Executive Team

Chief Executive Officer
Southern California Regional Rail Authority

Michael P. DePallo joined Metrolink as CEO in October 2012, bringing more than 30 years of transportation industry experience. He is known for his focus on safety, security and customer service. He also currently chairs the Security Affairs Steering Committee for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

Prior to working at Metrolink, DePallo was Director and General Manager of Port Authority Trans Hudson Corporation (PATH), a heavy rail subsidiary of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that transports more than 250,000 passenger trips a day between Manhattan and neighboring New Jersey. At PATH, he oversaw the restoring of service following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, implemented comprehensive security improvements and modernized its fleet of railcars to improve PATH’s operational performance.

Earlier in his career, DePallo held leadership positions at many of the largest public transit systems in the nation, such as Oakland’s Bay Area Rapid Transit District, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Philadelphia and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston.

He earned a Master of City Planning, specializing in transportation and land use planning, from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Regional Planning from Mansfield University.

Chief Operating Officer
Southern California Regional Rail Authority

Gary Lettengarver began his career in the 1970s on The Penn Central Transportation Company, then known as Conrail, holding various positions in the Transportation Department.  Later working for Amtrak in the Operating Department for 12 years, Lettengarver came to Metrolink for its startup in 1992 and established its Dispatching Office, which he managed for 15 years. 

Lettengarver was promoted to Metrolink's Director of Operations in October 2008 and has been successful in overseeing the Operations and Security divisions, including management of freight contracts and the administration of the $54 million operating budget.  In his 20 years of employment with Metrolink, Lettengarver has had the privilege of working to make Metrolink the expansive system it is today.

Chief Administrative Officer
Southern California Regional Rail Authority

Bob Turnauckas joined Metrolink in June of 2010. At Metrolink Turnauckas oversees IT and Customer Engagement which includes Sales, Marketing and Communications. He is also responsible for the management of the Customer Service Representatives out in the field. Turnauckas brings more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of successful business practices to Metrolink. Prior to joining Metrolink, Turnauckas held a variety of leadership positions with leading hospitality organizations. He most recently served as President of Beyond Meetings & Incentives, a very successful full service meeting and incentives company. In his role, he led the company from a startup to unprecedented sales growth and a recognized entity in the hospitality industry.

Throughout his career, Turnauckas has helped transform corporate cultures with his positive and effective management style, and every company he has worked for has achieved extremely high customers and employee satisfaction ratings. Prior to Beyond Meetings and Incentives, he held the position of President of the meetings and incentives division with Balboa Travel one of the top 50 travel companies in the United States. He also was an opening executive with the prestigious Ritz Carlton Kapalua on Maui, Hawaii. Prior to the Ritz Carlton Resorts he was employed with the Marriott Hotels and Resorts and with Sea World of California.

Chief Strategic Officer
Southern California Regional Rail Authority

Gray Crary joined the Metrolink Team in 2003.  Crary has worked on a range of projects for the agency and is currently serving as the Chief Strategic Officer. Crary is a graduate University of Colorado and went on to get a Master’s in Business Administration from USC. Prior to working for Metrolink he managed large aspects of the Alameda Corridor Program.

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Southern California Regional Rail Authority

Vacant

Chief of Staff
Southern California Regional Rail Authority

Olga Yero, Chief of Staff, is a key member of the Chief Executive Officer’s executive team, working closely with the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and the Senior Leadership Team. She manages the Executive Office and provides a high level of support to the CEO, serving as a key advisor and representing the CEO on various special projects. She works closely with the Senior Leadership Team to advance priorities and coordination and implementation of key initiatives. She also serves as a liaison to internal and external stakeholders and constituents on behalf of the CEO. Yero also oversees the Administrative Services Department, leading the department’s team to support the needs of our internal and external customers.

Yero began her career at Metrolink in August 2000, working in several areas including Engineering and Construction and Operations. She was later promoted to the position of Board Secretary for the Board of Directors, managing the Board and Committee Agenda process and as a key liaison for communication between the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer and the Assistant Executive Officers. She was appointed to the role of Chief of Staff in 2010.  Yero enjoys volunteering her spare time for a non-profit association that raises funds for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Ronald McDonald House and education grants serving as the Treasurer, and coordinating several fundraising events over the last five years.

Chief Information Officer
Southern California Regional Rail Authority

Bruce Hartwell joined Metrolink in January 2011 and as the Chief Information Officer provider oversight of the Information Technology department and Metrolink information technology initiatives. Hartwell brings over 20 years of experience and expertise in the implementation and management of information technology systems and solutions. His commitment to drive efficiencies, productivity and to enable business initiatives through innovative information technology solutions have resulted in clear and measured improvements with financial visibility, staff productivity and operational efficiency.

Prior to joining Metrolink, Hartwell held a variety of information technology leadership roles, including the Chief Information Officer of DPI Specialty Foods a national specially foods distributor and the Director of IT for Warner Home Video, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. He has authored several technology and software development books and enjoys technology as a hobby as well as a career.

Hartwell has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from DeVry Institute of Technology and an MBA from Woodbury University, California.

General Counsel
Southern California Regional Rail Authority

Don Del Rio joined Metrolink in early 2012 as its first in-house General Counsel. He brings over 20 years of legal experience from both private and public corporation as well as public agency environments, which includes San Diego Data Processing Corporation, Security Escrow & Trust, Inc., DVI Financial Services, Inc., and Bell Atlantic Corporation.

One of his first assignments is to establish a new legal department for Metrolink while providing daily advice and counsel to the CEO, senior staff as well as the Board of Directors. This will include areas of governance, a wide range of contractual and transactional matters affecting operations and procurement, assisting human resources staff and litigation management.

He received his BA from the University of California, Los Angeles, MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and JD from the University of California, Davis

Director, Human Resources
Southern California Regional Rail Authority

Janelle Strohmeyer has over 20 years of leadership in human resources and has served the industry in the areas of training, employee standards and practices, organizational design, leadership development, and recruitment. Janelle is a subject matter expert in team building and strategic planning and has presented at the Society of Human Resources Management Conferences.

Prior to joining Metrolink in 2011, Strohmeyer served as the Senior Director Human Resources for the Children's Institute in Los Angeles where she was responsible for human resource planning, budgeting and operational initiatives for a multisite, 600+ employees nonprofit organization. Previously, she led Human Resource teams for Ross Stores and Robinsons May department stores.

Strohmeyer obtained her Bachelor of Science in both Human Resources and Small Business Management, with honors from California Polytechnic University where she was a two time All-American in Track and Field. She is currently working on her Master in Business Administration and Organizational Development.

Director, System Safety
Southern California Regional Rail Authority

Fred Jackson has over 34 years of experience in freight and passenger railroading, his storied career encompassing all areas of railroad safety. Beginning his career as a brakeman in 1979 with the Santa Fe Railroad, Jackson spent the next 23 years at Amtrak leading the Western Division, a territory including 11 states, as the Director of Safety. During this tenure, Jackson certified each of the current West coast commuter service start-ups as the chief safety officer.

Joining Metrolink in 2002, Jackson worked to bring Southern California’s largest commuter railroad (and its owner, a public agency) into System Safety. With “innovative change” being the constant at Metrolink (i.e. Inward-Facing Cameras in the locomotive cab, Sealed Corridors, Crash Energy Management and Positive Train Control) Jackson worked diligently toward building a better safety culture and to provide the tools and communication necessary to stakeholders, contractors and employees so they may be successful.

One example is Jackson’s work in bringing the USC Viterbi School of Engineering to Metrolink and producing the critically acclaimed USC/Metrolink Safety Program curriculum. Some of Jackson’s areas of specialty include: system safety, safety culture, SMS, hazard resolution management, incident response, inspections and audit processes, configuration management, training, safety certification and safety design management.

Government and Regulatory Affairs Manager
Southern California Regional Rail Authority

As the Government and Regulatory Affairs Manager for Metrolink, Patricia Torres-Bruno directs the federal, state and local government relations program for the agency and manages the policy, legislative and advocacy efforts of the agency.

Torres-Bruno came to the Authority from the Los Angeles County Transportation Authority (Metro) where she worked on State Legislative and Local Affairs including the successful passage of AB 2321 (Feuer) that placed Measure R on the ballot. Prior to her time at Metro, Torres-Bruno worked for former Mayor Jim Hahn’s Office with the City of Los Angeles as a liaison to the Los Angeles World Airports and the Department of Water & Power.

Torres-Bruno started her career in legislative affairs, policy and politics with the League of California Cities after earning her Master’s in Public Policy from the Claremont Graduate University and her B.A.from UC Irvine.