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DART Board Chair Randall Bryant announces hiring Nathaniel Ford as their new CEO during a news conference at the DART Headquarters, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Dallas, with other board of directors.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Dallas Area Rapid Transit\u2019s board of directors announced Tuesday that Florida transportation leader Nathaniel Ford Sr.<\/a> will serve as the agency\u2019s next CEO, a hire that divided board members<\/a> at a time when many are calling for unity.\u00a0<\/p>\n The board voted 9-4 to approve Ford\u2019s employment agreement after three hours of discussion, much of it behind closed doors. The board chose the current Jacksonville Transportation Authority CEO as the top pick from among three candidates<\/a> last week but did not publicly name him until Tuesday\u2019s meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n DART Board Chair Randall Bryant lauded Ford\u2019s decades of experience leading transportation agencies in Florida, Atlanta and San Francisco and said Ford had a strong vision for DART.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cNow it’s time for us all to move forward together, not as 12 separate cities, not as some board members here and others there, not as Dallas versus suburbs or vice versa, but as one regional transit system<\/a> serving one of the one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in this country,\u201d Bryant said in a press conference following the vote to approve Ford\u2019s contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: DART\u2019s apparent CEO pick brings decades of experience \u2014 and scrutiny at past agencies<\/a><\/p>\n While Bryant was surrounded by several board members who voted in Ford\u2019s favor while addressing reporters, some board members were missing \u2014 directors representing Plano, Irving, Carrollton and Garland were not present at the briefing\u00a0and had voted against Ford\u2019s contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n Director Doug Hrbacek, who represents Irving and Carrollton, said more \u201cred flags\u201d had been uncovered about Ford and sought to postpone the vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ford\u2019s extensive past experience \u2014 nearly four decades at public transportation agencies across the country \u2014 has come under scrutiny for reports ranging from personal spending on agency credit cards in Atlanta to frequent domestic and international travel in Florida. In Jacksonville and San Francisco, he\u2019s been one of the highest-paid city employees, according to local outlets.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThe evidence from Jacksonville raises serious questions about financial stewardship, and DART’s riders deserve a leader whose record is beyond reproach,\u201d said paratransit advocate Madison McNair in a statement to the board. \u201cOther finalists had strong records free of controversy\u2026 I’m not saying Mr. Ford is incapable. I’m saying the risk is too high.\u201d<\/p>\n Other board members said they did not view questions around personal spending and travel in Ford\u2019s past as barriers to his hiring.\u00a0<\/p>\n DART Interim President and CEO David Leininger, left, speaks to Board Chair Randall Bryant during a special called DART Board of Directors’ meeting at the DART Headquarters, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Dallas. DART selected Nathaniel Ford as its new CEO.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n \u201cThese so-called red flags are not red flags. We’ve had a chance to go through every single one of them,\u201d said Enrique MacGregor, who represents Cockrell Hill and Dallas on the DART board. \u201cThere’s a rational explanation for each of them, and none of them deserve to be called red flags.\u201d<\/p>\n Bryant said travel at Ford\u2019s past agency had been approved and his expenses were audited.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Ford plans to start at DART on Oct. 26 and his employment agreement is for three years, Bryant said. Ford was at DART headquarters Tuesday night but would not speak with reporters, officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bryant said the executive will take a pay cut to come to the agency, but would not release the amount of his base pay. He said it is similar to DART\u2019s CEO\u2019s past pay. Former CEO Nadine Lee<\/a>, who stepped down in March, earned more than $400,000 annually in base pay. Jacksonville station WJAX-TV reported in 2023 Ford made at least $458,000 a year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBecause this contract will pay DART\u2019s CEO higher than the highest-paid executive at any of the 12 member cities,\u201d said Plano DART board representative Anthony Ricciardelli, \u201cI cannot support this contract, irrespective of the candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n Related: DART chooses top CEO pick despite disagreement among directors<\/a><\/p>\n Director Michele Wong Krause said Ford has experience working \u201cin a very conservative environment\u201d and can understand the politics around transportation in Texas. He will bring innovation, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe need a different way of moving forward in a collaborative nature,\u201d Wong Krause said. \u201cWe have got to heal the relationship that has been fractured over several years and pull together in one direction.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of DART\u2019s board members took issue with how Ford came under consideration.\u00a0<\/p>\n Director M. Nathan Barbera, who represents Plano and Farmers Branch, said last week the board had been told Ford removed himself from consideration earlier in the search process. But at the will of a handful of board members leading up to the final interviews, Ford returned for consideration, he said. Barbera was not present at Tuesday\u2019s board meeting.<\/p>\n Past DART board chair Gary Slagel said he and other past chairs requested Ford reenter the candidate pool when they heard Ford had resigned from the JTA in early July.\u00a0<\/p>\n Transit advocate Hexel Colorado speaks during a special called DART Board of Directors’ meeting at the DART Headquarters, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Dallas. DART announced selecting Nathaniel Ford as its new CEO after the meeting.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n \u201cBecause Mr. Ford was a top candidate at the very beginning, we were disappointed when he withdrew,\u201d Slagel said. \u201cWe felt it would be important to DART and to the region that since he resigned his position in Jacksonville, we at least asked him if he would be interested in visiting with us again.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The tenured transit leader will inherit an agency rebuilding itself<\/a> after nearly half of DART\u2019s cities called elections to leave the agency earlier this year. Only the town of Highland Park followed through, leaving the network with one less member<\/a> and a slate of proposed compromises to change its service, governance and funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n Board members said building cohesion and trust will be paramount for DART\u2019s next leader, who will be tasked with satisfying member cities with different priorities and unifying around desired reforms<\/a>, including in the state Legislature.<\/p>\n While several of DART\u2019s board members voted against Ford, citing his past tenures and a hiring process that felt rushed, a Jacksonville leader believes Dallas is scoring a great leader.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan called Ford \u201ca visionary\u201d and said she was disappointed he is leaving Florida but not surprised DART hired him.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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