Orlando, Fla., Brightline Trains has announced Christine Kefauver as senior vice president of corporate development. Kefauver will lead Brightline’s government affairs and community outreach in Central Florida where the company is under construction to expand its service to Orlando International Airport. Brightline is also negotiating with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) on an expansion to Tampa.

 

“Christine is the right leader for Brightline to build a strong and active presence in Central Florida,” said Patrick Goddard, president of Brightline. “Christine understands the history and future opportunities of the region and has built a strong reputation with all those involved in effecting change within the transportation sector.”

 

“The transportation industry is changing rapidly and there is no better example than Brightline’s effort to connect Florida with high-speed rail,” said Kefauver. “I’m excited to jump on board and look forward to building a transportation system and network that will accelerate Central Florida’s mobility plans and continue to make Florida our nation’s most competitive state.”

 

Kefauver served as the transportation policy advisor for Mayor Buddy Dyer at the City of Orlando for seven years, playing a key part in advancing Central Florida's first commuter rail line, SunRail. Kefauver has been involved in Central Florida transportation initiatives for over 30 years and recognizes the power of partnerships, having built wide-ranging coalitions while working closely with FDOT, LYNX, The Orlando Economic Partnership, MetroPlan Orlando and Orlando International Airport.

 

Prior to joining Brightline, Kefauver worked as the operations lead for Florida, Alabama and Mississippi for HDR Engineering. Managing a team of more than 600, she was accountable for all of transportation, water, power and construction services. During the past two years at HDR, Christine was the National Urban Market Development Director for both of the Engineering and Architecture lines of business.

 

An active member of the community, Kefauver served nine years on the Coalition for the Homeless in Central Florida and is a past President of WTS Central Florida.

 

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About Brightline

Brightline is the first privately funded passenger rail system in America in over a century and was recognized by Fast Company as one of the Most Innovative Companies in travel. Brightline is designed to reinvent travel and take cars off the road by connecting city pairs and congested corridors that are too close to fly and too long to drive. Providing fast, efficient, hospitality-driven transportation featuring the latest in customer-friendly amenities, Brightline currently operates in Florida between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, with plans to develop new stations in Boca Raton, Aventura and Port Miami. Construction to Orlando is underway and will be complete in late 2022. Brightline West, which will connect Las Vegas and Southern California, is shovel ready and expects to launch service in 2024.