NARSTCO, NCTD Report 4 Leadership Promotions

On January 19, 2026, steel component manufacturer NARSTCO announced three internal promotions at its Midlothian, Texas, facility. Kristin Ward was appointed General Manager, Craig Smethie was named Vice President of Operations, and Zachary Matheney assumed the role of Customer Service Manager.

Kristin Ward moves to the General Manager position after 17 years with the company, previously serving as Director of Customer Service. Craig Smethie, who has been with NARSTCO for six years, transitions from Director of Operations to his new vice presidential role. Zachary Matheney’s appointment follows his progression from a Quality Control Inspector position in 2019 and a subsequent promotion to Project Coordinator in 2020.

In a separate personnel change, the North County Transit District (NCTD) in San Diego County promoted Ioni Tcholakova to Director of Service Planning. Tcholakova joined the public transit agency in 2021 and previously held the position of Manager of Service Planning.

In her prior capacity, Tcholakova was responsible for geographic information system (GIS) analyses and the management of service adjustments for the district. Her work included stakeholder engagement for the NCTD+ micro-transit service. Shawn Donaghy, CEO of the transit district, confirmed the appointment.