JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Just days after announcing he’d be leaving his position as CEO of JTA, Nat Ford appears to be closing in on his next gig.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit has announced Ford is among three finalists to become its next CEO.
In Ford’s original announcement, his departure date was set for January of 2027, and it’s unclear whether that timeline will change if he lands the new gig.
READ: Departing Jacksonville Transportation Authority CEO Nat Ford is finalist for DART CEO job
“I wish him well. I wish he was leaving something better behind, but I wish him well. Good luck in Dallas,” said Councilmember Rory Diamond (R-District 13).
Diamond, who is City Council’s new liaison to JTA, said he expects the JTA Board of Directors will announce an interim CEO if Ford departs early, as it searches for a permanent replacement.
“There’s a lot of work to be done. We’re in a really bad spot, right? A structural deficit of over $7 million, this NAVI nightmare. You know, not doing what you need to do for the disabled community. So, there’s a lot of work for a new CEO,” said Diamond.
In a news release announcing the slate of finalists, DART explained, “The onboarding schedule for the new President & CEO is dynamic based on who is selected and the outcome of negotiations.”
We reached out to JTA asking whether its timeline for selecting a new CEO could be impacted if Ford lands the new job.
In response, JTA told us, “We wish him all the best, wherever his next steps take him,” adding, “The Board is scheduled to meet collectively at the public Board meeting on July 29 to discuss the process moving forward.”
JTA indicated it cannot expand further on what that process may look like until the board discusses it.
Diamond says he hopes whatever the JTA Board decides to do, they do it quickly.
“I think they’re bewildered, right? Many of them are brand new board members, but you’ve got a utility that’s got problems right now, and so, we need to get them fixed,” said Diamond.
We expect to find out whether Ford landed that Dallas job as early as Tuesday.
The DART Board is set to meet at 6 PM Central Time, or 7 PM our time, and announce its selection.
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