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Eight weeks after coming aboard as Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s CEO, Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr. today announced an extensive overhaul of the transit agency’s organizational structure.
In the JTA’s new organizational chart, a chief of staff and five vice presidents will report directly to the CEO. The V.P. positions will include Long-range Planning and System Development, Transit Operations, Finance and Administration, External Affairs and Compliance and Risk Management.
“Our new structure will allow for quicker decision-making, and has clearer lines of responsibility and accountability,” Ford said. “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.”
Commenting on the organizational changes, JTA Chairman Ed Burr said, “JTA has a strong, proud history of getting out in front of our transportation needs. Nat’s new organizational plans will continue that tradition of moving this agency forward and delivering the level of service that will enhance our quality of life and economy.”
Ford noted that he spent the past two months meeting with dozens of stakeholders including past and present JTA board members, staff, customers, elected officials, consultants, vendors and many others to better understand JTA’s history and culture.
“Those meetings led me believe that we as an organization needed to focus our efforts on improving and enhancing four primary areas of our business: delivery of service, internal and external communications, accountability and financial management,” Ford said. “This new organizational alignment and an energized culture of leadership will allow us to effectively address these areas.”
As part of the restructuring, the new V.P. positions will be advertised both locally and nationally. JTA will begin interviewing for the posts in February and the agency-wide restructuring is expected to be completed by April 30.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is an independent state agency governed by a seven-member board of directors. JTA operates Jacksonville’s public bus service, downtown automated Skyway and paratransit service, as well as design and build roads and bridges. JTA’s mission is to improve Northeast Florida’s economy, environment and quality of life by providing safe, reliable, and efficient multimodal transportation services and facilities.
Source: Jacksonville Transportation Authority
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cline
January 31, 2013, 03:02:57 PMI'll assume Burr was being sarcastic or just joking with this comment.
Charles Hunter
January 31, 2013, 03:07:45 PMurbaknight
January 31, 2013, 03:09:59 PMDon't search locally for any open positions, go national. Most locals can't or simply have no interest in mass transit.
Stop patting yourselves on the back for a proud JTA history and track record, it doesn't really exist. JTA has sucked for a long time.
Get out of the road building game, we already have the FDOT. Let them build the damn roads. Put all of your focus on "mass transit" only.
Become a city agency, not authority. Authority sounds too power hungry. I say a city agency because the state of Florida in general is dead weight. So just break from state control please.
As far as "safe", "reliable" and "efficient" give me a break!
CityLife
January 31, 2013, 03:11:47 PMMan do I love it when someone comes in, shakes things up a little, and hits the ground running.
Ocklawaha
January 31, 2013, 08:00:44 PMPerhaps Burr was referring to 'JTA the road builder?' As a road building 'authority' JTA has piled enough asphalt and concrete in Jacksonville to rank us a solid number 7 in cities with the most lane miles (.745) per capita. Some of the highways are pretty cutting edge which in turn has damaged our mass transit systems effectiveness. The problem I see is when you have a patchwork of excellent roadways, connected by deficient collector/distributer roads, it becomes quite hard to project where choice riders might use the system. Someone with a small car might not think twice about the auto trip from St. Nicholas to Stockton Street, but St. Nicholas to the corner of Old Kings and St. Augustine Road might be better on the bus.
Connecting the Rosa Parks, JRTC and Kings Avenue Stations with non-stop BRT buses while the Skyway, streetcars and downtown shuttle buses provide the point of deliver downtown would be a great start.
mbwright
January 31, 2013, 08:45:47 PMWe may have cutting edge roads in some places, but still many dirt roads, which were specifically excluded from the BJP. meanwhile, perfectly good roads that had low traffic counts (such as Arlingwood neighborhood) were resurfaced.
Riverside Ave, and many others are still a mess. Need a way to prioritize their work. If FDOT will work on city roads, I'd be surprised.
I do agree that JTA should be a Transit agency, not a road builder. something about a conflict of interest here.
thelakelander
January 31, 2013, 09:29:04 PM^COJ Public Works takes care of city roads. FDOT maintains the State roads.
Ocklawaha
January 31, 2013, 10:24:23 PMI have to chuckle every time I hear these guys pat themselves on the back, 'We are one of only 6 transportation authorities in the nation that operates a mass transit system and builds highways....'
Just turn that around? There are thousands of transit agencies for cities, towns and counties across the United States, with so much expertise why is it that only 6 cities swim upstream?
tufsu1
January 31, 2013, 11:04:49 PMdon't think for one minute that part of what attracted Mr. Ford to the job wasn't the opportunity to do transit AND roads
Ocklawaha
February 01, 2013, 08:58:50 AMYeah, maybe TUFSU1, we talked over breakfast a few days ago and I didn't get that 'road builder' vibe from him at all. He seems very dedicated to mass transit and perhaps even turning Jacksonville back into the 'San Francisco' it once was.
thelakelander
February 01, 2013, 09:34:21 AMCould it be possible that even as a pro mass transit guy, he could see value and potential in utilizing JTA's set up as a tool for additional multimodal funding opportunities and strategies?
Dog Walker
February 01, 2013, 11:27:37 AMAnd the rough part of Riverside Ave is an FDOT road, BTW.
fsujax
February 01, 2013, 11:29:05 AMSo all the jobs are posted. Who is applying?
thelakelander
February 01, 2013, 11:36:32 AMCan you post a link?
exnewsman
February 01, 2013, 01:37:11 PMhttps://jta.jtafla.com/SiteDirectory/hr/JOBS/default.aspx
urbaknight
February 01, 2013, 02:00:54 PMWhy don't you apply, Ocklawaha?
You seem to be on top of things, and you can always answer any questions anyone has referring to JTA and mass transit in general.
dougskiles
February 01, 2013, 02:16:00 PMIs there a list of who has been given a pink slip?
PeeJayEss
February 01, 2013, 02:37:50 PMDon't tempt him, urbankight. He dare not take a job with JTA, not even to keep it safe. Understand, urbankight, Ock would use this job from a desire to do good. But through him, it would wield a transportation system too great and terrible to imagine.
Noone
April 03, 2013, 07:36:33 PMDid the reorganization include a new building? JTA headquarters on Myrtle. I'll check the Urban construction updates. Then again MJ is always on it and will pull up the story.
tufsu1
April 03, 2013, 08:52:22 PMnot that I am aware of...that said, some JTA staff work in trailers right now, so they coulduse more office space
Noone
April 03, 2013, 11:39:51 PM^OK. But was and is the plan for a big move? We have the big conversation going on about the SOE and reuse of a city property or building new and should that same conversation have been occurring here? I realize that it's an Authority and not a constitutional office operation. Does any city council member know about this? How about our new DIA? Has this been reported anywhere on the local news. Just yielding to the Transportation experts on this forum and would be a little bit in shock if none of you guys knew about this.
thelakelander
April 03, 2013, 11:54:56 PMI haven't heard anything about a new office space for JTA since the transportation center fallout with Brown a year or so ago. If they need more space, I'm sure a vacant existing structure can be found.
Noone
April 04, 2013, 12:53:23 AMHas anyone been to a JTA Board meeting lately? Well something is going on. New parking lot? if you haven't heard what's going on over there then that's not good.
tufsu1
April 04, 2013, 09:31:20 AM^ why do you say that? do you know something the rest of us don't?
exnewsman
April 11, 2013, 05:06:55 PMPer the article in the Daily Record - additional office and meeting space and parking.