Atlanta public transit CEO Jeffrey Parker dedicated suicide on Friday night time after stepping in entrance of a practice within the outskirts of town.
Parker, 56, was struck on the East Lake station in Atlanta at 10.30pm, a Metropolitan Atlanta Speedy Transit Authority official advised DailyMail.com.
No motive for his suicide has been introduced. The DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Workplace and Sheriff's Workplace didn't instantly reply to requests for remark from DailyMail.com.
He's survived by his spouse Erin and his daughters.
MARTA Board of Administrators Chairwoman Rita Scott described him as 'an excellent chief and steward of MARTA whose passing leaves us all heartbroken.
'We're devastated at this loss as we valued Jeff's management and seemed ahead to him bringing his imaginative and prescient for transit to fruition. Your complete metro Atlanta area owes him a debt of gratitude for his transformational efforts and we won't cease working to construct on the muse he created,' she added.
Parker was named basic supervisor and CEO of the company in March 2018. Since then, he has overseen transit growth plans, helped negotiate a 3 p.c annual raises for staff and led the company by way of a Tremendous Bowl and the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with the Atlanta-Journal Structure.
In 2020, Parker gained a three-year contract extension, securing his job till 2026.
His wage on the time was $366,575, in accordance with the AJC. He was additionally eligible for a bonus of as much as 10 p.c of his base wage - or $36,657.
He reportedly advised the board that 'any bonus or base wage pay elevate was inappropriate this yr,' in accordance with MARTA spokesperson Stephany Fisher.
On Saturday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp shared his condolences in a tweet.
'Marty, the women, & I are saddened to study in regards to the tragic passing of Jeffrey Parker - GM/CEO of MARTA. Along with a outstanding skilled profession within the public/personal sectors, Jeffrey was identified for his civic engagement and assist for the development of his communities,' Kemp wrote.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms mentioned: 'I am so sorry to listen to this. My prayers are with Jeff's household, pals, and colleagues.'
Parker graduated cum laude from Northeastern College with a level in laptop science, in accordance with his MARTA biography.
He was named one among Atlanta Journal's Most Highly effective Individuals of 2020 and Atlanta Enterprise Chronicle's Energy 100: Most Influential Atlantans of 2020.
In 2019, he was acknowledged by the Atlanta Chapter of Ladies's Transportation Seminar (WTS-Atlanta) as its 'Man of the 12 months' for his historical past of hiring and selling ladies in transportation.
'As we wrestle to grasp the complexity of this tragedy, we grieve with and for his spouse Erin, his daughters and all of Jeff's household and pals in addition to his MARTA household. As we proceed to grieve, we would like you to know that suicide is preventable and assist is accessible to you,' mentioned Chairwoman Scott.
Parker helped lead MARTA growth plans, reminiscent of a bus speedy transit line in Clayton County, one of many counties that make up the Atlanta metro space, in accordance with the AJC.
He requested funding for the $300 million challenge by way of the Federal Transit Administration's Small Begins Program.
In 2019, Parker referred to as for a $100 billion 'moonshot for transit' funding, because the area's inhabitants was set to develop by 2.5 million folks by 2040, the AJC reported.
The large funding objective - which might have vastly shadowed a $2.7 billion, 40-year plan accredited by Atlanta voters in 2016 - did not go nicely with some lawmakers.
'That is about 50 years of present GDOT spending,' state Rep. Brett Harrell mentioned on the time. 'Not an ROI [return on investment] that sounds interesting to me.'
MARTA named Collie Greenwood as interim basic supervisor and CEO after an emergency board assembly Saturday.
Greenwood is a former chief service officer on the Toronto Transit Fee. He joined MARTA in 2019 as the top of bus operations and was promoted to deputy basic supervisor of operations final January.
In 2019, MARTA, below Parker's management, accredited a brand new contract that gave its staff three p.c raises for the subsequent three years, AJC reported.
The settlement gave a 25-cents-an-hour longevity premium to all workers with 20 or extra years of service and added a 'parity pay adjustment' of fifty cents an hour to all bus and rail operators.
It added $1 an hour for mechanics and different expert technicians and got here with $1,000 ratification funds for full-time workers and $500 for part-time staff.
Britt Dunams, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Native 732, which represents extra than 2,500 MARTA and different native transit staff, mentioned:
'We're deeply saddened and shocked to listen to of the tragic demise of MARTA basic Supervisor/CEO Jeffrey Parker.
'Parker understood the significance of MARTA and public transit for our metropolis, our members, and our residents.
'Lately, we had been working with Parker to additional strengthen the connection between our Union and administration that acknowledged the crucial function our members have performed in protecting our communities shifting by way of the difficult occasions of the pandemic. In his reminiscence, we'll proceed that essential work and try to make MARTA safer, extra accessible and extra reasonably priced for all Atlantans.'
For these in danger, The Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline may be reached at 800-273-8255.