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Meet Dennis Lytton!
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Dennis Lytton
Program Manager-Safety and Security
Member Services Department
What are the three job elements you focus on the most—your primary responsibilities?
 I’m the program manager for safety and security. Broadly I support the safety, security and emergency management programs of APTA. More specifically, I spend most of my time on these issues:
* APTA’s standards for safety and security. APTA has committees of professionals in the industry who work to develop best practices in concert with regulatory changes. Recently, these have included the implementation of new FTA regulatory oversight via MAP-21 and the FAST Act.
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* Managing meetings, conferences and webinars for my committees. An important role for APTA generally is to promote communication and best practices among our diverse properties. I spend much of my time devoted to facilitating this via workshops at our regular meetings such as the Bus, Rail, Risk Management and Annual meetings and via conference calls and webinars on important topics for practitioners of safety, security and emergency management in transit.
* Working on safety audits and peer reviews. The Member Services Department also manages both the Safety Audit and Peer Review programs, which allow member properties to enlist APTA to conduct safety audits or peer reviews. These engagements may cover a variety of issues related to transit, from creating a High Reliability Organization (HRO) to human resources, transit operations, maintenance or security. I help facilitate staff and provide subject matter expertise at our safety audits and peer reviews.
Tell us about recent times you’ve helped out an APTA member.
I work closely with APTA member agencies’ staff who work on safety, security and emergency management issues.
I often get cold inquiries from APTA members who want to know what a best practice is regarding some area of public transit operations. Often I am able to point them to the appropriate document in APTA’s Standards Program, another source like a paper from the Transportation Research Board or from my own subject matter expertise.
However, I will often put these questions out to the members of our safety, security and emergency management committees. Recent inquires include “What is the industry best practice for fall protection around rail maintenance pits?” and “What are some good strategies for site security around commuter rail yards?”
Via APTA’s member collaboration pages, this process can lead to lively discussions among our members and the cross-pollination of good ideas.
What initiatives, projects or programs have you worked on at APTA that you have taken particular pride in completing?
I am currently managing APTA’s Bus and Rail Safety and Security Excellence Awards. This allows me to see the best in the industry and help coordinate the award ceremonies, which occur prominently on the first day of the Bus and Rail conferences.
Also, APTA has supported me in obtaining in June DOT’s Transit Safety and Security Professional Certificate. This program comprises six week-long courses on safety, security and emergency management in the transit industry.
Did you work in public transportation before joining APTA? How long have you worked here?
I’ve worked at APTA since September 2015. Prior to APTA I was in graduate school at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, where I received a master’s degree in public policy. For both my years at Georgetown-McCourt I received scholarships from the American Public Transportation Foundation (APTF), the charitable affiliate of APTA. Los Angeles Metro, where I was working, sponsored me in the scholarship process. I received a general APTF scholarship in 2013 and the Jerome C. Premo Scholarship in 2014.
I worked at Los Angeles Metro before I entered graduate school, starting out as a train controller—basically talking to the trains and supervising and dispatching all aspects of rail transit operations from the agency’s Rail Operations Control Center (ROC). I also worked as a rail field supervisor and an assistant manager of the ROC.
What professional affiliations do you have?
For the past 10 years I’ve been on the national council of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, which is also a member of APTA.
Could you tell us something about yourself that might surprise us?
When I was at Los Angeles Metro I was trained to operate most of our light rail and subway vehicles. Driving a train is challenging as well as enormous fun. I sincerely regret that I’ll likely never have an opportunity to do that again.
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