The City of Cleveland became “age-friendly” in 2014. This recognizes the city’s efforts to have services and features older adults need to thrive here, safely and independently. Enrique Correa from Cleveland’s TV20 public access channel visited STC to learn more about what we do to make Cleveland a better place for its older residents. Watch our segment here.
Meet Our Team
Janice M. Dzigiel
Executive Director
As top administrator, Janice oversees operations and compliance with federal, state and contractual requirements. Janice has been the STC executive for a decade. She holds a BS in gerontology from Kent State University and a Masters of Public Administration from Cleveland State University. Her 30-plus years of experience in aging include direct service, workforce development, and program management. jdzigiel@ridestc.org
Catherine Ciha
Director of Development
Catherine oversees grants management, fundraising, marketing and communications. Catherine has more than 20 years of management and philanthropic experience in healthcare and services for older adults. cciha@ridestc.org
Edward Eucker
Director of Operations
Ed manages the daily transit operations and supervises drivers. He ensures STC efficiently manages resources, including vehicle maintenance and repairs, service delivery, quality management and safety. Ed has over 30 years of experience in transit and logistics. eeucker@ridestc.org
Chris Pakiz
Director of Finance/Human Resources
Chris oversees the overall financial integrity of the organization, including contract review and approval, vehicle acquisition, insurance, accounts receivable and accounts payable. Chris is a CPA with more than 15 years’ non-profit finance experience. cpakiz@ridestc.org
Marti Pytel
Call Center Director
Marti supervises the call center operations, including scheduling, dispatch and outbound confirmation calls to riders. Marti has nearly 15 years’ experience in call center staffing and management as well as customer service experience through her prior career in banking. mpytel@ridestc.org
Phil Cox
Fleet and Driver Supervisor
Phil monitors vehicle conditions, accidents/incident follow-up and depot supplies for the East Side. pcox@ridestc.org
Dezmon Smedley
Fleet and Driver Supervisor
Dezmon monitors vehicle conditions, accidents/incident follow-up and depot supplies at the West Side Depot. dsmedley@ridestc.org
Chris Vertal
Human Resource Assistant
Chris processes payroll, oversees employment records and annual competencies. Schedules pre-employment background checks, and drug/alcohol screens, orientation, training and certifications. Compiles data for reports and billing. cvertal@ridestc.org
Call Center Staff
STC schedulers and dispatchers process phone calls, book trips, create and manage daily routes. They communicate changes to drivers during their routes and respond to questions or concerns from drivers.
