Ballard, The T (Fort Worth)
Paul J. Ballard, chief executive officer since 2002 of the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee (RTA), is joining the Fort Worth Transportation Authority as its next president and chief executive officer, effective April 14.

Ballard has served as chief executive or general manager of several public transit systems. He has also been president of two national transit management firms and operated or consulted on transit operations in 38 U.S. cities in 19 states.

“This is the executive we want to lead The T at this point in time,” said T Board Chair Scott Mahaffey. “His experience will be valuable to us as we navigate the next few years.”

“I am looking forward to working with the Fort Worth transportation board, management team, staff, and city officials to implement the T’s transit goals,” Ballard said.

For APTA, he is a member of the Bus and Paratransit CEOs Committee, Commuter & Intercity Rail Legislative Subcommittee, Legislative Committee, Member Services Committee, Commuter Rail CEOs Subcommittee, Commuter Rail Committee, High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Committee, and Rail Transit CEOs Subcommittee.

Hakim, NJ Transit
New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) in Newark has named Veronique Hakim, executive director, New Jersey Turnpike Authority, to succeed James Weinstein as its executive director. Weinstein announced that he is stepping down effective March 2.

Before joining the turnpike authority, Hakim worked for more than 23 years at the New York Metropolitan Trans­portation Authority, first as special counsel and later as senior vice president and general counsel.

Weinstein headed NJ Transit since 2010. He served as the state’s transportation commissioner from December 1998 to January 2002. He is a designated transit system member director on the APTA Board of Directors and a member of the Authorization Task Force, Bus and Paratransit CEOs Committee, Commuter Rail CEOs Subcommittee, Legislative Committee, and Rail Transit CEOs Subcommittee.

Fjelstul, GRTA
The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) Board of Directors in Atlanta appointed Kirk ­Fjelstul as acting executive director, effective Feb. 21, after Jannine Miller announced her resignation Feb. 17. Miller has headed the authority since 2010 and is leaving to accept a senior management position with a major ­corporation headquartered in the Atlanta area.

Fjelstul joined GRTA in 2000, serving most recently as deputy director. He ­previously served as interim executive director in 2010.
He is a member of the APTA Legal Affairs Committee.