Executive Staff
In 2017 Joi Taylor Dean was named CEO of the Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The executive staff manages all necessary functions of the Authority including but not limited to; engineering, finance, human resources, auditing, procurement, toll collection (manual and electronic) and maintenance.
Joi Taylor Dean
Chief Executive Officer
Joi Taylor Dean
Chief Executive Officer
Joi Taylor Dean currently serves as the CEO for the Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“RMTA”), a regional transportation authority that operates and maintains critical transportation infrastructure in the Richmond Metropolitan area. As CEO, Ms. Dean is responsible for developing and directing the Authority’s long-range planning and development activities, including financial management systems, legislation, planning and design work, and construction activities. She also leads the organization’s regional partnerships with the regional local governments, civic and special interest groups.
Prior to her current position, Ms. Dean served as the RMTA’s Chief of Staff where she worked closely with the CEO providing input and was responsible for all facets of the Authority including developing policy related to RMTA operations, managing RMTA public relations, tracking and monitoring state and federal legislation, and conferring with RMTA legal counsel as necessary on a range of issues.
Ms. Dean’s other career highlights include:
Founder and President of the Dean Strategy Group, a company that provided management and consulting services in the areas of political consulting, strategic communications, business development, government affairs, grass roots advocacy, and coalition building. Ms. Dean used her diverse background with linkages to government, the political arena, the legal community, and the nonprofit world to develop and manage relationships and achieve results for her clients.
A decade of experience in the legal and political arena where she served as a Special Assistant to New Jersey Attorney General, Peter Harvey, and worked as a liaison between the Attorney General and federal, state and local elected officials as well as religious organizations and community based organizations.
Additionally, Ms. Dean served as a Legal Specialist in the Consumer Fraud Prosecution, Antitrust, and Affirmative Litigation sections of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office Division of Law where she worked on cases to protect the finances of the citizens of New Jersey by helping to identify and prosecute consumer and mortgage fraud and preventing business monopolies.
An active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first sorority founded for African American women, Ms. Dean has served as the Business Manager for the North Atlantic Region, as a member of the North Atlantic Standards Evaluation Team and as the New Jersey State Coordinator for AKA Connection.
Ms. Dean holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Political Science from Hampton University and a Juris Doctor from William and Mary Law School.
Leslie Mehta
Chief of Staff
Leslie Mehta
Chief of Staff
Leslie Chambers Mehta joined the RMTA as Chief of Staff in February 2018. She has nearly two decades of legal experience and has worked in law firms and nonprofit organizations. Most recently, Ms. Mehta was the legal director at the ACLU of Virginia where she was the head of the legal department and managed all aspects of complex litigation.
As Chief of Staff, she works closely with the CEO to provide input on all RMTA matters, including managing public relations, tracking state and federal legislation, developing policy related to RMTA operations, cooperating and coordinating with RMTA legal counsel on legal matters, and assisting with prioritizing issues of concern to the organization.
Ms. Mehta received a B.A. in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a J.D. from Howard University School of Law. Ms. Mehta is an active member of the Virginia state bar and is inactive with the state bars of Maryland, Missouri, Kansas, and California.
Paula Watson
Procurement/Internal Audit Manager
Paula Watson
Procurement/Internal Audit Manager
Paula Watson joined the RMTA in February 1995 as the Internal Auditor. Her position evolved to include Procurement Management in 2015. Ms. Watson is responsible for internal audits, communications with customers, management of procurements and contracts, and various other duties for the Authority.
Ms. Watson received a B.A. in Business Administration with a minor in Finance from Virginia Commonwealth University and is a Certified Contracting Associate with the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors, National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Capital Area Purchasing Association, and the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association where she serves on the Lost Revenue Task Force. She brings 30+ years of audit and tolling experience to the RMTA.
Sheryl B. Johnson
Director of Human Resources
Sheryl B. Johnson
Director of Human Resources
Sheryl B. Johnson joined the RMTA in February 2001 as human resources manager. She transitioned to director of human resources in July 2014. Johnson is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing all human resources activities of the Authority, including policy and program development, recruitment, performance management, employee relations, compensation, and benefits management.
Ms. Johnson received a B.A. in Foreign Language (Interdisciplinary Major Program) from the University of Virginia, and holds the Professional in Human Resources designation (PHR). Johnson is a member of the National Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR). Ms. Johnson brings 20+ years of professional human resources experience to the RMTA.
Theresa M. Simmons
Director of Operations
Theresa M. Simmons
Director of Operations
Theresa M. Simmons, P.E. joined the RMA in September 2010 as the RMTA engineer. In December 2013, she was promoted to Director of Operations. She is responsible for the maintenance and operations of the Authority’s 36 bridges, 58 tolling points, including 4 mainline toll plazas, 50.2 lane-miles of toll road, including the Powhite Parkway, the Downtown Expressway, and the Boulevard Bridge. In addition to the oversight of the toll road staff, she is also responsible for the Authority’s engineering and construction departments. Her role also includes working with the CEO on short-range and long-range capital planning. She analyzes project designs and interprets data to provide sound advice and to make recommendations to the CEO and Board of Directors on operational and project specific matters. In her role as Director of Operations, she manages and oversees all toll collection systems maintenance and toll system upgrades from procurement to implementation. Additionally, she is also involved in the evaluation, designing and planning of new capital projects and major improvements to RMTA assets.
Ms. Simmons received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of South Alabama and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a 2014 graduate of the International Bridges Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s (IBTTA) Leadership Academy held each year in Washington, D.C. She remains very active in IBTTA by both attending and presenting at various IBTTA conferences and workshops. Ms. Simmons’ prior experience includes over 10 years of civil site design and construction, construction material testing, highway design, and geotechnical engineering design. She also has a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Alabama. Ms. Simmons brings over 2 decades of project planning, engineering design and toll system integration to the RMTA. Ms. Simmons is a registered, licensed Professional Engineer in Alabama and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Steve Owen
Director of Finance
Steve Owen
Director of Finance
Steven joined RMTA in February 2023 as the Director of Finance. Steven is responsible for planning, organizing and directing all of the accounting and finance related activities of the Authority. This includes annual budget preparation, preparing the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, annual financial audit and monthly financial reporting.
Mr. Owen received a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice from Elmira College, an A.A.S. degree in Accounting from Middlesex County College and attended Virginia Commonwealth University taking additional accounting coursework. Mr. Owen is a certified public accountant (CPA). Mr. Owen brings 25+ years of accounting and finance experience to the RMTA.
Committee