Supervisor Spotlight: Highlighting those behind the scenes who keep us moving

It takes a lot of people to keep a transit system running smoothly across 150 routes and over 300,000 boardings a day.

Bus drivers are the most visible part of any transit system, but there are people behind the scenes who are just as vital in the day-to-day operation of King County Metro.

Their responsibilities include training operators, planning the routes that run throughout the region, and literally being the “traffic controllers” who keep track of the buses on their daily runs.

They’re also the former bus drivers who use their knowledge to guide current drivers. Some were interested in transit from a young age and who put their backgrounds from other fields into good use.

And sometimes, they’re invisible co-pilots that help you get where you need to go when you ride with Metro.

We’d like to introduce you to the staff that help keep the wheels on the bus going “round and round” every day.

 

Reginold “Reggie” Chavis Service Supervisor

Reggie’s career at Metro began just over 30 years ago as a part-time operator. At the time, the economy was in a downturn, with layoffs at his previous job. Reggie’s original intent was for Metro to be only temporary, but he ended up loving the job.

Born in New York and raised in South Carolina, Reggie joined the Air Force after graduating high school. His specialty was aircraft maintenance, and during his time in the Air Force, he served in Texas, Hawaii and California. In 1988–after the Air Force–he worked for Lockheed in Saudi Arabia. He still uses his aircraft maintenance skills on his three Jeeps and occasionally in his role as a District Supervisor where he monitors service operations and responds to operators’ calls for assistance.

Reggie became a supervisor in April 2001 and provides field support for the south end of our service area. As a supervisor, he is responsible for monitoring service operations and disruptions and responding to operators’ calls for assistance.

He truly enjoys being visible to operators out in the field because it lets them know they have support when they need it. He shared: “The most fulfilling part of the job is serving operators. I want operators to be happy and comfortable with the job they are doing. I try to make that happen in whatever way I can… tightening a mirror or seat, troubleshooting an on-board system and responding to emergencies. If operators are happy, hopefully, the riding public is happy, which in turn means I’m happy.”

In addition to supporting operators, Reggie also supported his peers in his role as the Supervisor Representative on the executive board of his union, ATU 587. He draws on his many decades of experience and knowledge at Metro to help his colleagues.

Knowing that he is part of the machine that keeps Metro –and the people of King County– moving is what motivates him. There’s always a whole lot that happens behind the scenes to keep service going and he is happy to be part of that.

Like every job, there are aspects of the job that can be challenging. One of those Reggie shared is about navigating some of the unintended consequences of incorporating changes into existing processes and practices. He often leans on his experiences in other careers to bring creative, outside-of-the-box thinking to address issues. This helps him more easily adapt to changes.

For fun, Reggie occasionally swaps out a wrench for a tennis racket or bowling ball. He also enjoys comedy clubs. He’s on the road often, as his daughter (whom he raised on his own) went to the University of Montana and still lives in Missoula. He enjoys the open space there, as well as the long drives to and from Montana.

When asked about what he envisions for Metro, he said he “would like Metro to have a better succession plan for when employees retire or leave. At times, we lose historical and trade knowledge because we do not have an adequate succession plan. Having that historical knowledge serves as a good platform for understanding how to make improvements.”

Reggie’s advice to others: “While we move forward and incorporate new ideas, the knowledge of the past should serve as a guide as well.”

Fun Fact About Reggie:
–He was a DJ in high school.

 

Debra Ray, Service Supervisor

Debra has been a first-line supervisor for 24 years. Her career at Metro started in 1991 when after having a baby, she decided to find a part-time job. Over the years, Debra was an operator at four of Metro’s seven bases (Atlantic, Central, Ryerson and South).

While Debra has worked in the other classifications as a first-line supervisor, Service Quality has always been her home. As a supervisor, she has played an instrumental role in countless major special events, such as the SR 99 tunnel opening and the Rock and Roll Marathon. When the new SR 99 tunnel opened downtown, she was the lead supervisor for the tour, running as many as 99 buses in rotation. “I was not part of the history when the viaduct was built, but it was exciting to be part of the history for the new SR 99 tunnel,” she said.

Debra planned most of the Rock & Roll Marathons, worked extensively on Torchlight Parade and UW events, and was awarded Supervisor of the Shakeup.

Debra shares that as a first-line supervisor, her number one customers are operators. “If operators are not well taken care of, we will have no service.” She added that two guiding principles she keeps in mind: “Always listen to others when they talk,” and “It does not matter what walk of life people are from, treat everybody with dignity and respect.”

Debra has three daughters and ten “fur babies.” She enjoys gardening and riding horses in her free time. She also has an interest in creating objects through an ancient Japanese technique known as “Shou Sugi Ban,” which preserves wood by charring it with fire.

Special Recognition
On Jan. 30, 2024, during an evening shift. Debra responded to a distress call about an overdose in progress at Third Avenue and Pike Street. Upon arrival, she–together with a security guard who was already on the scene–performed lifesaving chest compressions on the person until paramedics arrived. Due to her heroic actions and the paramedics’ aid, the person survived.

Debra’s heroism earned her the H.E.R.O. (Honoring Employees Responding Outstandingly) Award, which recognized her exceptional judgment, strong commitment to safety and quick response in a critical situation; all of which embody King County Metro’s mission to “Provide safe and dependable service.”

Fun Facts About Debra
–She took up gymnastics in kindergarten and kept at it through to the 10th grade.
–She played the flute from 6th through 11th grades—and she still has that flute!

 

Interested in becoming a part of Metro? Visit “Start your Metro career” to explore well-paying positions with full benefits and a pension in transit operations, trades, rail operations, customer information and countless other fields.