NJ TRANSIT BOARD NAMES GARDNER C. TABON AS CHIEF, OFFICE OF SYSTEM SAFETY
October 8, 2014
NEWARK, NJ — At today’s regularly scheduled meeting of the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors, the Board appointed Gardner C. Tabon as the Chief of the recently established Office of System Safety, as part of an initiative to reinvigorate NJ TRANSIT’s corporate-wide safety culture.
In May, NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim established the Office of System Safety to monitor, review and evaluate safety measures, programs and incidents across the system, as well as overall safety statistics and the development of safety programs pertaining to NJ TRANSIT’s operations and facilities.
“Through the Office of System Safety, NJ TRANSIT aims to achieve the highest practicable level of safety for all transit modes,” said Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman Jamie Fox. “Under Gardner’s leadership and reporting directly to the Executive Director, this office will be the guiding force to ensuring corporate-wide system safety for our State’s public transportation network.”
“As a career professional with nearly 25 years in the transportation industry, Gardner’s broad experience in rail, bus and light rail system safety will serve NJ TRANSIT and our customers well,” said Executive Director Hakim. “His depth of knowledge pertaining to safety will be an asset to the agency as we focus on improving and emphasizing common safety principles and practices across our network.”
Mr. Tabon’s focus throughout his career has been the development, implementation, management and maintenance of corporate and regional safety, security and emergency preparedness-related policies and programs.
Prior to joining NJ TRANSIT, Mr. Tabon served for six years as the Chief of Safety and Security for Valley Metro in Phoenix, Arizona, where he established and managed the System Safety Program Plan.
Previously, he served for five years as the System Safety Officer at the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, where he established policies and procedures that enabled the operating departments to function safely and efficiently.
Mr. Tabon is a Certified Safety Specialist with the World Safety Organization and holds numerous professional memberships, including the American Society of Safety Engineers, the American Railways Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association, ASIS International, and the National Fire Protection Association Rail Transportation Systems.
About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 895,000 weekday trips on 262 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 165 rail stations, 62 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.