Karen Kitsis is the Chief Planning and Development Officer at Hampton Roads Transit. She oversees the department responsible for the planning and scheduling of transit services, the long-range development of high-capacity systems such as light rail and bus rapid transit, customer service and data analytics. Her team continually refines HRT’s local and express bus services and works with the six city partners to plan and enhance transit.
A Hampton Roads native, Kitsis previously served as the Deputy Commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Transportation and had 10 years of experience at Sound Transit in Seattle, Wash., including as Deputy Executive Director for Capital Project Development. She has also worked in Virginia for the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission and as an industry consultant. This is her second time with HRT, having served as a transit development officer from 2008-2012.
Kitsis holds a master’s degree in urban planning from UCLA and is a certified planner through the American Planning Association. She also serves on the WTS International Board of Directors.