Amanda Wanke (wahn-key) is the Chief Executive Officer of the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART). She was appointed to the position by the Board of Commissioners in July 2023.
As CEO of the largest public transit system in Iowa, Wanke leads a team of nearly 300 employees who utilize a fleet of 200 vehicles to provide more than 3 million rides a year, connecting central Iowans to jobs, school, doctor’s appointments and much more throughout the Greater Des Moines region.
Wanke came to DART in 2015 as the Chief External Affairs Officer with a valuable cross section of experiences in government relations, stakeholder engagement, public relations, media relations, and team leadership. In May 2020, Amanda was named Deputy CEO and Chief Operations Officer, leading 200 employees in DART’s transportation, maintenance, and customer service departments. She left in October 2022 to work for New Flyer and MCI, a leading bus and coach manufacturer.
During her seven-year tenure at DART, Amanda ensured essential transportation services continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, launched several new and innovative services—including Flex Connect and DART On Demand—led the deployment of the agency’s first electric buses, successfully negotiated union contracts, improved customer satisfaction and non-rider awareness, increased advertising revenue and added new partnerships to increase transit access and revenue.
Amanda’s prior professional experience includes leading communications, government relations, and team leadership in several industries. Wanke attended Bethel University where she received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership.