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 Service Delivery 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 leveraging technology, implementing best practices, and delivering process improvements to enhance operations and customer experiences on the MBTA Commuter Rail’s nearly 400-mile network throughout the Boston region.

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 is the Founder and Principal of KASDAT Consulting, an Emeritus Member of the Delaware River Port Authority Citizens Advisory Committee, a founding co-chair of the annual TransportationCamp PHL conference, and organizer of the TransportationCamp New England conference. Jeff also served as the the longest-tenured chair of the SEPTA Youth Advisory Council (YAC) and inaugural Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT).