JACKSONVILLE, FL. – Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr. was named 2022 Chair of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Executive Committee, part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Ford’s term began during the 101st TRB Annual Meeting Jan 12.
Shawn Wilson, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, will serve as Vice Chair. Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academies of Science and chair of the National Research Council (NRC), appointed Ford to the position.
“I am honored to lead the TRB Executive Committee during this transformative time, as we collectively implement historic funding from Congress and as we push forward policies to improve public transportation, aviation, freight, ports and logistic industries across the nation,” said Ford.
“This is also an opportunity for Jacksonville to shine as a national leader in logistics, transportation and innovation, and to showcase our strengths and boundless opportunities for growth,” he added.
“All of us at TRB are looking forward to Nat Ford becoming Chair of the TRB Executive Committee,” said Neil Peterson, TRB Executive Director. “His thoughtful leadership style and extensive transportation executive experience makes him the right person to lead the Executive Committee at this pivotal time as TRB addresses a number of major critical transportation-related issues.”
TRB is a program unit of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine — private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology and medicine. The National Academies operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln.
The TRB has approximately 8,000 active members, and more than 200 standing committees. These members collectively produce more than 300 research projects, 140 publications, and 900 peer-reviewed research papers through the Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board (TRR) annually.
The TRB Executive Committee comprises approximately 25 members, who provide balanced representation of transportation modes, academic disciplines, public and private sectors, levels of government, geographical regions and other relevant factors. The committee also provides strategic direction and oversight for all of TRB’s programs and activities. This oversight is to ensure that programs and activities are constructive to both the transportation system and the nation. Committee members are appointed to a three year term, and can be reappointed for one additional term. Membership comprises high-ranking officials, esteemed academic professionals, and executives from all modes of transportation and logistics industries.
Ford has served as JTA CEO since December 2012. He is also the past chair of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
During his time in Jacksonville, the JTA has received numerous awards for innovation and operational excellence. APTA named Ford as its Outstanding Public Transportation Manager in 2020, the same year the JTA won the APTA Innovation Award for its innovative response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Eno Center for Transportation named Ford its Thought Leader for 2019. President Barack Obama named Ford a White House Champion of Change in 2015. Under his leadership, the JTA received the APTA Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award in 2016.
OFFICIAL HEADSHOT: https://brandfolder.com/s/99hpsxg7pcjmm9qr5j9fvh4r