Following a nationwide search with more than 250 candidates considered, MARTA’s Board of Directors has elected to keep its pick for the agency’s top role close to home.
After recently whittling the competition to three finalists, the board today announced its selection of Jonathan Hunt as permanent General Manager and Chief Executive Officer—a role Hunt has held on an interim basis since the August 2025 departure of Collie Greenwood.
Hunt joined MARTA in 2014 and has previously served as Chief Legal Counsel. Agency officials today also pointed to his recent experience leading redesign of MARTA’s bus network, replacement of the old Breeze fare payment system, activation of Atlanta’s first Bus Rapid Transit line, and the successful execution of MARTA operations during FIFA World Cup’s ridership tidal wave this summer.
Despite those plaudits, Hunt finished third in our in-house readership poll for the three finalists this week, collecting just 7 percent of more than 700 votes, as of this writing.
Jennifer N. Ide, MARTA board chair, praised Hunt’s “strong leadership and adept decision-making” over the past year in a statement, adding that he’s guided the agency “through its largest and most complex periods of improvement in its history.”
“At the same time,” Ide continued, “[Hunt] has strengthened stakeholder relationships, improved public and employee engagement, and ensured the customer is always front and center. My fellow board members and I are thrilled to name him as permanent GM/CEO.”
Duties for MARTA’s GM/CEO include reporting to the board and leading an executive team that covers all operations, from urban planning, finance, administration, capital programs, safety and quality assurance, and legal to the transit agency’s customer experience.
During more than a decade in MARTA’s legal department, Hunt held the roles of Chief of Corporate Law and Real Estate, Deputy Chief Counsel, and lastly Chief Legal Counsel before being elevated to the interim chief position.
Jonathan J. Hunt Courtesy of MARTA
Hunt holds a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University and a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Previously in his career, he worked as the City of Atlanta’s Senior Assistant City Attorney, handling aviation matters for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and practiced law at Denton’s and Baker & Hostetler, among other roles, per MARTA officials.
Hunt said he now looks forward to expanding the transit system, boosting ridership, and improving overall MARTA service.
“This last year serving in the interim role has been the most rewarding and purposeful experience of my professional career, and I have a renewed dedication to this vital work, and most importantly to the people we serve every day,” said Hunt in a statement. “Though my title is changing, my mission will remain the same: deliver routine excellence every day by creating a safe, clean, and reliable transit system that we can all be extremely proud of. I firmly believe MARTA’s best and brightest days are ahead of us.”
We shall see, eh, ATL?
Coming off the World Cup success, this is certainly a high-stakes era for Atlanta’s transit authority, with a new rail fleet pending, a streetcar extension up in the air, its main transit hub undergoing a foundational overhaul, and numerous other impactful projects underway.
...
Follow us on social media:
Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram
• MARTA-related news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)
