Months after failure of Durham light rail, GoTriangle chief to step down

The head of the Triangle's regional transit authority announced Wednesday he will step down after four years on the job.

Posted 8:12 p.m. Jun 26, 2019 — Updated 8:12 p.m. Jun 26, 2019

Tyler Dukes

, WRAL investigative reporter

The head of the Triangle's regional transit authority announced Wednesday he will step down after four years on the job.

GoTriangle President and CEO Jeff Mann oversaw a transit operations in Wake, Durham, Orange, Johnston and Alamance counties, and was often the public face of its high-profile projects. That includes a proposal for Durham-Orange Light Rail, which ultimately fell apart in early April after planners failed to secure necessary funding and agreements to move forward.

Mann's will leave his post on July 31, when current General Counsel Shelley Blake will take over as interim CEO.

A letter to staff from GoTriangle Board of Trustees Chair Ellen Reckhow Wednesday said Mann was leaving to pursue other opportunities and spend more time with family "after an intense 18 months occupied quite a bit of his time."

Mann also helped the organization secure $20 million in federal grants for the additional construction of a bus station at Raleigh Union Station, a larger $111.4 million transit structure for commuter rail on Martin Street that opened in 2018.

"Through the good times and the tough ones, Jeff and his team have worked closely and diligently with our board," Reckhow said in the letter. "We sincerely appreciate all of his hard work, his leadership and his dedication to a shared regional vision for transit."

GoTriangle hired Mann in July 2015 after years of work for other transit-related agencies, including the N.C. Department of Transportation, Amtrak and the N.C. Railroad Company.

He will continue with GoTriangle in a supporting role until Aug. 31 "to help with a smooth transition," Reckhow said.

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