DART CEO Nadine Lee said she is stepping down and will not seek renewal of her employment agreement, according to a resignation letter she released to NBC 5. Lee said the decision is part of a leadership transition and comes at a time when tensions between DART and its member cities have eased so mewhat. Lee reflected on arriving in Texas about five years ago. “Actually when we came here from LA we were really struck by how green it became,” said Lee. Lee said she is willing to be open about her departure. “There’s no secret here. This is a leadership transition. It’s part of the evolution,” said Lee. Lee said she began to feel the timing was right to make a change. “As I looked at the tea leaves, I started to think, you know maybe now is a good time to make a jump if I was going to do it,” said Lee. The letter, addressed to DART Chair Randal Bryant, read in part:“After careful and extended reflection, I’m writing to advise you that I do not intend to seek a renewal of my employment agreement…” Bryant acknowledged that the move caught the board somewhat off guard. “I think it was a little bit of a surprise, yeah,” said Bryant. Lee said there is never an ideal moment to leave. “There’s never a good time to leave, but the truth is you have to pick a time,” said Lee. Her resignation comes as DART continues navigating tensions with member cities, with three cities still facing the possibility of leaving the system. Lee said the regional political climate has improved somewhat. “Even though the three cities are still quite important to us, at least we’ve gotten to a point where I think the politics of the region have calmed down just a little bit,” said Lee. Lee said her answer may have been different just a few months ago. “And so, if you’d asked me this three months ago, I may have had a different answer, right? I may not have been considering leaving at this time,” said Lee. In a statement, Bryant praised Lee’s leadership: “Her leadership strengthened operations, improved safety and reliability, and positioned DART to remain a critical mobility partner for the region,” said Bryant. Lee said she is leaving with some sense of progress, even if questions remain. “Could it have been different? Sure, maybe. We don’t really know, and we’ll never know. But we have an agreement with our cities that now allows everyone to move forward, and the idea is for everyone to move forward together,” said Lee. Lee said she does not yet know when her last day will be. “It’s good,” said Lee. She also said she has not decided what comes next. “I think the west coast,” said Lee. Lee said DART’s 10-year strategic plan, which was set in motion two years ago, is bigger than any one person. Lee said big organizational goals are never truly finished. “I think when you have a big vision for an organization, you don’t ever really complete it, right?” said Lee. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication. ...read more read less