The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority will have a new executive director for the first time in the organization’s history,

On Jan. 27, The Mobility Authority’s board of directors approved James Bass, former executive director at the Texas Department of Transportation, to replace Mike Heiligenstein as the next leader of the organization.

Our Board of Directors has selected James Bass as the next executive director. Bass currently serves as executive director for @TxDOT and will transition to his new role this spring. Welcome, Mr. Bass! pic.twitter.com/NrGLhCSN9Z

— Mobility Authority (@CTXMobility) January 27, 2021

Heiligenstein initially announced his intention to step down in early 2020 but stayed on longer than he expected to help the organization through COVID-19. He officially stepped down from his position Jan. 24 after serving as the Mobility Authority’s only executive director since his initial appointment in 2003.

According to his official TxDOT biography, Bass has worked for the state department since 1985. He became TxDOT’s chief financial officer in 2005 before being named executive director in 2016.