Nashville Transportation Director Diana Alarcon Resigns, Leaving Deputy Phillip Jones as Acting Department Head

Leadership change at Metro’s transportation agency

Metro Nashville’s Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure is entering a transition period after Director Diana Alarcon resigned on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. The mayor’s office announced the resignation on Monday, Feb. 23, and named Deputy Director Phillip Jones as acting director.

No official explanation has been provided for Alarcon’s departure. The mayor issued a public statement thanking her for her work over the past four years and wishing her well.

Alarcon’s tenure and the department’s early development

Alarcon was selected in 2021 to lead the city’s then-new transportation department. Her appointment came during a period when Metro government was formalizing a stand-alone structure for transportation planning, street operations, and multimodal projects under a single agency.

In announcing her appointment at the time, Metro described Alarcon as a transportation executive with more than three decades of experience, including work establishing a new municipal transportation department in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She began in the role in early 2022 after being named to the position in late 2021.

Acting director: Phillip Jones and operational priorities

Jones, a long-serving transportation official in Metro government, will assume day-to-day leadership as acting director. Metro has described him as having more than 30 years of experience with the department’s work.

In recent weeks, Jones has been publicly associated with Metro’s planning and operations response during the region’s major winter weather emergency in January 2026, including appearances alongside senior Metro leadership during briefings. The mayor’s office has also credited Jones with oversight of operational changes that include expanded snowplow routing and large-scale pothole repairs.

Metro has not announced a timeline for appointing a permanent director.

What the transition means for ongoing transportation programs

The leadership change comes as the city continues implementing “Choose How You Move,” a voter-approved transportation improvement program funded by a dedicated half-cent sales surcharge. Metro has framed the initiative as a long-term funding source intended to scale up transportation projects across Davidson County, with emphasis on sidewalks, traffic signals, transit service, and safety improvements.

Near-term continuity is expected to be a central focus as Jones steps into the acting role, particularly for operational responsibilities that affect residents immediately—street maintenance, winter weather readiness, and traffic management—alongside longer-range planning tied to the city’s transportation capital program.

Key verified points

• Diana Alarcon resigned on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026; the resignation was announced Monday, Feb. 23.
• Phillip Jones was designated acting director.
• No official reason for the resignation has been made public.
• Alarcon was appointed in 2021 to lead the then-new department.
• The department is involved in implementing the voter-approved “Choose How You Move” transportation program.