JTA Chief Administrative Officer Cleveland Ferguson III has been named interim CEO. | JTA
Published on August 27, 2026 at 12:06 pm
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Jacksonville Transportation Authorty Chief Administrative Officer Cleveland Ferguson III will serve as the the transit agency’s interim CEO as it begins the search for a permanent leader.
The JTA Board of Directors unanimously selected Ferguson Wednesday, as it approved a national search for the person who will replace departing CEO Nat Ford.
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Ford announced his resignation in July, then accepted the position of President and CEO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit, beginning in late October.
Ferguson has served in several executive leadership roles since joining JTA in 2015, and has been its executive vice president and chief administrative officer for the past three years.
In a statement about Ferguson’s appointment, JTA Board of Directors Chair Aundra Wallace called Cleveland an experienced leader “with a clear understanding of the organization and a plan to guide the JTA through an important budget cycle.”
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“He also has strong relationships with employees throughout the organization and with our community partners,” Wallace said. “That experience and continuity will serve the JTA well during this transition.”
In the same news release, Ferguson said he is grateful for the opportunity and will “remain focused on delivering safe, reliable transportation” during the CEO transition.
As executive vice president and CAO, Ferguson has overseen many of its key administrative, technology and economic development initiatives, JTA said. He has also represented the JTA before congressional leaders and the U.S. Department of Transportation on issues including safety-sensitive transportation operations, housing and transit, autonomous vehicle technology, and workforce development.
Ferguson was also seeking a leadership position in another agency as one of three finalists for CEO of Atlanta’s Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. But the MARTA board voted two weeks ago to go with its own interim CEO for the job.
The JTA Board hopes its executive search firm, KL2 Connects, will find the next CEO by late this year or in early 2027.
