Fact:
Harrington
graduated
summa cum
laude from Kent
State University.
MassTransitmag.
Joe Harrington com/12422344
Senior Manager of
Public Relations,
Public Information
Officer and Equal
Employment
Opportunity
Officer
Palm Tran
For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/10064967
34 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
est county east of the Mississippi River.
He has continued to introduce new digital
techniques to reach an audience and has
signifi cantly expanded social media.
Social media proved a critical tool
in communicating with customers in
September 2017 when Hurricane Irma
hit South Florida. Harrington worked
at Palm Beach County’s Emergency
Operations Center leading up to the
storm, working with local media to ensure
coverage of the evacuation of Palm
Beach County residents during the hours
leading up to the hurricane. Aft er the
storm hit, he was one of a handful of
employees who returned to Palm Tran’s
offi ce, working to communicate how everyone
would be returned home once
roads could be made safe again.
AN INTERNSHIP ON CAPITOL HILL
when Joe Harrington was in college was
when he fell in love with government
and has since dedicated his career to
serving the public.
As the public information offi cer for
three years for the Regional Transportation
Commission of Washoe County
(RTC) in Reno, Nevada, Harrington led
outreach on several major transit projects,
including the extension of RTC’s
premier bus rapid transit line, the RAPID,
to the University of Nevada, Reno.
Th is project involved working with a
diverse group of stakeholders, many of
whom had competing ideas for the project.
He was also heavily involved in the
outreach and communications aspects
of RTC’s second BRT line, currently in
development. Among the new communication
methods he helped introduce
were text message updates for the project
and tours of the future BRT corridor.
Currently, Harrington is the senior
manager of public relations and public
information offi cer for Palm Tran, where
he oversees both public relations and customer
service in the geographically larg-
“Funding is always a challenge. I would like to see
more federal funding for grants and particularly for projects
to make the industry cleaner and greener. Perception of
public transportation can also be a challenge in attracting
choice-riders, that’s why I feel robust public relations
initiatives are absolutely critical to the industry’s future.”
/10064967
/MassTransitmag.com
/12422344
/brookvillecorp.com