Greer Johnson Gillis
Senior Vice President/Chief Infrastructure & Development Officer
Greer Johnson Gillis is a senior vice president and Chief Infrastructure & Development Officer for the JTA. During her 29-year career, Ms. Gillis has implemented sustainable policies and managed large-scale infrastructure projects.
Ms. Gillis oversees the System Development Division and is responsible for the following departments: Automation & Innovation; Construction & Engineering; Planning & Sustainability; Facilities Management & Transit Amenities; Small Business & Community Impact; and the Capital Projects Office. Ms. Gillis joined the JTA in April 2020. In her first months at the JTA, Ms. Gillis established the JTA’s Capital Projects Office to focus on efficient project delivery, the Sustainability Program Office to elevate sustainability and resiliency initiatives throughout the agency, and initiated the first phase of the Authority’s strategic planning efforts.
In 2014, Ms. Gillis was honored by President Obama and U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx as a White House Champion of Change: Transportation Ladders of Opportunity. In 2017, she was honored by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) with the Women Who Move the Nation Local Government Award. In 2022, Ms. Gillis was honored with the COMTO Thomas G. Newsom Founders’ Leadership Award, which is the highest award given by the organization. It honors transportation executives and policymakers who have contributed to the growth and development of people of color within their organization. In 2008, she was appointed by the interim director of District (DC) Department of Transportation to serve as the city’s transportation lead for the 2009 presidential inauguration.
Prior to serving at the JTA, Ms. Gillis held several executive positions in the District of Columbia Government, including commissioner on the Public Service Commission, director of the DC Department of General Services, and deputy director of the District Department of Transportation. She also has many years of private-sector experience working for several engineering companies.
Ms. Gillis is an active member of the Women’s Transportation Seminar NE Florida Chapter and serves as the 1st Vice President of the COMTO Jacksonville Chapter. She is also a steering committee member of Elevate Women NE Florida, the City of Jacksonville’s Better Jacksonville Plan Finance and Project Administration Committees, and a member of the Jacksonville’ Women Network. She is a graduate of Leadership Jacksonville Class of 2022, and a graduate of the 2022 Eno Center for Transportation’s Senior Executive Program.
Ms. Gillis holds a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, and a Master’s of Science degree in civil engineering with a concentration in transportation, both from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is a licensed professional engineer in Virginia and Washington, DC.