JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Transportation Authority board unanimously named Cleveland Ferguson III interim chief executive officer Thursday as the agency prepares for a leadership change and launches a nationwide search for a permanent successor.
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Ferguson, who joined the JTA in 2015, has spent the last three years as executive vice president and chief administrative officer. In that role he led administrative, technology and economic development programs, including efforts to spur transit‑oriented development, improve food access and expand the agency’s use of data analytics, the authority said.
Board Chair Aundra Wallace said Ferguson’s experience inside the agency and his relationships with staff and community partners will provide continuity during the transition, particularly through the upcoming budget cycle.
Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., JTA’s former CEO, announced his resignation in July and has accepted the job as president and CEO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Ford is expected to begin at DART in late October.
The board has hired KL2 Connects, an executive search firm that specializes in public transportation, to lead a national search for a permanent CEO. The authority expects to name a new leader by the end of 2026 or in early 2027.
“I am grateful to the JTA board for the opportunity to serve the authority in this role,” Ferguson said in a statement. He added that he plans to work with the board and staff to strengthen the organization while maintaining safe, reliable service for Jacksonville and the surrounding region.
Ferguson has represented the JTA before members of Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation on issues including federal support for safety‑sensitive operations, housing and transit, autonomous vehicle technology, workforce development and the use of advanced analytics.
Before joining the JTA, Ferguson was deputy chief administrative officer for the City of Jacksonville from 2012 to 2015 and taught as a tenured professor at Florida Coastal School of Law.
He earned a juris doctor from Florida State University College of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Nova Southeastern University, which awarded him a Doctor of Humane Letters in 2018.
He is a member of The Florida Bar and the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States and is pursuing a Ph.D. in conflict analysis and resolution.
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