Alameda Corridor Agency Hires Controller

DECEMBER 22, 1999

LOS ANGELES COUNTY – The public agency building the Alameda Corridor rail cargo expressway has hired a controller with more than 11 years experience in financial management in the public and private sectors, including railroad-related work.

Valentine Andy Okoro joined the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) as controller on Dec. 15. He will be responsible for cash management, debt administration and budgeting, while assisting Chief Financial Officer W. Dean Martin with general supervision of the accounting department.

“Andy will bolster our strong financial controls as we continue toward our goal of on-time and on-budget completion in 2002,” said ACTA CEO James C. Hankla.

ACTA, a joint partnership between the cities and ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, is building a 20-mile-long railroad cargo expressway from the ports to the transcontinental rail yards near downtown Los Angeles. The $2.4 billion project, scheduled for completion in 2002, will speed the flow of cargo and reduce traffic congestion by eliminating conflicts at more than 200 street-level railroad crossings.

Before joining ACTA, Okoro spent three years as manager of finance and accounting for the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, which operates the Metrolink commuter train system. Okoro also spent eight years with the City of Pasadena, rising to become internal audit manager and later accounting administrator.

Okoro holds a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Houston and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Wichita State University in Kansas.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute to a project that is so important to not only the region but the entire state and nation,” Okoro said.