Dallas Area Rapid Transit has narrowed its search for a new CEO to three finalists, a former DART executive and the current leaders of transit agencies in Ohio and Florida.
Monica Téllez-Fowler, CEO of the Central Ohio Transit Authority; Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., CEO of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority in Florida; and Dee Leggett, former executive vice president and chief development officer at DART.
“We are confident these three candidates represent the best public transportation leaders from across the country,” Bryant said. “The board has a monumental task ahead of us.”
DART has scheduled a meeting for the public to meet the three candidates from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at its headquarters, 1401 Pacific Ave. in Dallas.
Finalists for the job will “hear first-hand from the community about the issues and priorities most important to them,” DART officials said in a statement.
The three finalists bring experience from transit systems across the country:
Former DART CEO Nadine Lee stepped down in March after a turbulent year in which the agency negotiated with dissatisfied member cities over DART’s future.
The job description emphasizes rebuilding relationships with local leaders who have questioned whether they are getting sufficient value for their tax dollars.
Nearly half of the agency’s 13 member cities considered elections this year to leave the system, but only one town, Highland Park, followed through and severed ties with DART. That has left a dozen cities in a network grappling with how to offer effective service across a sprawling region.
DART’s board of directors will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday and is expected to vote on a final candidate. The new CEO’s start date will depend on negotiations with the selected candidate, according to the agency.