JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The JTA Board continued to hammer out the details surrounding its search to replace outgoing CEO Nat Ford during a search committee hearing Tuesday.
The search committee set minimum qualifications for candidates vying for the role, which included opening up the application pool to those in the private transportation sector and requiring the new CEO to relocate to Northeast Florida.
Committee members also hinted at what they want to see in a new CEO.
Board member Jonathan Vallencourt indicated he’d like to see a CEO that would consider a change of direction, specifically calling out the NAVI autonomous shuttle program.
“Do we want to be driving buses around with ten people in them? Do we want routes that nobody is on? These kinds of questions, this is our chance to set that tone,” said Vallencourt.
The committee also agreed to hire an interim CEO from within the agency, asking for those interested in the job to apply within the next 10 days.
It’s a move Council’s JTA liaison Rory Diamond (R-District 13) has been calling for since Ford announced his departure.
“I think getting someone not from Jacksonville up to speed in a month is crazy. Get someone from the inside to steady the ship and find a good CEO,” said Diamond.
And after significant debate, the committee agreed to move ahead with hiring a search firm to help the agency find a new permanent CEO.
The board set the maximum price it’s willing to pay a search firm at $250,000.
JTA Board Chair Aundra Wallace was a big proponent of securing a firm, despite some members expressing concerns about the costs at a time when the agency is struggling financially.
“Not one of the seven of us is capable of doing this without that help, and we would be remiss if we missed this opportunity of doing so,” said Wallace.
The committee is asking staff to vet and provide a list of national search firms and interim CEO candidates to board members in the coming weeks, with the ultimate goal of making the hiring decisions on both during the next board meeting on August 24th.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
