Transdev Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month: Spotlight on Leaders in Transit
Transdev is proud to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month by highlighting the contributions and stories of our employees who make a lasting impact in the communities we serve. This year, we’re featuring three of our own—Marta Lacko, Victor Garate, and Lorenzo Varela—all participants in the LIT Leadership Academy Class of 2025. Their journeys reflect resilience, dedication, and a shared commitment to empowering mobility and supporting those who depend on public transportation every day.
Marta Lacko
Operations Manager, Transdev Las Vegas Paratransit
For Lacko, a career in transportation wasn’t something she initially envisioned. Starting in 2015 as a call center agent, she moved into dispatch, became a dispatch supervisor, and later a DriveCam supervisor. Since 2023, Lacko has been serving as Operations Manager with Transdev’s contract with the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada’s paratransit system in Las Vegas.
Her story begins in El Salvador, where she was born before moving with her parents and sister to Florida at the age of 10. Arriving in the United States, Lacko faced the challenge of learning English and adapting to an entirely new culture. Her parents instilled in her the values of resilience, hard work, and perseverance—lessons that carried her through challenges both in life and in her career.
“When I first started in transportation, I didn’t see a career for myself,” Lacko reflects. “But I ended up loving it. There’s no better feeling than being able to be part of something that helps others.”
Lacko takes pride in supporting both her passengers and her team. She knows that frontline employees often carry heavy emotional weight, and through her experience with the LIT Leadership Academy, she has focused on creating an environment where employees feel safe asking for help and supported by management.
“Sometimes, we are all the passengers have. We are the face of the company, so we have to do well,” she says. “I would do whatever it takes to get the operations going and get the client picked up because we are here for them.”
Family remains at the heart of Lacko’s life. Though she lives in Las Vegas, she stays connected to her roots in Florida with big family cookouts—complete with pupusas and carne asada—whenever they reunite.
Her advice to others: “No te des por vencido—don’t give up.”
Victor Garate
General Manager, Transdev LA ACCESS (Antelope Valley)
For Garate, “transit was calling me.” Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Garate grew up in a heavily Mexican-American community in Boyle Heights. Surrounded by both rich cultural traditions and the challenges of gang violence in the 80s and 90s, he leaned on the values his parents instilled: work hard, finish what you start, and give back to your community.
Garate first joined ACCESS Services as a call taker while attending the University of California, Irvine, in 2003. Although he originally thought he would pursue law, he quickly saw an opportunity in transportation. After graduating in 2007, he was offered a management position and has been building his career in paratransit ever since. In 2022, he joined Transdev through the acquisition of First Transit and today leads a team of 150 employees as General Manager of the Transdev LA Access contract.
His career has been shaped by experience at every level—from customer service representative to dispatcher to leadership.
“You learn a lot in those early roles because you have those direct interactions with passengers,” Garate explains. “It gives you a different outlook and helps you understand how to make changes that really matter.”
That perspective has been invaluable, not only for connecting with passengers at community meetings but also for leading his drivers with empathy. Knowing LA traffic firsthand has helped him guide teams and meet key performance indicators for more than a year and a half.
Through the LIT Leadership Academy, Garate has embraced learning from peers across the country.
“It’s been a great experience,” he says. “The sessions challenge us with new theories, new perspectives, and new approaches to leadership.”
His capstone project will focus on expanding paratransit options for people with disabilities, recognizing that while the ADA sets minimum standards, true service means going beyond those requirements to meet the real needs of riders.
Outside of work, Garate gives back to his community as a coach for his son’s soccer and baseball teams and as a catechist with his wife at their local church. His leadership philosophy is simple: keep learning, invest in your team, and create opportunities for people to grow.
“If you develop your staff, you retain them longer,” he says. “You never know what will happen when you give people the chance to learn and move forward.”
Lorenzo Varela
General Manager, Transdev Lodi
For Varela, leadership is about integrity, listening, and helping others grow. A Transdev employee since 2019, Varela has served as General Manager for Transdev’s contract with the City of Lodi’s Dial-a-Ride paratransit and fixed-route services for the past two years.
Of Mexican descent, Varela was raised by his grandfather and mother, who taught him to work hard, show up, and be honest. Spanish was his first language, and he remembers being told not to let challenges hold him back.
“Never allow anyone to dictate where you should be,” he says. “Your hard work will pay off.”
His path into transit began in Arizona, where he got licensed to drive buses for his church’s outreach program at age 18. When he returned to California, he briefly worked in another industry before joining Transdev in 2019. Since then, he’s taken on commuter and paratransit work, been given opportunities to step into new roles, and steadily grown into leadership.
What Varela values most are the relationships he builds—with colleagues, employees, and passengers.
“I like to talk to people, and they tend to open up to me,” he shares. “The way they speak about me when I’m not around lets me know I’m doing a great job. It makes me happy to come to work every day.”
One general manager even thanked him publicly for the investment he made in her growth, a recognition that reinforced his commitment to mentorship and support.
As a participant in the LIT Leadership Academy, Varela appreciates the chance to connect with peers from across the country.
“It has encouraged me to reach out beyond my project group and learn from the agency perspective,” he says.
His advice to others is clear: “Don’t let what you think is a challenge hold you back from reaching your goals.”
Family plays an important role in Varela’s life as well. He has two younger sisters, and his family celebrates birthdays and holidays with warmth and joy. His mom even calls each child at midnight on their birthday to be the first to wish them well.
Whether supporting start-up operations, building client relationships, or guiding his team in Lodi, Varela’s leadership is rooted in humility, listening, and empowering others to succeed.
Recognizing the Impact of Our Leaders
As Lacko, Garate, and Varela demonstrate, leadership comes in many forms, whether it’s through resilience, hard work, compassion, or a commitment to lifting others up. Their journeys through the LIT Leadership Academy Class of 2025 reflect not only their personal growth but also the strength of the Transdev community and the value of investing in future leaders. We are proud to celebrate their accomplishments and the positive impact they continue to make on their teams, their passengers, and their communities.
During Hispanic Heritage Month—and every month—we honor the many Hispanic and Latino employees across Transdev whose dedication, culture, and stories enrich our company. Their contributions help drive mobility forward and ensure we deliver on our promise of serving with care, integrity, and respect. To Lacko, Garate, Varela, and all of our Hispanic colleagues: thank you for the passion and excellence you bring to our mission each day.
