On Monday, the Delaware County Transit (DCT) Board of Directors announced the hiring of Harry Kamdar as the public transportation agency’s new executive director.
The agency reported that Kamdar, who has been executive director of the Ohio State Dental Board since 2015, will take the reins at DCT on Feb. 28 and will replace Denny Schooley, who has led the agency since its inception in 1998.
In a press release, DCT said Kamdar brings an “extensive background in executive leadership and change management” to the agency, which has been “making the transition from serving a rural county to a more suburban one for the last several years.”
“I am extremely grateful to the DCT Board of Directors for this opportunity,” Kamdar said. “I look forward to providing leadership to the future public transit needs of the fastest-growing county in the state.”
As for Schooley’s future, Ferzan Ahmed, chairman of the Delaware County Transit Board of Directors, told The Gazette Schooley will remain with the agency after Kamdar takes over as executive director.
“Denny is not retiring but staying on with the agency to help with a smooth transition,” Ahmed said. “He will report to the new executive director.”
Kamdar has a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Franklin University and began his career with the Ohio Department of Youth Services. He later served as a business transformation manager for the Ohio Office of Budget and Management and as the deputy director and CFO for the Ohio Department of Health.
A Dublin resident, Kamdar also serves as the president of the Dublin Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
In the release announcing his hiring, Kamdar outlined his vision for the future of the agency.
“A hallmark of my servant-leadership style is going into various service-oriented organizations with a lifelong-learning approach, an eagerness to inspire a shared vision, create high-performing teams, transform operations, provide astute fiscal stewardship, build consensus with stakeholders, and relentlessly pursue excellence in customer service,” Kamdar said. “Overall, we will embrace the best of yesterday and meld it with the best of today to create the best of tomorrow.”
Ahmed said the diversity of Kamdar’s professional experiences and the clarity of his vision for DCT’s future will make him a great leader.
“The Board was very impressed with Harry’s experience and empathy.” Ahmed said. “He has been a successful leader in several agencies, and we believe he will be a great leader for Delaware County Transit, as well as for the community.”
