Executive Staff

Metro’s Executive Leadership Team

Andy Aiello

Chief Executive Officer & General Manager

Andy Aiello serves as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager for Metro. He previously served as Metro’s Deputy General Manager and Chief of Staff.

Prior to joining Metro in 2022, Mr. Aiello served as General Manager of the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK), a role he held since 2010, overseeing the daily operations and strategic direction of the regional transit system. His extensive transportation background also includes leadership roles of Deputy General Manager and Assistant Director of Communications at TANK, as well as prior planning roles with the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Mr. Aiello holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Urban and Regional Planning and Philosophy from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and an MBA from the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business.

He is a member of Leadership Cincinnati Class 48, immediate past Chair of the Northern Kentucky University, College of Informatics Advisory Board and has served on many boards throughout his career related to transportation, workforce development, and community impact.  He resides in the City of Cincinnati with his wife and two teenage sons.

Adriene Hairston

Chief Human Resources Officer

Adriene Hairston MS, SHRM-SCP, is responsible for overseeing Metro’s Human Resources department, labor relations, recruiting, benefits & compensation, DEI and organizational training. She is an accomplished human resource professional with expertise in HR policy, diversity and inclusion, change management and compliance.

Prior to Metro, she served as director of agency human resources at Western & Southern Life and held leadership roles with Fifth Third Bank, Luxottica, and Humana. She is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (holding the designation of Senior Certified Professional), and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., in addition to serving as an active member of CHRO Roundtable, which is a unique program designed to help HR leaders drive tangible business results and as a volunteer for Women Helping Women.

Adriene spearheaded the creation of Metro’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department. Under her leadership, Metro was honored with the prestigious All About Women Best Places to Work Award in the Women of Color Category in September 2024.

She holds a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Development from Xavier University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Cincinnati.

Brandy Jones

Chief Communications & Marketing Officer

Brandy Jones, APR, is the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer at the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority/Metro. In this role, she serves as the organization’s spokesperson and is responsible for overseeing media relations, digital media, employee communications, marketing and advertising, government affairs, and community engagement efforts.

Mrs. Jones has nearly two decades of experience in the public relations industry and marketing industry. She has held several leadership roles at Metro, including SVP of external affairs and director of public relations. Prior to Metro, she served as an Account Coordinator at Kevin Wilson PR Agency.

Among her numerous volunteer roles, has served as president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Chapter; the board of directors for the East Central District of PRSA; board member of Learning Grove, Inc,; member of the City of Cincinnati’s Families and Children Cabinet; and previously served as president of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (Cincinnati Chapter). She is a 2023 graduate of Leadership Cincinnati and a 2016 graduate of C-Change, both are Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce Leadership programs. Mrs. Jones is a member of the Cincinnati Chapter of The Links, Incorporated;

She has been recognized by PRNEWS as a “Top Women” Award recipient; PRSA Werner-Vonderharr-Bogart Awardee; “Forty Under 40” by the Cincinnati Business Courier, a “Top 40 Under 40” by Mass Transit Magazine, and is a recipient of numerous PRSA Blacksmith awards for her professional body of work, including being a member of the 2016 PRSA Communications Team of the Year.

Mrs. Jones holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Xavier University. She is an Accredited Public Relations professional.

John Ravasio

Chief of Staff

John Ravasio serves as Chief of Staff for Metro. He is responsible for a variety of key, cross-agency functions, projects and initiatives in alignment with Metro’s strategic plan. These include oversight of the IT, procurement, and board liaison departments.

Prior to being named Chief of Staff, Ravasio served as Metro’s Chief Operations Officer where he oversaw Operations, Maintenance, Paratransit, Microtransit, Safety, Security, and Risk Management.

He received his bachelor’s degree in Government and International Relations from the University of Notre Dame and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Cincinnati.

He has served as the co-chair of the Conference of Minority Transportation Official’s (COMTO) scholarship committee and is a mentor in the Ohio Supreme Court’s New Lawyer Mentoring Program.

Mr. Ravasio was a COO finalist in the 2023 C-Suite Awards presented by the Cincinnati Business Courier.

Khaled Shammout

Deputy Innovation and Vision Officer

Khaled Shammout serves as Metro’s Deputy Innovation and Vision Officer. He is responsible for overseeing strategic planning, transit network planning and scheduling, right-of-way and transit centers design and construction.

Mr. Shammout has 28 years of transit experience in both the public and private sectors—both nationally and internationally. Mr. Shammout’s experience includes transit planning, advanced data collection and analysis techniques, short-term and long-term public transit studies, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies (development and implementation), transit facility design, and project management.

Mr. Shammout attended The Ohio State University where he earned BS in Architecture, Master’s in City Planning and a Master’s in Transportation Engineering.

Mr. Shammout is appointed to the Transit Research Analysis Committee (TRAC) which advises FTA on transit-research related matters. Mr. Shammout is a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) editorial board where he is serving as a Handling Editor.

Mr. Shammout is the author of “The Implosion of Public Transit and the Case for an Infinite Game”.

Bill Spraul

Chief Operations Officer

Bill Spraul serves as Chief Operations Officer for Metro. As COO, he is responsible for overseeing Metro’s Operations, including Fixed Route, Paratransit, Micro transit, Fleet and Facility Maintenance, Safety, Security, and Risk Management and Operations’ 1,000 employee team. Bill returned to Metro in 2023.

Bill has over 40 years of extensive transit leadership experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to Metro, Bill served as Vice President for Transdev, overseeing over 20 different transit system operations from Michigan to Florida; Chief Operations Officer for San Diego Metropolitan Transit System; and Chief Executive Officer and General Manager for TRANSPO in South Bend, Indiana. And prior to this, Bill had begun his transit career at SORTA/Metro, managing fleet maintenance, paratransit, and operations for many years.

Bill attended Northern Kentucky University where he earned a BS in Public Administration and Political Science. Bill is a Cincinnati native, and he and his spouse are proud parents of 3 and grandparents of 5.

Tim Walker

Chief Financial Officer

Tim Walker serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Cincinnati Metro. He is responsible for the transit agency’s $162.5M budget, all capital programs, financial reporting, treasury management activities and investments.

Prior to joining Cincinnati Metro in 2024, Mr. Walker held various finance leadership roles at Contrail Aviation Support, GE Aviation, JetBlue Airways, America West Airlines/US Airways Group and Brassring Inc.

Mr. Walker holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Southern Indiana and is also a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). He resides in Mason with his wife Donna, and they have two adult daughters.