Nathaniel “Nat” Ford Sr. began his first official day as President and CEO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit Monday much the same way he began his nearly four-decade career in public transportation: on a train.
Ford rode DART’s Orange Line into work before visiting bus operators and maintenance employees at the agency’s East Dallas operating facility. Hours later, standing alongside DART Board Chair Randall Bryant and other DART board members, Ford introduced himself to North Texas media and laid out an early promise for his tenure: he intends to be visible, accessible and focused on riders.
It was an introduction that offered two competing pictures of DART’s newest chief executive.
One was the veteran transit leader DART’s Board selected after what Bryant described as the most extensive and transparent CEO search in the agency’s history — a Black executive whose career began as a train conductor and eventually took him to leadership positions in New York, Atlanta, San Francisco and Jacksonville.
The other was the executive facing persistent questions about the financial condition and spending practices of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, the agency Ford led for more than a decade before accepting DART’s top job.
On Monday, DART made clear it was prepared to address both.
Bryant Makes the Case for Ford
Before Ford addressed reporters, DART Board Chair Randall Bryant used his opening remarks to explain why the Board selected him following a year of considerable transition. Bryant highlighted DART’s progress on its relationship with member cities, governance reform, safety and security initiatives and a career and technical education partnership with Dallas ISD. He also defended what he described as the most extensive and transparent CEO search in DART’s history, which included nearly 100 applications, multiple rounds of interviews, meetings with member cities and labor unions and a public meet-and-greet. The three finalists—Ford, former DART executive Dee Leggett, AICP, and Central Ohio Transit Authority President and CEO Monica Téllez-Fowler—were all leaders of color. Ford ultimately emerged from the process following a divided Board vote.
Bryant also directly addressed the scrutiny surrounding Ford’s nearly 14-year tenure at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, saying Board members were aware of the concerns and discussed them with Ford extensively before approving his contract. He pointed instead to Ford’s record of expanding JTA’s regional footprint, working with state and local leaders, developing new revenue streams and pursuing emerging transportation technology. But Bryant said Ford’s most important qualification could not be captured on a résumé: a “serving heart for the people.” Ford began his own career as a train conductor and comes from a transit family—his father rose from a New York City transit track worker to a chief operating officer, his sister works in transit and two of his children work for MARTA in Atlanta. Collectively, Ford said, his family represents more than a century of public transportation service.
That background was already visible on Ford’s first day. He rode the Orange Line into work and visited frontline employees before meeting with reporters, an approach he said will continue throughout his tenure. Ford, whose career has included leadership roles in New York, San Francisco, Atlanta and Jacksonville, said he joins DART at a time of “incredible momentum,” pointing to the Silver Line as an example of what partnership, innovation and compromise can accomplish. After already meeting with DART’s member cities during the transition, Ford said their individual transportation needs will help shape his priorities. “I will be available. I will be visible,” Ford said. “And I will work with them during my tenure.”
After introducing himself as DART’s new President and CEO, Ford opened the floor to reporters and quickly faced questions about both the experience he brings to North Texas and the scrutiny surrounding his nearly 14-year tenure at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. Ford described public transportation as a family legacy: his father began as a track worker with New York City’s transit system and eventually became a chief operating officer, Ford started as a train conductor, his sister works in transit and two of his children work for MARTA in Atlanta. Ford said his family collectively represents more than a century of public transportation service. His own career has taken him from New York to San Francisco and Atlanta before Jacksonville, experience he said he intends to bring to DART while remaining accessible to riders, employees and member cities. “I will be available. I will be visible,” Ford said.
But much of the media questioning focused on what Ford left behind in Jacksonville, including JTA’s approximately $39 million budget gap, service reductions and layoffs, and an investigation by the Florida Attorney General’s Office into agency records and spending during his tenure. The investigation has sought records involving contracts, travel, tuition reimbursements, sponsorships, personnel matters and communications involving Ford and other officials. Ford has not been charged with a crime. Asked how North Texans should assess his financial leadership in light of those issues, Ford characterized JTA’s financial troubles as a “perfect storm,” saying the agency had operated with surpluses for most of his tenure before declining sales- and gas-tax revenues, reduced post-pandemic ridership, rising healthcare expenses and significant pressure to increase wages and benefits for frontline employees converged with the costs of major transportation initiatives.
Ford told reporters JTA had struggled to retain bus operators when entry-level wages were competing with jobs outside the transit industry, forcing the agency to increase compensation while simultaneously confronting declining revenues.
“It was a collision of multiple storms, both on the revenue side and the expense side for our agency” Nathniel “Nat” Ford, Dallas Area Rapid Transit CEO
He added that he brought Deloitte into JTA earlier this year to help chart a financial path forward. Now at DART, Ford said his attention is on North Texas and the work ahead, including strengthening relationships with member cities, understanding the agency’s operations and employees, monitoring finances and prioritizing safety. “I’m here in Dallas, and I’m focused on this system,” Ford told reporters, making clear that while questions from Jacksonville have followed him to his new position, he intends for his tenure at DART to be defined by what happens next.
Ford’s Jacksonville record presents a more complex picture than the current investigation alone. In 2020, the Jacksonville Free Press, profiled his leadership through transportation equity, workforce diversity and economic opportunity, with Ford declaring that “public transportation is a civil right.” The publication reported at the time that 74% of JTA’s approximately 800 employees were people of color and more than half of its executives, managers and engineers were women or people of color.
Ford Faces Jacksonville With Confidence
Ford showed little hesitation when the media turned to the criticism surrounding his tenure at JTA, including questions about executive travel, agency spending and the ongoing Florida investigation. Dallas Weekly specifically asked Ford about international travel, including a nearly $10,000 trip to Spain. Ford defended the Board-approved travel as part of his professional responsibilities with national and international transportation organizations, saying those opportunities allowed JTA to study global transit practices, compete for federal funding and build relationships that produced economic opportunities for Jacksonville. He pointed specifically to the Spain study mission, where he presented on JTA’s autonomous vehicle initiative and said connections made through international engagement ultimately helped bring an automotive manufacturer and significant economic investment to Jacksonville. “We can’t succeed locally if we’re not looking globally at best practices, procedures, policies,” Ford told Dallas Weekly.
Ford was equally confident when asked about the Florida Attorney General’s investigation and scrutiny involving his wife, transportation executive Janet Walker-Ford, and her employer, WSP. Ford maintained that their professional affiliations were fully disclosed and that JTA established safeguards and “bright lines” separating him from matters involving his wife’s company. While he acknowledged that seeing his family drawn into the controversy has been personally difficult, Ford expressed confidence that a full examination of the records will ultimately provide context for the decisions made during his leadership.
“I feel pretty confident about the process. It feels uncomfortable, but in the end, I think it will clearly show that we were good public servants who made good, positive decisions for our community and our employees.” — Nat Ford, addressing the media on his first day as DART President and CEO
Rather than distancing himself from the criticism, Ford used his first media availability as DART’s CEO to defend the rationale behind decisions made in Jacksonville while signaling that his attention has shifted firmly to North Texas. He said the same willingness to pursue innovation, outside investment and new ideas that characterized his JTA tenure will inform his approach at DART, alongside a commitment to transparency and accountability. Ford acknowledged that his leadership will be scrutinized and said DART should be held accountable when it gets things wrong, but he remains enthusiastic about the opportunity ahead—bringing decades of transit experience, national relationships and a willingness to look beyond conventional approaches to an agency he says has the potential to become a world-class transportation system.
From Scrutiny to Service
DART Board Chair Randall Bryant made clear that the agency did not enter the Ford era unaware of the questions surrounding Jacksonville. He said Board members spent hours discussing JTA’s financial challenges and other concerns with Ford before approving his contract, while noting that DART itself has endured periods of financial pressure, difficult service decisions and major projects complicated by rising costs and outside factors. For Bryant, the decision ultimately came down to what Ford’s experience could mean for North Texas.
“We didn’t vote for Nat Ford to work out the challenges of JTA. We voted for Nat Ford to work out the challenges right here at DART.” — Randall Bryant, Chair, DART Board of Directors
Ford’s arrival also continues a notable period of diverse leadership at one of North Texas’ most influential public agencies. He succeeds Nadine Lee, DART’s first female President and CEO, and emerged from a finalist pool that also included Dee Leggett and Monica Téllez-Fowler—all three leaders of color. DART never identified race as a criterion for the position; instead, Board leadership described the finalists as some of the country’s strongest public transportation professionals. For a transit agency serving an increasingly diverse region, the search demonstrated that representation and executive experience did not have to be competing considerations. Ultimately, however, Ford’s leadership will be measured beyond the executive suite—on DART’s buses, trains and platforms and in the communities depending on the system to reach jobs, schools, healthcare and opportunity.
Ford appeared prepared for that standard Monday. When reporters asked how he plans to earn the trust of North Texans while questions from Jacksonville continue to follow him, he did not ask to be insulated from criticism. Instead, he promised accessibility, transparency and accountability while asking the media and public to consider the context surrounding difficult decisions.
“When we get it right, I’d like to hear from you folks. And if we get it wrong, we deserve the scrutiny.” — Nathaniel P. “Nat” Ford Sr., DART President and CEO, addressing the media on his first day
His message throughout the press conference remained consistent: he is confident in the record he left behind, confident the ongoing investigation will ultimately establish the context surrounding JTA’s decisions and ready to turn his attention toward the challenges facing DART.
Those challenges—from safety and financial sustainability to rebuilding relationships with member cities and determining how DART grows alongside North Texas—will provide the real test of Ford’s leadership. He arrives with nearly four decades of transit experience and the public backing of DART’s Board chairman, but also with unresolved questions from Jacksonville that will not disappear simply because his office has moved to Dallas. Both realities can exist at once. Yet Ford offered a telling image of how he intends to begin: before the press conference, before the cameras and before answering questions about deficits, investigations and international travel, DART’s newest President and CEO boarded the Orange Line and rode the system into work. If Ford keeps his first-day promise, North Texans should expect to see him there again.
