JACKSONVILLE, FL. January 6, 2023 – The JTA is proud to announce that Debbie Buckland will serve as Chair of the JTA Board of Directors in 2023, with Ray Driver, Jr. serving as Vice Chair. Buckland and Driver were approved during the JTA Board of Directors Nominating Committee meeting.
Mrs. Buckland was appointed to the JTA Board by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2019. She served as Vice Chair since 2021 under Immediate Past Chair Ari Jolly.
“Since 2019, Debbie Buckland’s contributions to the JTA Board of Directors have helped the JTA provide mobility solutions to Jacksonville and the entire Northeast Florida region,” said JTA Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. “I am looking forward to having her as our newest Board Chair as we continue to serve the citizens of this region.”
Buckland retired in 2021 as market president for Truist Bank in Jacksonville, Fl. following a 40 year career in banking and finance. She is a past chair of the JAX Chamber, Downtown Vision Inc., and the American Cancer Society. Buckland is a member of the Truist Jacksonville Advisory Board, Wolfson Children’s Hospital Women’s Board, Jacksonville Women’s Network, and the Women’s Giving Alliance.
She was inducted into the First Coast Business Hall of Fame in 2019 and is a recent recipient of the DTJax Downtown Achievement Award. She was a founding member of the Jacksonville Women’s Business Center and the steering committee of JAX Chamber’s Elevate Women initiative. In 2022, she was honored as Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser by Association of Fundraising Professionals for her work with United Way of Northeast Florida.
A 2009 graduate of Leadership Jacksonville, Buckland has been named a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts, Woman of Influence by the Jacksonville Business Journal and honored by the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women as one of Jacksonville’s Women Making a Difference.
Buckland is a 1979 graduate of Emory & Henry College in Emory, Va., with a B.A in Business & Economics and Philosophy.
Driver named Vice Chair
Ray Driver will serve as Board Vice Chair in 2023 after serving as Board Secretary in 2022. He was appointed to the JTA Board of Directors by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2019.
Driver has been practicing law for over 20 years and is a founding partner of Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow. He represents clients in business acquisitions, dispositions and mergers, and provides ongoing counseling regarding business formation, corporate governance, contract law and ancillary legal issues. Driver was added to the Florida Super Lawyer list in 2011 and his experience has led him to be recognized as Jacksonville Business Journal’s Ultimate Attorney. He was also named Lawyer of the Year in 2019.
Driver received both his Juris Doctorate and master’s degree in accounting from the University of Florida in 1994.
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About the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA)
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is an independent state agency serving Jacksonville, Florida and Northeast Florida with multi-modal responsibilities. The JTA provides varied mass public transit services, and is a builder of roads, bridges and other infrastructure to enhance mobility in Jacksonville. Public transportation services include BRT and regular bus service, paratransit, the St. Johns River Ferry, Skyway APM, and other mobility and on-demand services in Duval, Clay, Baker, Nassau and St. Johns counties. To learn more, visit www.jtafla.com.
About the JTA Board of Directors
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority's governing body is comprised of seven members. Three members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate, three members are appointed by Jacksonville's Mayor and confirmed by the City Council, and the seventh member is the District Two Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Members serve a four-year term with the exception of the FDOT Secretary who serves the length of his/her employment in that position and can be re-appointed for an additional four years. The board members of the JTA are not entitled to compensation, but are reimbursed for travel and other expenses actually incurred in their duties as provided by law.
Current Board Members: