Category Archives: Uncategorized

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Reich has joined the agency as the new chief financial officer (CFO). A proven and distinguished finance leader, Reich will assume her new role and responsibilities on July 18.

A key member of the executive team, reporting to DART president & chief executive officer Nadine Lee, Reich will lead the agency’s accounting, financial reporting, budget, treasury, fare collections, and fare payment systems, debt management, investment management, and risk management functions.

“We are thrilled to welcome Elizabeth to our leadership team at DART,” said Nadine S. Lee, DART president & CEO. “She brings a diverse skill set to the agency, including deep financial experience, strong analytics, and a track record of achievement. She is the right leader to helm our talented finance organization and deliver a comprehensive strategic financial plan that will help drive our rider-focused vision for the future.”

Reich comes to DART with more than 20 years of financial leadership experience. She joins the agency from the City of Dallas, where she served as the chief financial officer. This included leadership of Budget and Management Services, Procurement Services, Information & Technology Services, the City Controller’s Office, and the Office of Data Analytics & Business Intelligence. The Bond Buyer honored Elizabeth as a Trailblazing Woman in Public Finance in December 2021.

“These are exciting times for the North Texas region, and DART has developed an unparalleled vision and mission that I feel will make a real difference in the lives of our residents,” said Reich. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to leverage all of my years of finance and business experience to play a role in helping deliver on this vision. I’m excited to work with the team to further strengthen the agency’s financial growth to ensure that we can expand and develop greater mobility opportunities for our riders.”

Prior to joining the City of Dallas, Reich spent 16 years with the Social Security Administration, taking on greater challenges and responsibilities including serving as the deputy regional commissioner of the Dallas Region and also serving as its chief financial officer.

Reich received her Master of Public Administration degree from The American University in Washington, D.C. in 2000. She is also a member of the Dallas Regional Chamber Executive Women’s Roundtable, Women in Public Finance, and serves on the board of Broadway Dallas, previously Dallas Summer Musicals.

Palm of Hope is a small group of volunteers united by one original goal – supporting kids with life-threatening or incurable diseases in Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. They raise funds to assist children with essential nutrition supplies and critical medical equipment. They are joined by the Ukrainian Cultural Club of Dallas (UCCD) and several churches in this time of extra need.

In this time of incredible hardship, the families they support need more help than ever before. Due to constantly changing circumstances because of the Russia/Ukraine War, they have had to re-focus on how they provide aid. Families are fleeing their homes, which means they need portable equipment. They need to buy power generators, as power outages are becoming increasingly common. In the past, local hospitals and organizations were able to partially cover the families’ needs. Now, their support is uncertain.

Palm of Hope, UCCD, and other volunteers are working around the clock to help their families, but they need some extra help to keep as many families as possible safe.

The 38th Annual Main Street Festival in Grapevine is a popular event featuring entertainment,
craft brew and wine, merchandise, and tennis and pickleball tournaments. This year, the Festival is being held from May 20 to May 22.

Palm of Hope is happy to join with representatives from the Ukrainian Cultural Club of Dallas
and other organizations participating in the Festival, with the mission of gathering monetary
donations (tax receipts available), as well as material donations such as medical equipment
(oxygen systems, bandages, Neosporin, antibiotics, and basically any equipment that a hospital
or clinic can spare), diapers, Pull-Ups, toiletry items for parents, non-perishable food items, and more.

If you have a heart for Ukraine, please stop by their booth with anything you can spare. Palm of
Hope is basically run by 3-4 women across the nation who take packages either directly to
Ukraine themselves or use trusted sources to do so. 100% of anything donated will go to
Ukraine relief.

For more information, visit https://www.palmofhope.org/ or https://ukrainianclub.org/.

January: DART Asks North Texas Young Artists to Share Their Heroes

The annual DART Student Art Contest started the year by asking all North Texas students to share their heroes through art. The theme of this year’s contest was “Everyday Heroes Ride DART.” Heroes come in many forms and this year’s art contest gave young artists the chance to salute the hometown heroes that have kept our community going during the pandemic – everyday people that have made a positive impact in the lives of others.

February: DART Silver Line Construction Continues with Josey Lane Bridge in Carrollton

Work continued on the DART Silver Line Regional Rail project with the start of construction on the Josey Lane bridge in Carrollton.

The Silver Line Regional Rail Project’s primary purpose is to provide passenger rail connections and service that will improve mobility, accessibility, and system linkages to major employment, population and activity centers in the northern part of the DART Service Area.

March: DART Applauds Jonathan’s Place for Service During National Safe Place Week

The Safe Place program, operated locally by Jonathan’s Place, partners with businesses and community organizations to provide immediate safety and support for local youth. DART began the collaboration with Safe Place in 2015 as part of its ongoing effort to address human trafficking. Local Safe Place locations include all DART trains and buses and Dallas County QuikTrips. As youth enter a designated Safe Place and ask for help, trained staff members connect them to the appropriate youth shelter for assistance.

The national Safe Place program consists of a network of more than 22,000 partnering businesses and community locations, such as fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, fire stations, public buses, and libraries, which display the Safe Place sign in their windows.

April: DART Celebrates Opening of Hidden Ridge Station in Irving

On April 9, DART celebrated the opening of the Hidden Ridge Station at Carpenter Ranch in Irving, the 65th station in the DART network. Developed in partnership with the City of Irving and Verizon Communications, the new station is located on the Orange Line between North Lake College and Irving Convention Center stations.

May: The DART Student Art Contest Celebrated Local North Texas Artists

DART celebrated the accomplishments of local young artists at the DART Student Art Contest Awards Ceremony. Collin Chon, a 5th-grade student at Greenhill School in Addison, was this year’s Best of Show winner. Collin’s artwork, based on this year’s theme “Everyday Heroes Ride DART,” was selected from 688 entries from students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

June: DART Celebrated 25 Years of Rail Service in North Texas

On June 14, DART celebrated 25 years of providing light rail service to the residents of North Texas.

The DART light rail system debuted on June 14, 1996. The original starter system was 11.2 miles long, with Blue Line service between Illinois Station and Pearl/Arts District Station, and Red Line service between Westmoreland Station and Pearl/Arts District Station.

Over the last 25 years, the DART light rail system has grown into a 93-mile, 65 station network – the longest light rail system in the country – improving the quality of life for all North Texas residents, and providing access to greater mobility options to jobs, health care, and even educational opportunities.

July: DART Honors Police Officers at 5th Anniversary Memorial Service

On July 7, the DART Police department held a memorial service honoring the sacrifice of the police officers from both the Dallas and DART police departments following a protest march in Dallas on July 7, 2016.

Dallas Police Sergeant Michael Smith, Senior Corporal Lorne Ahrens, Officer Michael Krol, Officer Patricio Zamarripa, and DART Police Officer Brent Thompson sacrificed their lives to protect the lives of others.

DART Police Officer Thompson, 43, became the first DART police officer killed in the line of duty when he gave his life, saving the lives of countless civilians and fellow officers.

August: The DART Discount GoPass Tap Card Supports Riders in Need

DART launched the Discount GoPass® Tap Card pilot to ensure riders who qualify have access to jobs, health care, and educational opportunities, reducing social and economic inequalities by making mobility financially feasible to more people. The program provides riders using any one of nine support assistance programs with a 50% discount on the regular price of a DART pass.

September: DART Board of Directors Unanimously Approves Bus Network Redesign Plan

The DART Board of Directors unanimously approved the DARTzoom Bus Network Redesign Plan. With the goal of providing greater frequency, longer service hours, and improved access to destinations, the redesigned network goes into effect on January 24, 2022.

As the North Texas region continues to experience unparalleled growth, becoming a national and international destination for both residents and corporations, DART has undertaken a complete blank-slate redesign of the existing bus system. Working with all 13 Service Area cities, employers, community leaders, and transit riders, DART has developed a new bus system that is designed to ensure passengers have safe and easy access to employment, education, and entertainment areas across the DART service area.

October: DART Named a Best-in-State Employer by Forbes

For the second year in a row, DART was been recognized as a Best-in-State Employer by Forbes. The Best-in-State Employer award winners, given out by Forbes and Statista Inc., were chosen from a sample of 80,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 500 employees across the U.S.

“We are honored to once again be named as a Best-in-State Employer by Forbes,” said Nadine Lee, President & Chief Executive Officer. “DART is an incredible place to work and develop your career because of the fantastic people who have chosen to be part of the DART family. Our employees’ dedication to DART’s mission and values and determination to put our customers at the heart of everything we do, is the key to our success.”

November: DART Launches Three-Year On-Demand Service for Joppa Community Residents

DART launched the Joppa Rides program, an on-demand transportation service for the neighborhood of Joppa for the next three years. Funded by the City of Dallas to mitigate the impact of closing the current Linfield Road at-grade crossing, the program will serve residents of the Joppa neighborhood, located six miles southeast of Downtown Dallas.

December: DART Honors Civil Rights Icon Rosa Parks

To honor the life and legacy of the late Rosa Parks, whose efforts sparked a national civil rights movement for racial equality, DART reserved a seat at the front of every DART bus this week to commemorate her historic and unwavering efforts in support of equality for all.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama when she refused to give up her bus seat to make room for a white passenger. Her act of defiance in the face of an unjust law led to the Montgomery bus boycott, which lasted several months and led to both the desegregation of public transportation in our country and the beginning of the modern civil rights movement.

Rosa Parks’ lifelong dedication to civil rights played a pivotal role in raising both national and international awareness of the unjust plight of African Americans and the civil rights struggle.

State Rep. Terry Meza on Friday (1/22)filed legislation which will require motorists to be tested for blood alcohol level if they strike a pedestrian causing serious bodily injury or death.

Meza (D-Irving) said the bill, dubbed “Colten’s Law,” will “empower police officers to detain someone who has hit a pedestrian to test for the presence of drugs or alcohol in their system.”

Meza noted the law is named after Colten Carney, who was struck and killed while walking to work on January 30, 2017. Colten, who suffered from Autism, had experienced a flat tire while on the way to work that morning and, eager to get to his job, decided to walk.

His mother, Michelle Carney, told the Herald-Banner newspaper of Greenville and Rockwall that it did not make sense that her son’s body was tested for the presence of drugs or alcohol, but not the person who struck him.

Under current law, it is up to individual officers whether or not to detain someone to conduct blood alcohol testing if they have hit a pedestrian.

“Anyone who hits a pedestrian in this state causing serious bodily injury or death should not be allowed to leave the scene of that accident without having been tested for the presence of drugs or alcohol in their body,” Meza said during a press conference at the Texas Capitol Friday afternoon.

The legislation, House Bill 1287, is supported by Mother’s Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The MADD National Headquarters is in Meza’s district. A spokesperson for MADD participated in Friday’s press conference. “MADD is proud to support this bill,” said Bill Cardamon of MADD.

About Colten Carney:

Colten was a high functioning autistic young man (intellectually and developmental disabled IDD). He worked very hard at everything he did and absolutely loved people and making them happy. He went to school in Rockwall, where his mom works. He was a student at Rockwall-Heath High school, where he was involved in band and robotics. He graduated from Rockwall-Heath in 2011. He went to Jr College and got a certificate for Level 1 firefighting and a machinist certification as well. He worked at Kroger in Rockwall and had a full-time job at Rockwell American in Royse City.

On his way to work on January 30th, 2017, Colten got a flat tire. He was not far from his work, so he decided to walk the rest of the way, not wanting to be late. He was struck and killed by a vehicle. The man that struck him was not tested for drugs or his phone records checked. There is not a mandatory law to have drug testing or phone records retrieved in a fatality accident. We want to make it a law. We don’t want other families to have to wonder. Colten’s favorite color was red, and he was killed on a Monday, so we have a campaign to wear red on Mondays. We have two Facebook pages #redforColten and the Colten Carney Memorial Fund. We would love for you to like our pages and spread awareness to your friends and family.

(Carney Source: Colten Carney Memorial Fund Website)