Amanda Wanke, CEO of the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority, has announced she has accepted a leadership position with Metro Transit in the Twin Cities.

Her last day with DART will be May 9.

Wanke has led the transit agency for the past 2 ½ years. She first joined DART in 2015 as chief external affairs officer. She was named chief operating officer and deputy CEO in May 2020, left DART in October 2022 to join New Flyer and MCI, a bus and coach manufacturer, before the lure of DART brought her back the following year.

She joins Metro Transit, one of the nation’s largest transit systems, as deputy chief operating officer for operations administration. Metro Transit employs more than 3,000 people and operates an integrated network of buses, light rail and commuter rail serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul region.

Wanke, a Minnesota native, said accepting the new position allows her to be closer to family, and continue to grow as a transit leader.

“Leading DART and serving this community has been one of the most meaningful chapters of my career,” Wanke said in a news release. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together in recent years—from the essential services we provide every day to the adoption of the system redesign that will shape the future of transit in our region.”

During her tenure as CEO, Wanke led several initiatives to strengthen public transit service in the Des Moines metro and modernize it to better align with the region’s changing needs, priorities and budgets of member communities.

The DART commission approved the Reimagine DART network redesign in December. The new network, which will be launched later this year, reduces expenses and puts the agency in a stronger financial position heading into next fiscal year. DART also received a $20 million federal grant to help build a new operations and maintenance facility that will meet the agency’s needs for safer and more effective bus service.

Wanke has long advocated for public transit and the important role it plays in the economy of the region, where 60% of DART riders take the bus to get to and from work. Data also shows that 61% of DART riders don’t have a working vehicle in their home, with an equal number not having a valid driver’s license. And about 85% of riders have a household income of less than $50,000 a year.

The redesigned network also comes at a time of growth in ridership for DART. Ridership increased to more than 3.75 million rides in fiscal year 2025, which ended June 30, a nearly 7% increase over the previous year.

Besides riding DART to work, people also take DART to get to medical appointments and school.

Nine out of 10 trips on DART are to make or spend money, and Wanke said last fall that it was important to realign services to meet the changing needs of the metro..

“It’s essential for us from an economic perspective to keep driving that economic impact and make sure we align that level of service with what we can afford, and then look at how people are traveling so that we drive as much economic impact as possible,” she said in September 2025.

Des Moines Mayor and DART Commission Chair Connie Boesen said Wanke became CEO at an important time for transit in the region.

“When the Commission asked her to serve as CEO, it was because of her deep understanding of the organization, her collaborative style and her ability to bring people together around a shared vision for transit.”

According to the news release, the DART Commission will discuss the next steps for filling the CEO position in the coming weeks. They plan to recognize Wanke following her last commission meeting on May 5.

Related stories:

• A Closer Look: Amanda Wanke
• Seeking sustainable transit
• Charting a course