The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) Board of Directors voted unanimously to extend Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.’s employment contract for five years.
Since he became CEO in 2012, the organization has solidified its reputation as a leader in the transportation industry. Under Ford’s leadership, the management structure was reorganized and JTA launched major initiatives to take public transportation to the next level.
Over the past two years, JTA has changed its culture and empowered its Divisions to effectively transform transportation in Jacksonville with the implementation of the route optimization initiative (ROI), a major overhaul of the route system which had not seen this type of change in over 30 years.
“With key initiatives under way, such as $100 million in infrastructure projects through JTAMobilityWorks, construction of a Compressed Natural Gas Fueling Station and the success of the Route Optimization Initiative, it is in the best interest of this community to retain Nat Ford as CEO and extend his contract with the JTA for five more years,” said JTA Chairman Scott L. McCaleb. “I am confident that with Nat’s leadership, the JTA will continue to thrive in its mission of improving Northeast Florida’s economy and quality of life by providing safe, reliable and efficient multimodal transportation services.”
The extension of Ford’s contract through Dec. 2, 2020 raises his annual base compensation to $300,000, a 4.6 percent increase. In addition, Ford will have the opportunity to earn a performance-based bonus if certain financial performance goals are met annually.
“I have had the privilege of serving as CEO of JTA and am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the organization through the end of this decade,” said Ford. “I am very excited about the future. I love living in Jacksonville and appreciate how the community has embraced me. I am honored to continue working with the talented executive leadership team and the dedicated staff who make JTA what is today.”
Ford, 53, is considered one of the nation’s leading transportation executives who started out as a train conductor in New York City more than 30 years ago. Some of the accomplishments JTA has achieved since Mr. Ford became CEO include:
- Recognized by the Jacksonville Business Journal as 2014’s Big Turnaround
- Successfully implemented the Route Optimization Initiative
- Successfully launched a real time passenger information application (NextBus)
- Solidified valuable partnerships with key stakeholders in the community
- Optimized the JTA’s fiscal integrity with initiatives that make it more sustainable and maximize our return on investment.
- Worked with City Council to extend the local option gas tax until 2036
- Received a AA rating with stable outlook from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and AA- with stable outlook from Fitch Ratings which allowed JTA to be an independent bond issuer for the first time
- Sold $100.5 million in Series 2015 Revenue Bonds
