Tampa, Fla.’s Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) board of directors appointed Jeffrey Seward to serve as interim CEO while the board conducts a national search for a permanent replacement.

The board voted unanimously to approve Seward, a six-year HART employee who currently serves as CFO, to succeed Katharine Eagan who recently announced her departure after nearly eight years of service to be CEO of the Port Authority of Allegheny County, Pa. Her last day at HART will be Jan. 5.

Prior to joining HART, Seward made valuable contributions while working as the chief financial planning officer for Sarasota County where he was responsible for the management and execution of the county's billion dollar annual budget, managing to build reserves to the point where very few services were required to be cut during the height of the recession. He also was instrumental in the financing strategy and planning for a $32 million major league baseball facility, which led to the Baltimore Orioles' making Sarasota its new spring training home.

Seward originally joined HART in 2011 as CFO, where he is responsible for account and financial reporting, budget, cash management, internal audit, procurement, contracts administration, grants and planning, environmental management sustainability, and project management.