Live Agents Available!
The CTA, or Chicago Transit Agency’s President, Dorval Carter, recently announced that he is set to retire and step down from his position as the head of the agency. His retirement will officially begin at the end of the month. He announced his departure from the agency at the same time he announced that he will be taking on a new position at the St. Anthony Hospital on the west side of Chicago. He will be their new president and chief executive officer.
Carter spent much of his career in various leadership and legal roles with the CTA.
Carter first began working with the CTA as a staff attorney. He worked for a total of around 26 years with the CTA, in which he served in various legal positions, as well as the executive vice-president, chief administrative officer, and the acting president (at points in which he was not the actively sitting president). He also spent approximately 15 years in senior leadership roles with other agencies, such as the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration. His time with the CTA was always broken up by his various stints with other agencies, but he often came back to his position faithfully. Now, as he states he is retiring, it seems as though Carter will be gone from the CTA for good.
During his time with the CTA, Carter saw through $11 billion worth of projects.
While Carter was not directly responsible for the origin or completion of every single one of the $11 billion worth of projects, he oversaw many throughout their different stages. Some projects he absorbed when he took on the role of agency president and saw through their completion, others he began and completed, and others he announced and began to work on. Any of these projects that began in the later years of Carter’s leadership role are set to be absorbed by the next president who takes over once he departs. His largest project was the $5.7 Red Line Extension, extending the line further on the south side of the city.
Many from the agency have spoken out to share their support of Carter’s decision and gratitude for his time there. The Chicago Transit Board chairman, Lester Barclay, released a statement regarding how he feels about the change, “Since I became chair in 2021, I have seen firsthand his unwavering commitment to equity and his passion for this agency, which is exemplified through transformative projects like the Red Line Extension. His legacy will leave a lasting impact on CTA, and we are grateful for his dedicated service.”
While some, like Barclay, express their gratitude for Carter, his resignation is being celebrated in a different way for others.
Just months ago, city councilmembers representing the City of Chicago called upon Carter to resign. They cited that under Carter’s reign as the president, there have been poor working conditions, rider complaints, and more service issues within the company. The city councilmembers pushed for a resignation or firing by the Chicago mayor at the time. Even though they had a delay, it is safe to assume they are happy to see the news of Carter’s career change.
