On Tuesday the Denton County Transportation Authority board of directors met to accept the resignation of President Jim Cline and made a motion to name Raymond Suarez as the new president of the agency.

Suarez, who has served as DCTA's chief operating officer since July 2014, will become the authority's president effective Sept. 14, pending contract negotiations, according to a news release.

“We greatly appreciate the leadership provided by Mr. Cline over the last eight years,” said Nicole Recker, DCTA vice president of marketing and communications, in the news release. “The board of directors and agency staff are confident that Mr. Suarez will continue to foster DCTA’s growth and ability to provide mobility solutions throughout North Texas.”

Prior to DCTA, Suarez served as chief administrative officer for the Trinity Railway Express in which he oversaw aspects of TRE contracts, safety, operations, maintenance and capital programs. During his tenure, Suarez developed the agency’s annual budget, managed the TRE’s long-range capital investment program and state of good repair model, and worked with the regional transit agencies to ensure adherence to annual authorizations. Prior to the TRE, Suarez served in multiple leadership roles within the transit and technology industries, including Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Reactrix Systems, General Dynamics, Superconducting Supercollider, Trans Industries and Vultron Inc. and provided consulting services for various companies throughout his career.

Suarez holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas Wesleyan University.