Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announced in a news release Monday that President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. will retire after 10 years as the agency’s leader. Upon retiring, Carter will become president and CEO of St. Anthony Hospital “in the coming weeks,”according to the release.
Carter began working for the CTA in 1984 as a staff attorney and has worked for the agency for a combined 26 years. For nearly 15 years of his career, he worked in various roles at the United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
During his decade as president, Carter oversaw more than $11 billion in projects that have either been completed, started or announced. These include the Red and Purple Modernization Program, the Red Line Extension, the renovation of the 95th/Dan Ryan Terminal and the Wilson Station Reconstruction project.
While he faced staunch pressure to resign from many in the Chicago City Council and from others during his tenure as CTA president–particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic–Carter received praise from Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Transit board chairman Lester Barclay.
“The City of Chicago is grateful to President Dorval Carter for his decades of service with the Chicago Transit Authority … His leadership reimagined the movement of our city,” Johnson said.
Johnson and Barclay both noted Carter’s leadership of the Red Line Extension, a project that seeks to revitalize the far south side and S. Michigan Ave. It was recently announced that the CTA will partner with the Driehaus College of Business to support small businesses and underserved communities as part of the project.
“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,” Barclay said.
Carter’s retirement from the agency will be effective on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.
“Serving as president of this great agency has been an extraordinary privilege and I am forever grateful for what has been the opportunity of a lifetime,” Carter said. “It has been an honor to work on behalf of CTA customers and to advance our mission in a city that I love so dearly.”
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