Directors

Mr. Allen serves as the Director of Government Affairs & Community Relations for RouteMatch Software where his main responsibility includes building relationships with federal, state, and provincial governmental agencies.

Mr. Allen has been actively involved in the public and human service transportation industry for over 26 years, including various industry positions such as university transit director, state transportation consultant, assistant and general manager, senior transit planner, and Acting Transit Director for the City of Raleigh, NC.  Mr. Allen also previously worked for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) administering the rural transit and coordination planning program.  Mr. Allen has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Northern Illinois University.

Mr. Allen is a former appointed Board Member of the Raleigh Transit Authority from 2005-2007, awarded President’s Awards from the North Carolina Public Transportation Association (NCPTA) and the Georgia Transit Association (GTA).  Mr. Allen is a former NCPTA Vice President, Secretary, and Board Member; and a past Board Member of the GTA.  Mr. Allen currently serves as NCPTA Legislative Committee Co-Chairperson and List Serv Co-Administrator; and is a current member of American Public Transportation Association committees, ITS America’s Passenger Transportation Systems and Services (PTSS) Committee; and the Canadian Urban Transit Association’s Technical Services Committee.

Reginald E. Arrington is the Director of Maintenance for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS). He has 33 years of maintenance experience in transit and in the military. Mr. Arrington’s knowledge of overall maintenance helps CATS to provide safe and reliable vehicles to the Charlotte region and its public. He also is involved with Central Piedmont Community College, serving on the advisory board in their Heavy Diesel program. He also is involved with the Mayor’s Youth Program, which is certified by the State Labor Board, to employ high school students as apprentices in maintenance for eight weeks in the summer. Mr. Arrington has been a member of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) for the past 10 years. He also served 23 years active duty military and in the Army National Guard. He also serves as a member of the APTA Roadeo Committee.

Mr. Arrington has a Bachelor of Arts in business management and an Associate Degree in general studies from Montreat College. He received the Army Commendation Medal for Outstanding Service and Dedication in Iraq while serving as Maintenance Motor Sergeant for the 113th Field Artillery Battalion and the 1st Infantry Division.

Stephanie currently serves as the Transit Field Supervisor for the Gastonia Transit public transportation system for the City of Gastonia.  Previously, she served as Gastonia Transit Dispatcher and ADA Coordinator for ten years. She has been employed by the City of Gastonia for fourteen years.

Stephanie is trained in several areas which include, OSHA safety training, ADA Training, Paratransit and Accessible Fixed Route Operations, and Paratransit Eligibility Determinations for Urban Systems.  Stephanie is NIMS certified and provides the NIMS training for the Fleet Services Division. Stephanie also serves on the city’s Wellness committee, as well as both the Departmental Safety Committee and the City of Gastonia’s Executive Safety Committee.

As a longtime resident of Gaston County, Stephanie lives in Gastonia with her son Ethan 12, and also has three grown children and two grandchildren. When not working, Stephanie enjoys visiting her vacation home in Holden Beach NC, where she enjoys, swimming, fishing, kayaking, and enjoying the local beach.

Sheila L. Blalock is Director of Mitchell County Transportation. Sheila has lead Mitchell Transit forward as director since March of 2010. Having been in transportation since 1991, Sheila has helped to evolve Mitchell transportation from – “the van that just the old people rode” to a transportation system that is ranked superior in its peer group. Sheila heard the phrase “no one’s goal in life is to work in transportation, transportation picks you” and thought “they are talking about me!” Starting part-time with transportation and coming up in the ranks, Sheila cannot think of a more rewarding job. Sheila has earned the respect of her staff because they know she has been there, done that, and survived!

Sheila attended Mayland Community College where she studied business administration. She loves being an active member in her church and community where she serves on multiple boards. Her favorite title that she is most proud of is Nana to Chesney Faith who loves to plan excursions for her and Nana to take.

Kelly Blazey has been in the public transportation industry for 10 years, currently serving as the Transit Services Administrator with the Town of Cary (GoCary).  Prior to that, she served as the Assistant Transit Director for the City of Fayetteville (FAST).  Kelly’s experience initially centered on financial analysis, budget development, grant management, policy & procedure oversight and special projects.  However, during her years with FAST, Kelly added Operations and Maintenance functions to her portfolio as well.

Kelly holds an MBA from Georgia Southern University, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism and Marketing from Syracuse University.  She is an ASQ certified Six Sigma Green Belt, a Forty Under 40 award recipient, a graduate of the Institute for Community Leadership, and a graduate of the LEAD Program at the University of Virginia’s Senior Executive Institute.  Kelly has also served as co-chair for the Annual NCPTA Conference, Expo, Roadeo & Golf Tournament for the past three years.

Matthew Cable is a Planner III with the Buncombe County Planning and Development Department and is responsible for transportation planning and financial and grants administration for the County’s transportation program and Mountain Mobility. Mountain Mobility, Buncombe County’s Community Transportation System, provides community transportation services for Buncombe County and ADA Complementary Paratransit Services for the City of Asheville. He has over 7 years of experience in public transportation that include operations management, system planning, service development, public and media relations, grants, budgeting, and federal/state compliance.

Mr. Cable holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is a graduate of the Transportation Leadership Program and has obtained his AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) Certification.

Mike Catuto is the Director of Cherokee County Transit. He has been in the transit industry for five years, four of which have been in a managerial role. Prior to transit, Mike had 12 years of experience managing businesses, including being a business owner. Mr. Catuto is still expanding his transit knowledge each day with his current position. As Director, Mike has focused on increased efficiency for his system, supported by current performance statistics.

Mr. Catuto has an Associate of Arts degree in business from Florida Southwestern State College and is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in business administration at Western Carolina University’s online program.

Kristal Ford has been the Transportation Manager for Lincoln County since 2013. Prior to this, she had experience in many facets relevant to the transportation industry.  She has worked for non-profits, healthcare companies and wholesale distributors. She has done everything from grant writing to logistics and fleet management, and has managed a staff of more than 90 employees.

Kristal has a Bachelor of Science degree from the Pennsylvania State University. She also graduated from the Transportation Leadership Development Program and is NIMS certified.

Adam Fox is the Vice President of CTS Software Inc. a North Carolina based Corporation formed in 1993. He has worked with CTS to provide quality transportation software and consultation services to customers across North America since 2002 and currently to over 25 Counties here in North Carolina. Mr. Fox has experience in both Public and Private, Rural and Urban, and Fixed and Demand services.

Mr. Fox has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a double major in Management and Marketing. Adam was born and raised in Winston-Salem, NC and has lived in Wilmington, NC since 1998. Adam is an active member of NCPTA, APTA, CTAA, and many other state transportation associations.

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Lamont M. Jackson is the Transit Manager for Greenville Area Transit (GREAT). He has 17 years of public transportation experience, along with 2 years of long haul experience. Additionally, he has 4 years of military transportation experience while serving in the U.S. Marines, as well as 9 ^1/2 years of transportation experience while serving in the U.S. Army.  He has experience managing both Urban and Rural systems and is a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, as well as NCDOT PTD Transportation Advisory Board.

Mr. Jackson has an MBA from Strayer University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management from Saint Augustine’s University. He also successfully completed levels 1 & 2 of the Transportation Leadership Development Program, which was conducted by North Carolina State University’s Institute for Transportation Research and Education. Mr. Jackson has extensive experience as a Drug and Alcohol Program Manager. In his spare time, he mentors inner city youths, holds individual youth football camps and conducts job interview workshops and mock interviews for various organizations. Mr. Jackson is a long time member and supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters programs.

Mark E. Kirstner is the Director of Planning for the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation. He has over 29 years of experience in transportation, land use, environmental and recreation planning. During the past seven years he has focused on transit planning and the relationship between development patterns and effective transportation infrastructure. Mr. Kirstner has guided the development of comprehensive land use plans, strategic organizational plans, a regional transit development plan and a regional sustainable communities plan. During a three-year period Mr. Kirstner portrayed the “Lone Rider” as part of a campaign promoting walking, biking, and transit.

Mr. Kirstner holds a Master of Arts degree in geography from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was the project manager for Piedmont Together: A Comprehensive Regional Plan, which won the NC American Planning Association 2014 Marvin Collins Outstanding Planning Special Theme Award for Equitable Development. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, a trained facilitator, strong advocate for the development of equitable transportation infrastructures and embraces his secondary title of marketing goober.

Brian Litchfield is the Director for Chapel Hill Transit, the second largest transit system in North Carolina, a 125-bus fixed route and paratransit system, with an average weekday ridership of 30,000. He joined Chapel Hill Transit in 2008 as Assistant Director and previously served as Chief Development Officer for the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART).

Brian earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Wayne State College, where he also completed a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in business administration. He was named to Mass Transit Magazine's 40 Under 40 list in 2010, honoring professionals who have shown a capacity for innovation, demonstrated leadership and a commitment to making an impact in the public transit industry and is a 2010 graduate of the Eno Transit Executive Seminar. Brian is also involved with a number of civic and professional organizations and is active in the community. He and his wife, Aarica, have a 7-year old son, Tennyson, and are residents of Carrboro, where they are regular riders on the CM, D and J routes.

Kurt Neufang is a Senior Transportation Planner with AECOM Technical Services of North Carolina, a transportation engineering, planning and consulting firm in NC. He has 32 years of experience in the public transportation industry. Prior to joining AECOM, Kurt worked for URS Corporation, the North Carolina Department of Transportation – Public Transportation Division, the City of Greensboro and the MPO in Atlanta. Kurt was a transit manager for systems in Chapel Hill, NC, Georgia Tech and the University of North Texas.

Kurt holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Alabama. Kurt served as President of the Southeast Chapter of the Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT). He is currently on the Advisory Board for the State Employees Credit Union and is active both in his community and in his church.

Marie Parker is the General Manager for GoRaleigh (formerly Capital Area Transit). She has over sixteen years of comprehensive hands on experience in public transportation ranging from Finance to Operations. She is responsible for planning, directing, managing, and overseeing Operations, Maintenance, and Finance Departments. She has been heavily involved in technology implementation and innovation, capital improvements, internal training initiatives, and facilitating new community service projects.

Ms. Parker has her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with a Finance concentration from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.

Linda Thomas Wallace is the Transportation Program Manager for Durham County ACCESS. She has over 25 years of experience in rural and urban transportation programs, policy, administration, finance and advocacy. She launched her career in transportation as a lobbyist and association management expert where she served as the Executive Director for the Illinois Public Transportation Association. She is passionate about public transit, association management and policy and throughout her career has successfully served as Government Affairs Officer for the Regional Transportation Authority, Chicago; Assistant to the Director on the City of Chicago’s Circulator-- light rail project, Executive Director of CalACT, Sacramento, CA; Executive Director of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, IL; Executive Director of NCPTA and Assistant Director of Administration for NCDOT-PTD managing the Safety and Financial Management Units and the ARRA funds.

Ms. Wallace has served as Executive Director of the National Black Caucus of State’s Institute consultant to the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women and managed several political and judicial campaigns. In addition to NCPTA, Ms. Wallace is a member of APTA, CTAA, WTS and COMPTO.

Ms. Wallace holds a Bachelor and Master’s degree in Education from Bradley University.

L.J. Weslowski is the Transit Manager for Concord Kannapolis Area Transit (Rider). He has over 21 years of experience in public transportation, working up through the ranks as a bus operator, dispatcher, supervisor, van operator, CDL trainer, and motor coach operator before transitioning into operations and planning and now system management, working to improve safety and service delivery at each step along the way. Mr. Weslowski has an extensive background in small to mid-size public transit operations with specific focus in the critical areas of safety, security, and customer service delivery. Having worked on both the private sector and public sector sides of public transportation, he also brings extensive experience with funding, procurement, technology implementation, labor negotiations, regulatory compliance, planning, grant writing and management, and financial and asset resource management.

Mr. Weslowski holds a master’s degree in sport studies from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Isenberg School of Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resources studies from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Selected in 2010 as one of Mass Transit’s Top 40 Under 40, he is also a past bus Roadeo champion and an award-winning photographer. He is an active member of several Cabarrus Health Alliance committees, including the 2016 Healthy Cabarrus Community Planning Council.

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