Dallas Area Rapid Transit President and CEO Nadine Lee announced she is stepping down from her role after a turbulent year as the agency bargained over funding, governance and service with unsatisfied member cities.
Lee, who has held the post since 2021, said it felt like the right time to pass the baton: Her contract with DART ends in September, the agency reached key agreements with unsatisfied member cities this year and her foundational plans to improve DART’s operations are in place.
“This is a really good time for DART to get a new leader,” she said.
Lee saw the agency through an unprecedented period of distress. Starting last fall, nearly half of DART’s member cities decided they’d put their participation in the public transportation system to a vote, throwing the agency’s future into question.
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After DART Board Chair Randall Bryant, working alongside Lee and other transit leaders, presented plans for compromises over how DART is governed and funded, three of those cities, including the largest suburbs Plano and Irving, chose to remain in DART and see the compromises through.
In a statement, Lee said she was proud of her team for laying “the foundation for the next era of transit in North Texas.”
“It has been the honor of my career to lead this extraordinary organization,” Lee said in a statement. “Together, we navigated one of the most challenging periods in transit history and emerged stronger, more focused, and better positioned to serve our growing region.”
DART board member Enrique MacGregor, who represents Cockrell Hill and Dallas, was not surprised to learn Lee is choosing to move on and said she seemed comfortable with the decision.
“Now that the issue with the suburbs is relatively managed,” he said, “it was a good time for her to make a move.”
DART President and CEO Nadine Lee speaks during a Plano City Council special session to consider whether to call a special election on the city’s future with DART, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025 in Plano.
Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer
MacGregor said he was impressed by Lee’s ability to remain calm under “tremendous pressure” and advance initiatives to improve ridership, service and safety despite DART’s uncertain future.
Lee said her goal as DART’s leader was to improve the customer experience and the public’s confidence in the system. She said she’s proud of the behind-the-scenes planning and assessments the organization accomplished under her leadership.
“Without a plan, you actually have no direction,” she said. “It was important to establish those plans … that is what I felt like my charge was when I came here, and that’s what I have accomplished.”
Lee is one of 10 transit leaders honored by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials with a Women Who Move the Nation Award this year. Lee will be honored at an event next month in Washington, D.C.
In a statement, Bryant thanked Lee for strengthening the agency and improving DART’s safety and reliability.
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“Nadine stepped into this role at a very challenging moment for the transit industry and helped guide DART through recovery while setting a clear strategic direction for the future,” Bryant said.
Now that the foundation is in place, Lee hopes the next CEO can “take DART to the next level.”
Walt Humann, credited as the father of DART, said he was sad to see Lee, “an excellent transportation executive,” leave the agency.
“All of us will continue to work to improve DART in every way possible,” he said. “That includes improving ridership, security, safety and reliability. But it needs to be a team effort.”
Lee previously worked for Los Angeles Metro and the Regional Transportation District in Colorado. She said she’s not sure what’s next for her career.
DART will begin a recruitment process for the agency’s next leader immediately, according to a statement from the agency, and announce an interim CEO and other transition plans in the coming weeks. DART has not announced Lee’s last day with the agency, but her contract expires Sept. 30.