Stewart Mader works with transit providers, public officials, and policymakers to build better transit that supports healthy, equitable, and resilient communities. He previously served as the first Chief Customer Experience Officer for NJ Transit’s 270 million annual passenger trips, and guided customer experience for the Port Authority of NY & NJ’s 80 million annual transit riders as chair of PATH Riders Council. Mader has held senior customer experience, communications, and policy positions in education, finance, technology, and transportation for over two decades.
Mader’s transit insights reach a nationwide audience via Mass Transit magazine, Mobility Lab, New York Daily News, The Architect’s Newspaper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Network. His New York & New Jersey Subway Map, Transit Standards, and Pandemic Best Practices are widely used to help enhance customer experience.
Mader received his bachelor’s degree with distinction in chemistry from the University of Hartford, and a master’s degree in education from the University at Albany. He completed a certificate in Jurisdictional Crisis Incident Management from Texas A&M Engineering Extension (TEEX), and holds Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Roadway Worker Protection certification, which allows him to “walk the lines” with railroad work crews.
Mader previously worked as a senior executive in Silicon Valley and Wall Street. As Global Head of Digital Strategy, Mader streamlined customer experience at Fitch Ratings to accelerate its market intelligence and e-learning businesses. He transformed CFA Institute with a digital-first learning approach, and built a social media presence named #1 in finance by Association Trends. CQ Roll Call named @CFAInstitute one of 100 Association Twitter Handles You Should Follow.
Mader wrote the book Wikipatterns drawing on his experience as Chief Evangelist for Atlassian, and as a digital strategy consultant to global organizations including Airbus, ICANN, SAP, Thales, and World Bank-International Finance Corporation.
Earlier in his career, Mader led instructional design at Brown University, Emerson College, Long Island University, and University of Hartford. PBS stations aired “Skysight” and “Seeing the Scientific Light”, two NASA Space Grant-funded films he wrote, directed, and edited.
“Stewart approaches every project with exponential neurons firing and a great sense of humor.”
Colleague
“Every time I talk with Stewart Mader, I learn a new way of thinking about transportation and mobility. He sheds old myths and looks at new realities. He quickly spots issues and works creatively to resolve them.”
Allen Kratz, Resilience Works
“As both a mentor and an advocate, Stewart maintains a high level of engagement with each project, while somehow never micromanaging the details.”
Client
“Stewart took time literally in the middle of a cross-country move to speak to our newly-formed team. He provided tons of insights and examples from his experience, and team members are still talking about the nuggets they took away.”
Client
- Served as the first Chief Customer Experience Officer for NJ Transit, nation’s third-largest transit agency, providing 270 million annual passenger trips.
- Guided customer experience for the Port Authority of NY & NJ‘s 80 million annual transit riders as chair of PATH Riders Council.