Damon Blythe, Orange County Transportation Authority

ORANGE, CA—Damon Blythe has been named director of bus operations for the Orange County Transportation Authority. Blythe will lead the oversight of bus operations and support, as well as specialized transportation services, including the OC ACCESS paratransit group. He will also support the contracted fixed-route team, which makes up approximately 40 percent of the regular OC Bus service. Blythe began his public transit career 25 years ago with the Utah Transit Authority as a driver, before moving into transit planning, helping to move people during the 2002 Winter Olympics. In 2012, he moved to the North County Transit District in San Diego County, where he worked four years in the rail division before moving into the planning department, eventually becoming chief operations officer. For APTA, Blythe is a member of the Access, Bus Operations, Mid-Size Operations, Bus Technical Maintenance and Zero Emission Fleet committees, among others.