Tom Gerend has served as first Executive Director of the Kansas City Streetcar Authority (KCSA) since June 2014, where he is responsible for the planning, start-up, and public operation of the KC Streetcar System.

In the first three years of operations, the KC Streetcar tallied more than 6 million passenger trips, is credited with infusing downtown Kansas City with more than $3B in new economic development, and is the recipient of a numerous national and global awards.

Prior to KCSA, Gerend served as the Co-Director of Transportation Planning for the MidAmerica Regional Council (MARC), leading regional transportation planning, streetcar planning, and public transit coordination across the eight-county bi-state Kansas City region. While at MARC, he led the region’s efforts to secure a $50 million federal

Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER I) Program grant, and secured critical funding to launch KC Streetcar’s initial planning and construction. Gerend earned his undergraduate degree in Community and Regional Planning from Iowa State University in Ames and his MBA from the University of Illinois Springfield. Gerend’s

personal accolades include recognition as the Transportation Partner of the Year by Missouri Department of Transportation, received the 2016 Design Achievement Award by Iowa State University, and received the Rosa Parks Community Partner Award by Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, among many others.