can for the agency and Denton County residents who depend on DCTA. Transit is still new to most Denton County residents who abide by the “car culture” that is prevalent throughout Texas. Smart marketing efforts by DCTA, led by Brevard, have been important to attract and retain riders and demonstrate the benefits of investing in a transit system. As a result, ridership continues to grow year over year.
Brevard spearheaded a marketing campaign for DCTA’s A-train commuter rail launch in 2011 which resulted in more than 8,000 passengers on opening day, more than 200 volunteers who provided event support at five rail stations, $75,000 raised in sponsorship, $100,000 in earned media and 14,000 passengers during the first week of the A-train opening.
Brevard built the agency’s first IT department from the ground up and led a six-month process of implementing IT services into the agency’s newly constructed $8.2 million bus operations and maintenance facility that opened in January 2014.
Under Brevard’s direction, DCTA’s marketing communications efforts have been recognized with regional ADDY awards, Southwest Transit Association (SWTA) Spotlight Awards and American Public Transportation Association (APTA) AdWheel Awards, and featured in public transportation industry media outlets as best practices case studies. In addition, she has worked diligently to establish strong and lasting relationships with key public figures, stakeholders and organizations within DCTA’s member cities (Denton, Lewisville and Highland Village)
Brevard has been involved in several industry and local organizations such as APTA, SWTA, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and North Texas Commission (NTC). She is an active member of APTA and SWTA, and has spoken at various APTA and SWTA conferences. Brevard also contributed her time for judging the APTA Call Center Challenge and AdWheel awards, and advocates locally for many SWTA and APTA initiatives.
Brevard has been instrumental in the development of DCTA’s new innovative passenger tool – “Where’s My Ride” – which will provide real-time travel information to passengers. The “Where’s My Ride” real-time travel information system will help passengers access the DCTA system more easily by allowing them to obtain predictive arrival information for the next bus or train at a particular stop location via mobile application, SMS text alert, interactive voice response or through the agency’s website. DCTA is set to launch this product in fall 2014.
Brevard also received several awards for her volunteer work from the United States President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. The Presidential Volunteer Service Award-Gold Level for 2011 and 2013 were presented to Brevard by the American Red Cross for her volunteer work on their Disaster Public Affairs team. She initially started volunteering with the American Red Cross during the Hurricane Katrina disaster response and has been involved ever since.
“I work for a wonderful transit agency which has provided me with many opportunities to gain valuable experience. I’ve learned so much over the past seven years, but the one opportunity I’m most grateful for is getting to work with such an enthusiastic staff who is dedicated to providing a quality passenger experience. Our team works really hard, does great things and I’m honored to be a part of it.”
“I was raised by a single mother who always taught me how to be independent and self-sufficient in life. The common threads of her teachings were to have courage, be ambitious and always strive for greatness. I began putting these teachings into practice early in my childhood and believe her guidance has helped me throughout my life and my career.”
“I dedicate a tremendous number of hours ensuring the wellness of myself and my family. I view health and fitness more as a lifestyle, not a hobby. But like a hobby, I have fun with my workouts and enjoy finding new ways to keep “clean eating” part of our regular routine. I spend many hours focusing on training, prepping fresh food and reading nutritional labels. If anyone ever wants to get into an in-depth conversation about gluten, artificial sweeteners and dairy, I’m the one to call. I could go on for hours!”
