Ron Garrison, the head of customer service for a South Carolina-based manufacturer of electric buses, was tapped to become the new general manager of the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) at Tuesday night’s MATA board meeting.
Garrison, who currently works for Proterra, will succeed retired MATA general manager Will Hudson, who worked in various roles at the transit authority for 49 years. In the interim, Tom Fox has been serving in MATA’s lead role. MATA’s board started with a list of 13 candidates and narrowed it down to five. Fox was included in the top five, but Garrison ultimately won the vote.
Before working at Proterra, Garrison led the transit system in Tallahassee, Florida. Garrison will be under a three to five year contract.