The CEO and general manager of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) is planning to resign at the end of January.
Dwight Ferrell will step aside and be a paid consultant for six months during the transition. Executive Vice President and COO Darryl Haley will serve as the interim CEO.
SORTA Chair Kreg Keesee made the announcement in a press release following the board's monthly meeting Tuesday.
Keesee said he appreciates Ferrell's service to the community and the transportation system.
"His knowledge and experience as a transportation professional leaves SORTA better managed and better prepared to address the important opportunities before us," Keesee said in the release. "SORTA is financially unsustainable and we need to change how we fund public transportation in this community. Dwight has helped to focus community understanding and awareness of this reality. He and his team of professional staff and transportation consultants have presented the Reinventing Metro Plan that is the foundation for what will be presented to Hamilton County voters.”
Keesee said the board will discuss plans for selecting a new CEO and general manager at an upcoming meeting.
"I am proud of what our organization has accomplished in my time as CEO and general manager of SORTA," Ferrell said. "At many levels, I feel as if my work is done here and now is the time for SORTA and the community to find the organization’s next leader. As you know, I am committed to help in that effort and to continue supporting the important efforts to change the way SORTA is funded."
Ferrell was hired by SORTA in January 2015. Before that he was the county manager in Fulton County, GA, and also served as the deputy general manager and COO of Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).
