Elizabeth Presutti

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT ELIZABETH PRESUTTI

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION EXECUTIVEServed as Chief Executive Officer of the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) from June 2011 - January 2023. As CEO of the largest transportation system in the state of Iowa, Presutti led a team of nearly 300 employees connecting central Iowans to jobs, school, doctor’s appointments and much more throughout the Greater Des Moines region. Presutti oversaw the Greater Des Moines region’s largest transformation of public transit in decades, including:• Expanded DART’s partnerships with businesses, local governments, and community organizations. Successfully secured a private corporate commitment of over for DART’s battery electric bus pilot project.• Facilitated a process with DART’s member governments to develop a new property tax formula to reflect the goals established by the DART Commission. • Led the governance reconstitution of the DART Commission from a nine-member board based on state senate districts to having each community served by DART having a seat on the commission.• Secured over $50 million in discretionary grants for a new operations and maintenance facility, new transit center, new fare collection and mobile ticketing system, replacement buses and a battery-electric bus pilot.• Worked with the State of Iowa legislature on funding diversification options to reduce DART’s reliance on property taxes and provide for sustainable revenue growth.• Advanced DART’s technology program for customers through the implementation of trip planning and real-time technology tools, new mobile payment and fare collection system, and bus wi-fi program.• Restructured the bus system network to eliminate unproductive route segments and increase corridor bus service as part of the DART Forward 2035 Plan. As a result, DART experienced nearly a 9% increase in ridership.• Constructed a new $21 million downtown transfer center that is certified LEED platinum. The project was delivered on time and under budget.• Developed a 20-year financial model to facilitate discussions around local funding options and to ensure financial sustainability for the future of public transit. Her previous posts include Chief Development Officer at DART, the Service Planning Manager and Bus Operations Project Manager for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) in Charlotte, NC as well as a Senior Associate with Transportation Management and Design, Inc. in Carlsbad, CA. Elizabeth also currently serves as a member of the Transit Cooperative Research Program Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Commission.