Sound Transit has hired Andy Izquierdo as its new chief communications officer.

Izquierdo comes to the agency from Waste Management, where he served as the Fortune 200 company’s chief communications officer. Izquierdo managed both internal and external communications, as well as the company’s social impact initiatives, according to a Sound Transit news release.

Izquierdo will be paid $290,000 per year, according to a Sound Transit spokesperson.

“Sound Transit needed a communications leader who could tell not only our story, but the story of our region’s transformation,” said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. “Andy’s communications experience and passion for community engagement will be critical on our journey to deliver the largest transit expansion program in the nation.”

Prior to Waste Management, Izquierdo held communications leadership positions with Yum! Brands, PetSmart, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals and Belk, Inc. The Washington, D.C. native brings 20 years of government relations and advocacy experience, having also worked as a Congressional press secretary and a spokesperson for the Embassy of Ethiopia in D.C.

“Sound Transit is doing inspiring, transformative work,” said Izquierdo. “The agency has been committed to giving back to the region’s communities and families, and I am incredibly proud to be a part of that mission.”

Izquierdo’s priorities include maintaining strong public awareness of system expansions, promoting ridership on Sound Transit’s trains and buses, and working to maintain high employee engagement as part of a work culture rooted in public service and performance. He is a longstanding leader of diversity, equity and inclusion programs who brings a strong commitment to Sound Transit’s anti-racism work.

Izquierdo earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park, graduating cum laude. A first generation Cuban American, he is fluent in Spanish and has considerable policy experience on issues affecting the nation’s Latino community.