Well, 90 names.
Any thoughts or first impressions?
http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2012-08-22/story/outgoing-duval-courts-clerk-applies-jta-top-job
first thought is there seem to be some names missing from the list:
Alan Moseley - some in the industry felt he was a local favorite
Bill Killingsworth - some on this site said he was a board favorite
Overall, I'm pleased that they got such a myriad of applicants. The next step is for the Board to provide direction to the search firm (this may have already happened) on what criteria they are looking for. Early on, some member comments seemed to imply the Board wanted to stay local. But the extent of outside applicants may be changing that now.
Tom Hickey has a strong transit background. Commuter Rail, Light Rail, Streetcar and HSR experience from the US and overseas.
No Brad Thoburn?
Okay here is my take on this entire list. The answer is
BASED on their current / past job title, and some of them I know their background from mild research. This doesn't mean this list should be taken SO seriously. Enjoy reading it or not!
Quote
Edward Gil de Rubio, city manager of Trinidad, Colo.
no
Emeka Moneme, managing principal Pillar Solutions, LLC, Washington D.C.
no
James Lynch, former CEO of the Montana Department of Transportation
plausible
Alfred Moscola, former general manager of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority
very plausible (make sure this guy's background doesn't involve any bad behavior he had that he might got fired)
Carl Jackson, associate director of the District Department of Transportation in Washington D.C.
plausible
James Means, deputy director, bus divisions, Maryland Transit Administration
plausible
Brian Buchanan, chief development officer at VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio
very plausible
Douglas Garner, regional director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Jacksonville
no
Brendan Costello, director of transportation for Long Beach in New York
yes, but your experience may be too small for jta
Jack Gabriel, former JTA manager of highway design
no
Ronald Moffett, vice president of operations for Workforce One Employment Solutions in Fort Lauderdale
no
Sam Houston, former director of fleet management for Jacksonville
no
Richard Lobron, managing principal and executive consultant at LCL Advisors Inc., in Berwyn, Pa.
no
Sharad Agarwal, executive vice president of Bus and Coach America in Pasadena, Calif.
no
William Law, deputy executive director of Chatham Area Transit in Savannah, Ga.
very plausible
Ted Rieck, principal at TJR Advisors, a public transit consulting firm in Overland Park, Kan.
no
Thomas Hickey, former associate vice president of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County in Houston, Texas
plausible - good background in a diversity of light rail, buses, trams, etc. -suggested by fsujax
Nathaniel Ford, former executive director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
yes
Jack Gabriel, former JTA manager of highway design
no
Jim Fuller, Duval County clerk of courts
no, we don't want your lack of experience AND gowbn influence here
Blair Fishburn, JTA deputy executive director
no
Clinton Forbes, JTA director of mass transit
no
James Bennett, urban transportation development manager for the Florida Department of Transporation
no, for the loving crying sake, jta is not a road building agency anymore
Lamar Evans, chef de partie at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra
no need for private experience
Joshua Funt, director of product management and marketing for JVEK Business Solutions in Barrington, Ill.
no
David Rivera, former director of security for Wyndham Riverwalk Hotel LLC in Jacksonville and present owner of St. Nicks Investigative Services
no, why you are in this business?
Boris Rutili, head of international businesss RA â€" Siemens Wallisellen
no need for private experience
Miguel Moreno, former mental health therapist at Youth Services International in St. Augustine
what? to deal with mental instable bus drivers? i don't think so.
Linda Brimmer, former chief operating officer of Kiwanis International Foundation
no
Darlene Peoples, loss prevention supervisor at Kohl’s department store in Fleming Island
no need for private experience
Billie Greenlief, former general manager of AT&T/BellSouth inNOrtheast Florida
what are you doing in here?
Matt Price,NO background provided
no
Karen Jack, contract project manager in Lowell, Mich.
no, we are not a road building agency anymore
Donald Odom, contract mortgage loan analyst with the Mortgage Guarantee Insurance Corporation in Milwaukee
what? you want more riders to get hurt so you can get more insurance?
Michael Jara, vice chancellor for facilities management at the University of South Carolina â€" Aiken
no, we need MORE experience in public transit
Keith Jones, quality director at Raydon in Port Orange, Fla.
no
Herman Jones, veteran services manager at Trosa Inc., in Durham, N.C.
no
Devin Moncrief, area manager for the Courier Express in Jacksonville/Tallahassee
no
William Michael Hearn, senior division manager at AllState in Jacksonville
no
Jeffrey Smith, president of Omega Airport Shuttle in Chicago
no
Howard Segal, former manager of CVS in Jacksonville
no
Mark Hyre, self employed consultant in Punta Gorda
no
Jose Ruiz, executive vice president of IMA LifeNOrth America Inc. in Tonawanda, New York
no
Francis Yournett, business manager at Floating Luxuries in Green Cove Springs
no
David Farrell, executive vice president of Stratus Building Solutions in St. Louis
no
Anthony Radicone, fleet maintenance manager for MV Transportation in Staten Island, New York.
no
Michael Florer, former combat engineer with the U.S. Marine Corps
no
John Michael Perez, project manager of engineering and community development for Oakland Park, Fla.
no
Frederick Sanchez Brim, executive director of Ally Financial in Jacksonville
no
Craig Mele, marketing consultant for AT&T Mobile Solutions in Jacksonville
no
Anthony Malbranche, former director of construction for WalMart
no
Donna Mice Cappucio, director of data and project management for VIPdesk, a national and international virtual concierge and customer care call center
no, but you can apply to be manager of jta connexion call center so we dont have to wait 20 minutes per average hold to simply find out the status of our rides.
Frances Jones, assistant general manager, government affairs, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
no
Charles Green, former general manager of Lyman Green’s Bar-B-Q in Macclenny
no, but open your new bbq joint here in jacksonville
James Allison, works in strategic sales management at Ikon Office solutions inNOrtheast Florida
no
Joan McGrath, client service professional at H&R Block in Chiefland, Fla
no
Edward Joseph Rukab, Former consultant for fortune 500 companies and the U.S. military
no
Michael Albert, transportation dispatch manager for the Jacksonville Tractor trailer division of UPS
no
Antonio Carlisle, student atNOrth Central University, former retirement education specialist at Merrill Lynch
no
Cheryl Corn, store manager at American Eagle Outfitters in Lake City
no
Albert Chester, security officer at Baptist Medical Center South, unit manager at the St. Johns County Juvenile Detention Center and substitute teacher in the Duval County public schools
no, do we need to put our riders in detention?
Makeesha Allen, proposal writer for the Adecco Group in Jacksonville
no
Joshua Harper, former litigation paralegal at Rambana Ricci P.L.L.C in Tallahassee
no
Lawrence Kiefer, president of Kiefer Planning and Engineering in Orange Park, former manager of capital programming and grants for JTA
no
David Arce, consultant for FTC College in Jacksonville
no
Capal Beasley, collections manager for Zwicker Associates P.C.
no
Wayne Waring, operating manager at Manning Building Supplies in Jacksonville
no
Rapunzel McClinton-Brown, assistant to the principal at Georgia Academy for the Blind
no
Primo Jacobo, enrolled at the University ofNOrth Florida studying electrical engineering
no
Paul Hemmert, president of Canadian operations and vice president of U.S. operations for National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car
no, do you want to turn jta into a network of rental (flying) cars?
Shane Nolf â€" director of facilities planning and design at Accredo Health in Memphis
no
Scott Lookingbill â€" service supervisor at Cummins Power South
no
Steven Frye, operations manager for Mayo Clinic Laundry in Jacksonville
no
Robert Eggleston, senior vice president at Wachovia Corporation/Wells Fargo & Company
no
Stephen Castillo, founded and operates First Coast Detailing in Jacksonville
no
Paul McCracken, work for Massey Services as a sales inspector
no
Stephen Cranfill, principal/consultant for Rambu LLC
no
Sandra Aquino, director of education at ATI Career Training Center in Miami
no
Patrick Folts, director of the office of Cuba Broadcasting in Miami
no
Richard Walker, vice president of Earthcore Industries LLC in Jacksonville
no
Phillip Baumgardner, former engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
no
Timothy Myles, company driver with Melton Truck Line
no
Ramicah Watkins, executive director for Keep Putnam Beautiful Inc.
no
K.G. Mathew Tharakan, maintenance manager for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
no, but apply for the director of maintenance for jta because we have shitty engineers who don't even maintenance the
buses or even bother to clean it.
Terrell Jones, distribution manager at Winn-Dixie Stores Inc.
no
Robert Smith, former industrial engineering technician for the National Technologies Associates Inc in Orange Park
no
Neal McGuinness, chairman SEI Private Trust Company in Jacksonville
no
Randy Richmond, former service manager at General Electric/Penske
no
Theo Gross, works in customer service at Wal-Mart
no
Robert Smith, worked for Durham School Services.
no
-Josh
QuoteNo Brad Thoburn?
I saw Brad at Mojo #4 Friday night, he said there were far too many better candidates from other cities who applied, his guess was that the person would be from outside Jax with more experience to many different transit projects. So JTA knows how important the decision is, for sure.
This one really jumped out at me:
- Cheryl Corn, store manager at American Eagle Outfitters in Lake City
:o
Quote from: Adam W on August 26, 2012, 06:31:41 AM
This one really jumped out at me:
- Cheryl Corn, store manager at American Eagle Outfitters in Lake City
:o
the job description was focused on management experience...said nothing about knowing transportation
Quote from: tufsu1 on August 26, 2012, 08:26:47 AM
Quote from: Adam W on August 26, 2012, 06:31:41 AM
This one really jumped out at me:
- Cheryl Corn, store manager at American Eagle Outfitters in Lake City
:o
the job description was focused on management experience...said nothing about knowing transportation
Still, that is ridiculous. I mean, go ahead and apply. I worked in multi-unit retail management (Field Consultant for 7-Eleven) but would never have thought to apply for a role as an Executive Director at JTA. Just the jump in seniority alone would indicate lack of suitability.
It's down to three (sort of).
http://m.jacksonville.com/news/florida/2012-08-30/story/jta-picks-three-out-state-finalists-executive-director-job
Quote from: Bill Hoff on August 30, 2012, 06:36:03 PM
It's down to three (sort of).
http://m.jacksonville.com/news/florida/2012-08-30/story/jta-picks-three-out-state-finalists-executive-director-job
The shortlist sounds encouraging to me.
this is encouraging...its also interesting that all 3 applicants came in after the original deadline....the JTA Board held a meeting on the search process a few weeks ago...perhaos they gave the search firm some more direction about finding a proven transit leader from outside of Jacksonville.
Three thumbs up!
This is the weirdest recruitment process I have ever seen in my life. And I thought the DCPS Director search was weird!
But I am encouraged by the search firm finding candidates with transit backgrounds.
FWIW: All public agencies who post their openings online get an odd range of candidates applying. I am surprised they weren't swamped with overseas candidates or applicants named "Mickey Mouse"
I could care less if they come from Jax or Timbuktu, if they can run an agency as goofed as JTA is and give it some solid direction, more power to them.
No time to get provincial, lets get the right person.
^Florida' Sunshine laws are great for the most part , but they do make it difficult for some candidates to apply (who don't want their employer knowing). I'm assuming that is why we had a search firm "recommend" candidates, so that those candidates can tell their current employers that they weren't actively seeking another job, but were instead recruited and are just exploring options.
Pretty impressive short list. Much better than I think we were all expecting.
QuoteThis is the weirdest recruitment process I have ever seen in my life.
It's not at all unusual that in a position that is governed by sunshine laws that a list of three individuals do not apply until the search firm basically tells them they are a finalist for the position.
That would be like you telling your boss, 'hey, I am going to find a new job'... chances are, the career you had at your current employer is pretty much over.
One thing that is encouraging from the transit director finalist list, versus the superintendent finalist list... is that at least two on JTA's list weren't rejects from somewhere else.
The current three finalists for superintendent were all rejects from the job search at Mecklenberg County. We basically got Charlotte's scraps.
Maybe this time around we can get one of Charlotte's successes! i think she would be good.
Quote from: fieldafm on August 31, 2012, 09:30:33 AM
The current three finalists for superintendent were all rejects from the job search at Mecklenberg County. We basically got Charlotte's scraps.
That's not such a bad thing. Charlotte is blowing us away in almost every category. If they're going to leave us in the dust, we can at least try to hitch a ride on their success. Besides, even Charlotte's rejects are better than what we currently have.
Quote from: fsujax on August 31, 2012, 09:40:46 AM
Maybe this time around we can get one of Charlotte's successes! i think she would be good.
They all look good to me...Do you any of the three jump out at you or any of our transportation gurus?
Flowers does. She has worked for LA Metro, City of Beverly Hills and CATS. I think she brings alot to the table and may help to get Jacksonville on the right track!
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2009/11/new_cats_chief_named.html?page=all
Quote from: Captain Zissou on August 31, 2012, 09:42:28 AM
Quote from: fieldafm on August 31, 2012, 09:30:33 AM
The current three finalists for superintendent were all rejects from the job search at Mecklenberg County. We basically got Charlotte's scraps.
That's not such a bad thing. Charlotte is blowing us away in almost every category. If they're going to leave us in the dust, we can at least try to hitch a ride on their success. Besides, even Charlotte's rejects are better than what we currently have.
Neither of those three worked for Charlotte. Charlotte just deemed them not worthy of being seriously considered for their job.
Of the three superintendent finalists, only the one from Atlanta stood out, IMO... and even then, he comes from a district that has very little demographical similarities to Jacksonville.
For the record, preliminary only... but fsujax is right, Flowers is a pretty impressive candidate.
Certainly like the light rail experience that eiher of the candidates from Charlotte or Pittsburgh would bring to the table.
Also could set up a classic Shad Khan repeat imploring the residents of Jax to run to catch the train as it is leaving the station!!
But seriously the finalist seem pretty impressive on paper at least.