RTA names new Director of Training, Safety, and Risk

For Immediate Release

MEDIA CONTACT:  Jessica Olson (937) 425-8352, Communications Manager

(DAYTON, OHIO) … The Greater Dayton RTA has appointed Dr. Andrea Zavakos as the agency’s new Director of Training, Safety and Risk. 

In this position, Zavakos will lead the agency’s activities and initiatives to help ensure our customers’ rights to safe, on-time, and courteous service by directing the Training, Safety and Risk departments, including leadership development, maintenance and bus operator training, and directing RTA’s auto liability and worker compensation programs. 

“As a consultant, Andy has worked with the RTA on various leadership development and other projects off and on since 2007. Our organization needs a leader to take training and risk management to a new level, and we are confident she is the right person to guide the team,” stated Chris Cole, Chief Operating Officer.  

She earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Chaminade University in Honolulu while serving full-time in the U.S. Navy as an electronics technician/trainer. Following her honorable discharge, she earned a master of arts degree in total quality management from Dowling College in New York, commuting from her full-time human resources (HR) job at Swingline Staplers. She returned to the Dayton region in 1992 and served in leadership positions for both small and large corporations before joining the University of Dayton in 2013 as the Assistant VP of Human Resources. For the past 5 years, she has had the role as a full-time professor in strategy, organizational behavior, cross-cultural management, and global business at the University of Dayton School of Business Administration. Zavakos holds a Ph.D. in leadership and change from Antioch University and is certified by the Human Resource Certification Institute as both a Global and Senior Professional in HR. 

Zavakos added, “I have come to know and respect the people of Greater Dayton RTA over the years, and I am honored to have the opportunity to support its mission and work with this wonderful team full-time.”