JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — JTA CEO Nat Ford appears to have been selected by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board as the agency’s next CEO.
The board selected its top candidate Tuesday night, but did not mention the person by name and only referred to them as “Candidate A”.
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However, several context clues suggest Ford was the pick.
DART Board Member Nathan Barbera referred to the candidate as “he” several times.
Ford was the only male finalist under consideration.
Barbera also made reference to the candidate’s past controversies, which further suggest Ford was Candidate A.
“Every single agency that the candidate has left from has left in a cloud of spending controversies and I simply do not want that to happen to DART two years from now,” said Barbera.
Several DART board members raised concerns about Ford’s name being removed and added back into the candidate pool late in the process.
“Since Friday, red flag, after red flag, after red flag has been uncovered and as a board member, we should be able to have the appropriate amount of time to do our research and conduct due diligence,” said DART Board Member Doug Hrbacek.
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Despite the context clues, JTA Board Chair Aundra Wallace has not acknowledged Ford’s selection
“The Board did not publicly identify the candidate. The JTA will not have further comment at this time,” Wallace told Action News Jax in a statement.
Even with the concerns raised by some members, Ford was chosen by the DART Board on a 9-6 vote.
The board also agreed to enter into contract negotiations with Ford, who is currently set to leave JTA in January of 2027.
It’s unclear whether Ford’s departure may end up being expedited.
DART, which is also not publicly acknowledging Ford’s selection, told us in a statement, “In accordance with DART’s Human Resources past practice, the President & CEO finalist’s name will be announced on July 21 following the completion of the employment process.”
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Wallace told us in part, “For JTA, nothing changes at this point… the JTA Board will meet July 29 to discuss the search process for its next CEO.”
But Council’s JTA Liaison Rory Diamond (R-District 13) argued JTA should start thinking about a possible interim CEO in the event Ford hops on the next bus to Dallas, figuratively speaking.
“You don’t want to rush your decision for a new CEO. So, get an interim in there who can just keep the waters steady and then ultimately, we need to have a big process, right? This is a smart board. Have a good process to find a new CEO,” said Diamond.
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