Culver City Observer -

The City of Culver City announced that Rolando Cruz will be the City's next Chief Transportation Officer. He is currently the Chief Operations Officer of Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus.

Rolando began his career in public transportation in 1995 at Long Beach Transit, working in Finance. Three years later, he became the Fleet's Maintenance Manager. In January 2008, he was named Executive Director and Vice President of Maintenance and Infrastructure. In November 2016, Rolando joined the City of Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus as the Chief Operations Officer.

Rolando is a CPA and holds an M.B.A. and a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from the University of Texas. He is a graduate of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) leadership program in 2008 and is involved in multiple committees with APTA and California Transit Association. He is currently serving as a mentor in the APTA Emerging Leaders Program and teaches classes with the National Transit Institute on Transit Asset Management and Safety Management Systems.

It is anticipated that Rolando will begin by the end of July. He assumes the position following the retirement of Transportation Director Art Ida, who retires this month after serving 11 years in the position.