UW-Madison names Transportation Services director

Patrick Kass, director of parking and transportation services at the University of Arizona, has been selected to lead Transportation Services at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

“Patrick has a wealth of expertise and experience in managing complex transportation issues on university campuses,” says Alan Fish, associate vice chancellor for facilities. “He has the skills and vision to lead our already well-developed program into the future.”

Kass, who has led Arizona’s transportation program since 1999, previously worked in parking and transportation services at the University of Kentucky for six years, rising through the ranks to associate director.

Since 2000, he has served on the Tucson Parking Authority Oversight Commission and for the past five years Kass has been a member of the board of advisers for the International Parking Institute.

Kass is eager to begin his new duties as director.

“I was attracted by the quality of the overall operation. The people are very dedicated individuals, and there’s a great sense of teamwork. The programs that are in place are very solid,” says Kass. “My role will be to help refine the operation as the area grows and the transportation demands become more challenging.”

At UW–Madison, he will lead an operation that manages about 13,000 campus parking spaces along with a nationally recognized program designed to provide commuters a wide range of transportation alternatives to driving to campus alone. The campus’s transportation operation generates revenue of about $16 million each year.

Transportation Services oversees bicycle, car- and van-pooling, flex parking, and community car-sharing programs — in addition to a program that provides free Madison Metro bus passes to all faculty and staff. Last year, more than 1.2 million bus rides were provided as the result of that program.

The office — which has about 60 permanent employees — also manages special events parking, which annually serves about 1 million parking customers.

Kass, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Kentucky, a master’s degree in administration from Northern Arizona University, and a Certified Administrator of Public Parking Certificate from the International Parking Institute. He is expected to begin work at UW–Madison in early March.