Joseph Caruso, marketing drector for the Milwaukee County Transit System since 1978, is responsible for MCTS advertising, publicity, promotion, public information, media relations, consumer research, business development and various community relations activities. The MCTS Marketing Department is frequently recognized for its accomplishments, among which was being selected by the Milwaukee Chapter of the American Marketing Association as Transportation "Marketer of the Year" in 1986.

Before coming to Milwaukee, Caruso worked in St. Louis, Missouri, for the Bi-State Development Agency, Transit Division (now known as Metro). He worked in the community relations department and briefly served as the Acting Director of Public Information.
Prior to his work in the transit industry, Caruso was employed in the St. Louis area as an account supervisor for an advertising agency and as associate director of public relations for a large religious institution.

As a member of the American Public Transit Association, he has served as Chairman of the Marketing and Communications Steering Committee, and has chaired several subcommittees dealing with research, advertising and sales contracts. He has also chaired the oversight panel for the Transportation Research Board study, "Integrating Market Research into Transit Decision Making," and served on several other Transit Research Board panels.

He frequently teaches transit marketing and media relations theory to a variety of audiences.

Caruso is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, and serves as an advisor to the public relations students at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. He was the co-chair of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholic Stewardship Appeal from 2001 to 2003 and continues to serve as an advisor to the appeal. He is also a member of the Milwaukee Rotary Club.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Dayton (Ohio).