Organizational Overview
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is an independent governmental agency created by the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act (70-ILCS-3605).
CTA began operating on Oct. 1, 1947, after it acquired the properties of the Chicago Rapid Transit Company and the Chicago Surface Lines. On Oct. 1, 1952, CTA became the predominant operator of Chicago transit when it purchased the Chicago Motor Coach system.
Governance & Oversight
The governing arm of CTA is the Chicago Transit Board. Lester L. Barclay serves as Chairman. The board consists of seven members, four appointed by the Mayor of Chicago and three by the Governor of Illinois.
The Mayor's appointees are subject to the approval of the Governor and the Chicago City Council; the Governor's appointees are subject to the approval of the Mayor and the Illinois State Senate. CTA's day-to-day operations are directed by Dorval R. Carter, Jr., President.
CTA generates revenue from both farebox collections and non-farebox revenues, and also receives supplemental funding for operating expenses from the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA).
The RTA was established in 1974 to oversee local transportation operators in the six-county Chicago metropolitan area. Illinois state law requires the three RTA service boards—CTA, Metra (the suburban rail system) and Pace (the suburban bus system) to recover collectively at least 50 percent of operating costs from farebox and other system revenues.
CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen
Nora Leerhsen is acting president of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), one of the nation’s largest public transit agencies, providing approximately one million rides on an average weekday and serving the City of Chicago and 35 surrounding suburbs. Overseeing more than 10,000 employees, Leerhsen carries out CTA’s mission of delivering quality, affordable transit services that link people, jobs and communities. She is the first woman to the lead CTA in the agency’s history.
Leerhsen joined the CTA in 2014 and has served in various roles prior to becoming chief of staff in 2018, including senior advisor to the chief of staff/chief operating officer and deputy chief of staff. She also worked in CTA’s Safety and Law departments on agencywide audits, ethics matters, and safety compliance.
During her six-year tenure as chief of staff, Leerhsen oversaw all aspects of CTA’s operations, including service delivery, capital planning, employee programming and communications strategy. She represented the agency at board meetings for CTA and the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), meetings of the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, and during legislative engagement and policymaking initiatives. She also served as the primary liaison to the Mayor’s Office, the Chicago Transit Board, city departments and agencies, the RTA and the region’s two other public transit service boards, Metra and Pace Suburban Bus. She was a key agency leader during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery, including spearheading the establishment of CTA’s on-site employee vaccination program.
Leerhsen began her 20-year career in public service as a public school teacher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a part of the Teach For America program. After moving to Chicago, she continued to teach in the public schools and also worked as a college counselor prior to attending law school.
Leerhsen holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master’s degree in social science from the University of Chicago, a master’s degree in education from Chestnut Hill College, and a bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University.
Organizational Chart
View Administrative Org. Chart (.pdf)
See also