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CapMetro names Dottie Watkins as President, CEO position

Dottie Watkins is currently the company's interim president and CEO, and will take over the full position.

AUSTIN, Texas — Capital Metro (CapMetro) has announced Dottie Watkins will be taking over as President and CEO of the company.

Watkins is currently the company's interim president and CEO, and will take over the full position as the organization takes on Project Connect in the coming years.

CapMetro released a statement regarding the action: 

“As a board, it was crucial that we selected the right leader for this position and for our community,” said CapMetro Board Chair and Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion. “We interviewed multiple qualified candidates for this position, and we wanted to make sure the person we selected had a stellar professional reputation, a proven track record of getting things done and most importantly, was someone the community could trust and their staff could respect and also have confidence in. Dottie meets all those qualifications and I’m confident we made the right decision selecting her as the next president and CEO.”

CapMetro said Watkins is an Austin native and began her career with CapMetro as a part-time bus operator in 1994 while she pursued her degree at The University of Texas. She has held multiple leadership roles within the agency, including deputy CEO, chief customer officer/chief operating officer and vice president of bus operations and maintenance.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Watkins led the effort to maintain transit operations during the ensuing staffing shortage. 

“I am honored, humbled and ready to serve as CapMetro’s president and CEO. I want to thank the board for selecting me to serve in this capacity and for their vote of confidence,” said Watkins. “I’ve gotten to watch firsthand as CapMetro and our teams grow into what I consider to be among the best in transit agencies in the nation. Delivering safe, reliable and customer-oriented service for our customers is a priority to me. Central Texas has a lot to look forward to when it comes to public transportation, and I can’t wait to continue collaborating with our stakeholders, the CapMetro staff and our community members on the future of CapMetro. We work hard, and will continue to do so, to be an agency that delivers service that everyone is proud of and takes care of everyone in our community.”

Watkins has served as the interim president and CEO of CapMetro since June 2022, following the departure of Randy Clarke. Clarke announced in May he was accepting the position of general manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in Washington, D.C.

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