For more than a decade, Jeff Kessler has led organizations to adopt technological changes and implement process improvements to advance their businesses and delight their customers… even in highly-regulated sectors. As a systems optimizer with a passion for the transportation industry, his unparalleled work and board experience spans the public and private sides of every major transit network in the Northeast (Amtrak, WMATA, SEPTA, MTA NYCT, MBTA CR).

Jeff currently serves as the Director of Innovation at Keolis Commuter Services — the “catalyst of change” (as coined by his boss) for the Boston-based subsidiary of global mobility provider Keolis — where he’s charged with leading the Innovation Office to solicit ideas, deliver process improvements, implement best practices, benchmark operations, and lead strategic network transformation across the MBTA Commuter Rail’s nearly 400-mile network throughout the Boston region.

In this role, Jeff oversees scheduling system enhancements, revenue collection technologies, open data standards, fare policy, targeted capital investments, service increases, collaborative partnerships, and more.

His work has been recognized numerous times, including having been named to MassTransit Magazine’s signature 40 Under 40 list in 2023 and having earned the Jack R. Gilstrap Award from the American Public Transit Foundation in 2017, two of the industry’s highest honors.

Jeff holds four degrees from the University of Pennsylvania: a BSE and MSE in Systems Engineering, a BS Economics from The Wharton School’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology (M&T), and a Regulatory & Technology Law Master in Law from Penn Law. He serves on several industry forums and APTA working groups, volunteers on multiple transportation advisory boards, and organizes two annual industry transportation “unconferences” in both New England and Philadelphia. Previously, he served in leadership roles of the the SEPTA Youth Advisory Council and Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT) Mid-Atlantic Region.