New Jersey Transit has appointed William “Bill” Crosbie as Executive Director, effective April 25, 2016. Crosbie replaces Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim, who left NJT in December 2015 to become President of MTA New York City Transit.

Dennis J. Martin, who has served as the agency’s interim Executive Director since Hakim’s departure, will resume his previous position as Vice President and General Manager of NJT’s Bus Operations Division.

Crosbie’s most recently served as President and CEO and Regional Director for North America for SYSTRA USA. Previously, he was Vice President of Railroad Programs for Parsons Corp. Prior to that, Crosbie spent more than seven years as Amtrak’s Chief Operating Officer.

NJT described Crosbie as “a transportation security expert and Professional Engineer with more than 30 years of experience in the transportation field. He is a regular guest lecturer at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School on intelligence analysis, cyber security, and infrastructure protection. He has served on numerous boards including the Boards of Directors for Washington Union Station Redevelopment Corp. and Chicago Union Station.”

A native of Canada who started as a laborer for his father’s construction company on projects for the Canadian Pacific Rail Railway, Crosbie also worked for the Toronto Transit Commission. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Security Studies from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and an Honors Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

“Bill Crosbie brings a depth of background in operations, transportation, engineering, finance, and security to New Jersey Transit that is perfectly suited to address the needs facing the agency at this important time,” said Acting Transportation Commissioner and NJT Board Chairman Richard T. Hammer.

Crosbie joins NJT at a time when the agency, the third-largest in the U.S., is dealing with substantial problems. Among them are a projected $57 million budget gap, and an as-yet-unratified new contract with its 4,200 rail workers, the details of which have not been disclosed.