JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., the longtime chief executive of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, has been selected to be the next president and CEO of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
DART board members voted 9-4 during a Tuesday meeting to select Ford from a pool of three finalists.
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The three finalists named last week were Ford; Dee Leggett, director of business operations for Herzot Transit Services; and Monica Tellez-Fowler, president and CEO of the Central Ohio Transit Authority, Fox 4 reported.
“Nat has been a visionary leader for the JTA and Dallas is getting one of the best in the business,” JTA Board Chair Aundra Wallace said. “I thank Nat for his service here at JTA and wish him the best in his next chapter.”
JTA Board Chair Aundra Wallace
DART Board Chairman Randall Bryant, in a statement reported by Fox 4, said he was “committed to strengthening DART’s governance, securing sustainable funding, and preserving the agency’s future,” and called selecting a highly qualified leader a critical step toward those goals. Several board members urged delaying the vote to allow more time for vetting; a motion to delay failed, the station reported.
Ford, who announced in early July that he will resign from JTA effective Jan. 8, 2027, has overseen major projects and initiatives in Jacksonville. Under his leadership, the JTA says it launched the First Coast Flyer bus rapid transit system, built the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center, secured more than $400 million in federal discretionary grants, supported a local-option gas tax extension that generated about $1 billion for regional infrastructure, and completed a 27-project road and complete-streets initiative two years ahead of schedule. Other JTA projects included a redesign of the transit system, regional service expansions, deployment of an autonomous-vehicle transit service and attracting a $200 million autonomous vehicle manufacturing investment.
At the same time, Ford’s tenure has attracted scrutiny. JTA has faced criticism lately after cutting services and raising fares to address a projected $17.5 million budget shortfall for fiscal 2027.
DART has been led by interim President and CEO David Leninger since April, after the agency and former CEO Nadine Lee could not reach a severance agreement. The board’s formal announcement next week is expected to provide more detail about the selection and any employment terms.
Ford will remain fully engaged with JTA through January 2027 to support a seamless transition and assist the board in preparing for the next CEO.
The JTA Board’s next scheduled meeting is July 29. Board Chair Aundra Wallace said the board plans to discuss next steps for the CEO position at that meeting.