DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT (DART)

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (“DART”) is seeking an innovative, dynamic, professional, and strategic executive to serve as the agency’s next President and Chief Executive Officer(“CEO”). ABOUT DART: DART is one of the nation’s largest and most innovative transit agencies and provides a range of services including bus, light and commuter rail, streetcar, flex, and on-demand access services to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. DART currently serves the following 13 cities: Addison, Carrollton, Cockrell Hill, Dallas, Farmers Branch, Garland, Glenn Heights, Highland Park, Irving, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, and University Park which spans approximately 700-square miles of service area. Combined, DART provides service to a population of approximately 2.6 million people.

 DART is governed by an appointed 15-member Board of Directors and operates 139 bus routes, 93 miles of light rail and other services including Paratransit, Mobility as a Service (“MaaS”), carpool and vanpool. DART also jointly operates the Trinity Railway Express with Trinity Metro, a commuter rail system that provides riders with access between downtown Dallas, Fort Worth, DFW Airport, the American Airlines Center, and other areas conveniently and efficiently.

DART’s fiscal year 2021 annual budget is $1,393.3 billion. This consists of an operating budget of $542.3 million, a capital/non-operating budget of $647 million, and $204 million of debt service.

DART is among the leading transit agencies in the country in developing innovative approaches to providing rider facing services. DART’s GoPass is an award-winning app that provides a MaaS platform that addresses modes, trip planning and payments. The app has been successfully deployed for over 7 years at DART and is being used by several other U.S. transit agencies.

DART is committed to the region’s growth and economic development, providing residents with safe, reliable, affordable, and timely transportation services. More details about DART can be obtained by visiting DART’s website at www.dart.org.

SCOPE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

 The CEO will manage an agency that is transitioning from a capital-intensive organization to one that is focused on providing an excellent trip experience for its riders and a continued state of good repair. The CEO of DART is responsible for directing all operations including Administration, Communications, Engineering and Construction, Planning, Finance, Government Relations, Operations, and Procurement.

DART’s CEO must represent the agency to the public and work with the Board to provide solutions that meet the needs of its riders and stakeholders. DART’s 3,748 employees and the Board are dedicated to work together to ensure that DART continues to operate as one of the leading transit systems in the United States. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of successfully managing a large, complex, and diverse organization that strives to provide the highest quality of service to its riders. Additionally, this individual will have strong financial management, operations, strategic planning, public relations, community relations, and governmental relations skills.

 DART is well positioned financially, however given the uncertain economic future resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, an ability to identify creative funding solutions will be essential to ensure that DART is able to continue to provide the highest quality of safe, affordable, and accessible service to its riders while delivering on its capital commitments.

 Essential duties and responsibilities of DART’s CEO include:

 MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP

• Manage a multi-modal, complex, rider-centric, independent-governmental organization with an emphasis on safety, security, accessibility, affordability, equity, and on-time performance.
• Foster, instill, promote, and maintain a rider-centric culture that embraces diversity, multi-culturalism, inclusion, equity, and equality at all levels of the organization.
• Work closely with the Board to develop goals for DART’s team to implement.
• Direct the day-to-day operations of DART in accordance with established Board policy and applicable laws.
• Oversee, review, evaluate, and direct all of DART’s programs, policies, and procedures; make recommended changes and institute actionable items to meet established policy goals and evaluate those changes for effectiveness.
• Focus on maximizing DART owned assets including real estate to develop transit-oriented development projects in collaboration with the private sector and member cities.
• Develop, and submit for Board approval, an annual budget that meets the organizational needs of DART.
• Oversee and manage a large and complex budget that provides for variances and allows for corrective actions to be taken when variances occur.
• Identify additional sources of revenue, opportunities for cost reduction, and increased efficiencies for daily operations and future maintenance/capital programs through various financing options including public private partnerships.
• Promote and develop innovative and equitable solutions to first- and last-mile challenges.
• Maintain a leadership role in industry trends and technologies in order to bring new systems, ideas and approaches to DART. Participate in industry and related seminars/conferences and workshops.

INTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS

• Interview, select, hire, mentor/develop, evaluate, counsel, and if necessary, terminate subordinate personnel according to established policies, procedures, and guidelines including Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action (“EEO/AA”) program goals and objectives.
• Establish and maintain healthy working relationships and treat all employees (represented and nonrepresented) fairly and foster an open, collaborative, positive, professional, and safe work environment.
• Ensure strong and positive communication and working relationships throughout the organization.
• Encourage, empower, and challenge the DART team to think “outside the box” and offer rider-centric solutions that are innovative, effective, efficient, and properly respond to rider needs.
• Provide leadership to encourage employees to take initiative and develop within the organization.
• Take action to promote and advance DART’s EEO/AA program goals and objectives, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, and Americans with Disabilities Act plans. Enforce the accountability of DART’s Executive Management Team thereby ensuring DART’s hiring programs and work environment is fair, equal, and non-discriminatory.

EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS

• Build partnerships and work effectively and persuasively with elected officials, local, state, and federal agencies (including the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration), the business community, organized labor, faith-based community, disabled community, public constituencies, education and health leaders, the media, and other stakeholders.
• Listen carefully and respond appropriately and with sensitivity to all concerns and interests of a culturally, politically, and socio-economically diverse community.
• Preserve DART’s strong standing within American Public Transportation Association (“APTA”) and leverage APTA as needed to further promote DART’s interests.
• Implement solutions that strive to meet the needs and expectations of various stakeholders even when those needs may be in conflict with each other.
• Meet with and listen to choice and transit dependent riders, as well as, front line employees to obtain input and feedback on changes and improvements that can be considered by management to ensure that DART is delivering high quality rider-centric transit services.
• Promote DART, its offerings, and benefits to the community in order to maintain existing ridership and attract new riders.
• Use technology, and other means of communication to promote DART and keep riders and stakeholders abreast of any service changes, disruptions, or new service offerings.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS INTERACTION

• Develop a strong working relationship with DART’s 15-member Board, including maintaining effective two-way communication.
• Assist and advise the Board in its policy and planning responsibilities to help generate short- and long-term transit objectives and keep the Board abreast of progress in implementing these objectives.
• Implement Board policy via actionable management plans and provide strategic direction to senior management that will enable the effective execution of these plans.
• Engage, collaborate, and partner with Board members to advocate on behalf of DART with elected officials at local, state, and national levels to ensure that DART continues to demonstrate its commitment to quality service, increased mobility, regional economic growth, and sustainable development.
• Work with the Board to establish annual goals identifying the Board’s priorities within the annual work plan.

ATTRIBUTES

• Proven leadership skills which include being:

o A unifier, integrator, and team builder;

o A problem solver and visionary;

o A mentor and motivator; and

o A creator of productive partnerships with appropriate parties

• Highly professional, mature, honest, trusting, and personable individual.
• Excellent interpersonal communication, presentation, and writing skills.
• High energy level, sense of urgency, with maturity, integrity, and ethics above reproach.
• Intelligent, persuasive, creative, visionary strength to solve complex problems. • Strong financial management skills.
• Ability to “think outside the box” and adapt to address new and unforeseen challenges.
• Strategic manager and leader with excellent team building, problem solving, and conflict resolution skills.
• Executive leader who embraces diversity, equity, equality, multi-culturalism, and inclusion. • Verifiable track record of developing and maintaining strong relationships with riders, elected officials, and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to unify an organization and its employees during complicated and uncertain times.
• Proven ability to leverage technology, improve rider service, increase operational efficiencies, achieve bottom-line results, and reduce bureaucracy and waste.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

The successful candidate will have a minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible general management experience in a private or public environment to include a minimum of ten (l0) years directing senior-level staff involved with daily operations and administration functions. A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required and an advanced degree in management or other professional certification is highly desired. An equivalent combination of related education and experience may be substituted for these stated minimums qualifications excluding High School Diploma, GED, Licenses, or Certifications.

TO APPLY

For more information or to submit a cover letter and resume, please contact Gregg A. Moser at gmoser@kapartners.com.