A. Lee Graham
Reporter
The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) has appointed Tom Tulley as chief operating officer of the Trinity Railway Express, jointly owned and operated by The T and Dallas Area Rapid Transit, and William Johnson as The T’s grants and disadvantaged business enterprise administrator.
The appointments were made on Monday Jan. 27 at The T’s regular board meeting.
Tulley served as passenger rail specialist for the Federal Railroad Administration Region 5 in Dallas from 1999 to 2012, receiving the FRA’s Bronze Superior Achievement Medal for Passenger Rail Initiatives. He also served as the FRA Region 5 emergency preparedness team leader, railroad safety inspector and safety specialist of maintenance, planning and execution for passenger railroad equipment. Prior to his Federal Railroad Administration position, Tulley served as director-senior manager of locomotive maintenance for Union Pacific Railroad.
In his new Trinity Railway Express position, Tulley fills a restructured chief operating officer position that now includes the role of chief mechanical officer. The positions were consolidated since each oversees overlapping functions of TRE’s contract operator, according to a The T news release.Â
Meanwhile, Johnson has served as assistant director for the city of Fort Worth’s Housing and Economic Development Department since 2008. He was primary adviser on design and implementation of the department’s Minority and Women Business Enterprise Ordinance and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program. He also oversaw the city’s Business Assistance Center, which provides training and counseling to small businesses.
Before joining city staff, Johnson served as manager of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Board’s Small and Emerging Business Department from 1999 to 2008Â
Johnson’s latest appointment sees the transportation veteran return to The T, where he previously worked from 1995 to 1999 as its DBE-EEO (disadvantaged business enterprise-equal employment opportunity) coordinator.
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