New Orleans RTA Appoints Justin Augustine as New CEO

Following a contentious, months-long search, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority board voted Tuesday, Oct. 27, to select veteran transit executive Justin Augustine III as its next chief executive officer, veritenews.org reported.

The 4-2 board vote ended a five-month search following the departure of former CEO Lona Edwards Hankins, who resigned in May. Augustine emerged as the final choice after the board interviewed him and two other finalists—former RTA Deputy CEO Mark Major and North Carolina Greensboro Transit Agency CEO Reginald Mason—during a three-hour closed session, nola.com reported. Board members Ann Duplessis, Erika Mann, Tyrone Casby, and Nelita Manego-Ramey voted for Augustine, while Alison Bordelon and Mitchell Guidry cast their votes for Major.

Justin Augustine selected as next RTA CEO in New Orleans

A Familiar Face Returns to Run the RTA

Augustine is no stranger to the agency. He previously ran the RTA while it was under the private management of transportation conglomerate Transdev, helping the transit system recover after much of its infrastructure was decimated during Hurricane Katrina. His career with the RTA began in the early 1980s as its director of internal audits before he took on various leadership roles over the years.

Beyond New Orleans, Augustine served as general manager of the Capital Metropolitan Transit Authority in Austin, Texas, and managed transportation operations for the African Transportation Company in Johannesburg, South Africa. As a regional vice president for Transdev, he later oversaw 24 transit operations across the country, including San Diego, Phoenix, and Seattle.

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“I pledge to work in tune with each and every board member as an individual and as a collective body,” Augustine said following his selection, according to nola.com. “But more importantly, my position now defines what we’re going to do as we move forward in terms of leading this organization to the great design that we can achieve.”

Augustine Inherits Agency Struggling with Ridership and Reliability

The incoming chief executive takes over an organization that has repaired its finances since moving to self-management in 2019, though it continues to grapple with low passenger counts and inconsistent operations. Transit advocates have pressed for the new leadership to focus squarely on the basics, particularly improving the reliability of the RTA’s bus service as demand for public transit continues to rise across the city.

New RTA bus 2024 (copy) — Photo: nola.com

RTA Board Chair Ann Duplessis pointed to Augustine’s international experience running major transit agencies in Africa and Europe as a deciding factor. “What we need is a visionary, someone who can politically understand the climate of what’s going to make an impact on a larger basis. He does,” Duplessis told nola.com.

Mayor Helena Moreno’s tenure has now seen its second significant shift in the top post at a city-affiliated agency with the appointment of Augustine. Moreno, who made remaking the transit agency an early priority in her term by reconstituting the board, voiced support for the incoming executive. “New Orleans needs strong leadership at RTA that understands the urgency of improving service, increasing reliability and delivering a better experience for our riders,” Moreno said in a statement reported by nola.com.

New Orleans RTA names Justin Augustine its new CEO

Board Negotiates Employment Details for New Leader

It is not yet clear when Augustine will officially start or what his salary will be. Board Chair Ann Duplessis has been placed in charge of negotiating those employment details ahead of the board’s next meeting. The position was advertised as paying between $250,000 and $325,000 per year. Hankins, who was hired in 2023, earned $315,000 annually plus benefits.

Among his immediate priorities, Augustine stated he plans to conduct outreach among staff, the community, and local and state partners to understand expectations. He also intends to nurture the RTA’s relationship with federal funding partners to secure necessary resources for reliable service delivery.