Dan G. Dirks
Dan G. Dirks is the General Manager of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) in Detroit Michigan. Dan has been SMART Chief Executive since 1998. Employed by SMART for 30 years, he started as a student intern while working on his Masters Degree at Wayne State University in Detroit.
In his capacity as General Manager, Dirks has led numerous initiatives including:
- A consistent increase in ridership;
- The elimination of a $20 million operating deficit;
- Replacing SMART’s entire fleet of 287 fixed route buses with modern Gillig low-floor coaches with financing by a lease/purchase agreement of over $100 million;
- Organizing a network of over 130 community sponsored paratransit buses which resulted in 100% increase in ridership by only adding one staff person; and
- Successfully passing four separate transit elections in suburban Detroit that provide local funds for SMART with a plurality of over 70%.
In his SMART tenure, Mr. Dirks has held various positions in multiple departments including Operations, Marketing, Planning and Administration.
Mr. Dirks is the Chairman of the major national transit organization in the United States, the Community Transportation Association of American (CTAA). He is the Vice Chair of the Macomb County (Michigan) Planning Commission and is an active member of several civic and community organizations including the Oakland County Business Round Table, Macomb County Strategic Planning Committee, Woodward Avenue Action Association and the daVinci Committee sponsored by the MS Society of Detroit. Mr. Dirks is a past recipient of the Brooks/Royal Award from the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Mr. Dirks is married with two adult children and lives in Sterling Heights, MI.