DART held its very first State of the Agency event on Nov. 16, with an audience comprised of elected officials, community and government leaders, the DART Board of Directors, and members of DART’s senior management team.

The State of the Agency was the first in an annual series – an opportunity for us to share all that we have accomplished over the last year, and a touchpoint for charting our progress to the amazing future we have planned.

My keynote address, entitled “The Journey Forward,” shared our vision for the agency over the next decade. Our intent, through the strategic plan, is to leverage DART to be a strategic economic and mobility asset for the region. As part of that aspiration, the agency must provide the additional transportation capacity needed to keep pace with the rapid growth projected for North Texas over the next 20 years.

The development of the vision, mission, and values for the Strategic Plan is nearing completion. The plan should be ready for the final board presentation and vote in the spring. 

Panel discussed their goals for the agency.
The second part of the presentation was a conversation moderated by Tashara Parker, an anchor on WFAA News 8 Daybreak. The panelists included DART Board Chair Gary Slagel, immediate Past Chair Michele Wong Krause, and me.

The discussion touched on the role of innovation in transit service – from implementing new modes like microtransit to expanding the use of technology to keep buses and trains running. All panelists shared ideas of how DART may evolve and change to serve millions more residents as the region grows. We also discussed the importance of collaboration on the local, state, and federal levels to accomplish the goals of DART, the cities we serve, and the entire North Texas region.

Event will move from city to city.
Each year, we will bring the State of the Agency meeting to a different city in the DART Service Area.

For the first event, we chose the Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station in Dallas, with great intention. The station itself is an historic, regional, multimodal hub. Former U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, for whom the building is named, is a beloved icon who served the 30th Texas Congressional District for 30 years and played an instrumental role in making the DART System what it is today.

While Congresswoman Johnson could not be with us that night, we were fortunate to be in a beautiful space that bears her name, as she epitomizes the best of our elected and appointed leaders at all levels of government.

This article from D Magazine did a good job of explaining the new vision to the wider community.

I challenge you with the same request that I gave our State of the Agency audience: Come with us on this journey. Work with us so that we can make all these great plans happen.

Together, we can make DART a strategic regional asset that makes North Texas the best place to live.

DART held its very first State of the Agency event on Nov. 16, with an audience comprised of elected officials, community and government leaders, the DART Board of Directors, and members of DART’s senior management team.

The State of the Agency was the first in an annual series – an opportunity for us to share all that we have accomplished over the last year, and a touchpoint for charting our progress to the amazing future we have planned.

My keynote address, entitled “The Journey Forward,” shared our vision for the agency over the next decade. Our intent, through the strategic plan, is to leverage DART to be a strategic economic and mobility asset for the region. As part of that aspiration, the agency must provide the additional transportation capacity needed to keep pace with the rapid growth projected for North Texas over the next 20 years.

The development of the vision, mission, and values for the Strategic Plan is nearing completion. The plan should be ready for the final board presentation and vote in the spring. 

Panel discussed their goals for the agency.
The second part of the presentation was a conversation moderated by Tashara Parker, an anchor on WFAA News 8 Daybreak. The panelists included DART Board Chair Gary Slagel, immediate Past Chair Michele Wong Krause, and me.

The discussion touched on the role of innovation in transit service – from implementing new modes like microtransit to expanding the use of technology to keep buses and trains running. All panelists shared ideas of how DART may evolve and change to serve millions more residents as the region grows. We also discussed the importance of collaboration on the local, state, and federal levels to accomplish the goals of DART, the cities we serve, and the entire North Texas region.

Event will move from city to city.
Each year, we will bring the State of the Agency meeting to a different city in the DART Service Area.

For the first event, we chose the Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station in Dallas, with great intention. The station itself is an historic, regional, multimodal hub. Former U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, for whom the building is named, is a beloved icon who served the 30th Texas Congressional District for 30 years and played an instrumental role in making the DART System what it is today.

While Congresswoman Johnson could not be with us that night, we were fortunate to be in a beautiful space that bears her name, as she epitomizes the best of our elected and appointed leaders at all levels of government.

This article from D Magazine did a good job of explaining the new vision to the wider community.

I challenge you with the same request that I gave our State of the Agency audience: Come with us on this journey. Work with us so that we can make all these great plans happen.

Together, we can make DART a strategic regional asset that makes North Texas the best place to live.

DART held its very first State of the Agency event on Nov. 16, with an audience comprised of elected officials, community and government leaders, the DART Board of Directors, and members of DART’s senior management team.

The State of the Agency was the first in an annual series – an opportunity for us to share all that we have accomplished over the last year, and a touchpoint for charting our progress to the amazing future we have planned.

My keynote address, entitled “The Journey Forward,” shared our vision for the agency over the next decade. Our intent, through the strategic plan, is to leverage DART to be a strategic economic and mobility asset for the region. As part of that aspiration, the agency must provide the additional transportation capacity needed to keep pace with the rapid growth projected for North Texas over the next 20 years.

The development of the vision, mission, and values for the Strategic Plan is nearing completion. The plan should be ready for the final board presentation and vote in the spring. 

Panel discussed their goals for the agency.
The second part of the presentation was a conversation moderated by Tashara Parker, an anchor on WFAA News 8 Daybreak. The panelists included DART Board Chair Gary Slagel, immediate Past Chair Michele Wong Krause, and me.

The discussion touched on the role of innovation in transit service – from implementing new modes like microtransit to expanding the use of technology to keep buses and trains running. All panelists shared ideas of how DART may evolve and change to serve millions more residents as the region grows. We also discussed the importance of collaboration on the local, state, and federal levels to accomplish the goals of DART, the cities we serve, and the entire North Texas region.

Event will move from city to city.
Each year, we will bring the State of the Agency meeting to a different city in the DART Service Area.

For the first event, we chose the Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station in Dallas, with great intention. The station itself is an historic, regional, multimodal hub. Former U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, for whom the building is named, is a beloved icon who served the 30th Texas Congressional District for 30 years and played an instrumental role in making the DART System what it is today.

While Congresswoman Johnson could not be with us that night, we were fortunate to be in a beautiful space that bears her name, as she epitomizes the best of our elected and appointed leaders at all levels of government.

This article from D Magazine did a good job of explaining the new vision to the wider community.

I challenge you with the same request that I gave our State of the Agency audience: Come with us on this journey. Work with us so that we can make all these great plans happen.

Together, we can make DART a strategic regional asset that makes North Texas the best place to live.