DCTA CEO to step down

The CEO of the Denton County Transportation Authority is resigning later this month, the agency announced Monday.

The DCTA Board of Directors unanimously accepted the resignation of Raymond Suarez during Monday’s Board Meeting, according to a DCTA news release. His resignation is effective March 31. No reason for the resignation was provided.

“I am very thankful to the Board of Directors and staff for the constant support and I’m proud of the culture we have created based on servant leadership principles,” Suarez said in a statement. “It is very rewarding to see ridership growing to pre-pandemic levels so quickly after launching the system-wide GoZone program. Through this transformation journey, the agency is now more accessible, responsive and resilient and able to respond to the communities we serve and that’s a great feeling of accomplishment.”

Suarez joined DCTA as the COO in 2014 and became CEO in September 2018. Immediately after being appointed, he led the agency through the legislative reconstitution of the Board of Directors and led the agency through a transformation initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic to better respond to market changes, according to DCTA. He was instrumental in unifying relationships with Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Trinity Metro, creating joint efforts in many areas that serve the three North Texas agencies. Most recently, he worked with DART to forge an agreement to construct a joint rail facility to support the DCTA A-train and DART Silver Line operations, and launched new GoZone on-demand mobility services throughout DCTA’s three member cities.

The DCTA Board has unanimously appointed Paul Cristina, Deputy CEO, as Interim CEO. The Board plans to discuss launching a search for Suarez’s replacement at the March 24 regularly scheduled meeting, according to DCTA.