The Jacksonville Transportation Authority announced today that Ellisa “Lisa” Darnall has been appointed as vice president, transit operations.
Darnall, a Jacksonville native, most recently served as chief operating officer at LYNX Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority. She joined LYNX in 1997 as manager of transit operations development. Prior to LYNX, Darnall served in various positions at the Mass Transit Administration in Baltimore, Md.
“I’m thrilled to have Lisa join our senior leadership team,” said JTA Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel Ford Sr. “She is a proven transportation executive who will be playing a key role as we continue to transform JTA into a world-class transit agency.”
The appointment of Darnall fills the final vice president position created as a part of JTA’s organizational restructuring announced by Ford less than a month ago. In addition to transit operations, those new VP positions include: external affairs; long-range planning and system development; finance and administration/CFO; and compliance and risk management.
“Our new structure will allow for quicker decision-making, and has clearer lines of responsibility and accountability,” Ford said when announcing the restructuring. “This flatter and more efficient organization will allow us all to better serve our customers and build the kind of world-class transit agency that Jacksonville and Northeast Florida deserve.”
Darnall, who earned a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from University of West Florida and a Masters of Administration Science Management from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, begins working at JTA on Monday, March 4.