DART Cuts Outgoing CEO Loose, Names Acting Leader

The negotiated exit never materialized. Dallas Area Rapid Transit's board of directors terminated outgoing president and CEO Nadine Lee's contract on Friday, weeks before her planned departure, after talks over a separation agreement collapsed. "In the best interests of the agency, we have made the decision to terminate Mrs. Lee at this time," DART said in a statement, adding the move would allow the agency to "move forward with clarity, renewed focus, and a strong sense of accountability."

General counsel Gene Gamez, an 18-year DART veteran and former Dallas County assistant district attorney, was named acting president and CEO. Lee, who joined the agency in July 2021, had announced March 25 that she would not renew her contract, set to expire Sept. 30. "We have really fortified DART's foundation and set DART up for success in the future," Lee told KERA News in a recent interview. "The next CEO can take it to the next level."

The leadership vacuum arrives at a precarious moment. Voters in Addison, Highland Park, and University Park face May elections on whether to withdraw from DART's service area entirely. Lee pointed to "political hurdles" as a persistent challenge in a separate interview with FOX 4, noting the agency had been "distracted from our mission" and from "moving faster at improving the quality of our services."