Jennifer L. Bergener
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has promoted Chief Operating Officer Jennifer L. Bergener to deputy chief executive officer, succeeding Kenneth G. Phipps, who retired in March after nearly three decades at the agency. Bergener will work directly with CEO Darrell E. Johnson and will continue her role as COO, responsible for all transit operations.
“Jennifer’s experience and skills make her the ideal leader to take on this vital role at OCTA,” remarked Johnson. “I very much look forward to working with her to continue enhancing Orange County’s transportation network.”
In the first week of her new position, Bergener has played a critical role on OCTA’s task force responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. She is helping lead the committee of executives from across divisions and overseeing enhanced cleaning and continued operations of Orange County’s public transit service.
Bergener has served more than 20 years as a transit professional with experience in transportation programming, finance, governmental affairs, and project development and delivery. She has worked for 17 years at OCTA, primarily in rail planning, project and program delivery, and new transit services development. She also served as the managing director for LOSSAN, the managing agency for Pacific Surfliner intercity passenger rail service. Bergener began her career at Amtrak, working on project development and cost controls and at the San Mateo County Transit District as a grant and program writer.
“I’m honored to take on the challenges of this new role along with our talented OCTA team,” said Bergener. “I’m fortunate to work with so many dedicated people at OCTA driven to delivering transportation solutions for the residents, workers and visitors of Orange County.”