INDIANAPOLIS | Governor Mitch Daniels today appointed Leigh Morris the new chairman of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority and executive director of the Indiana Toll Road.

He succeeds the RDA's first chairman, John Clark, who will continue as the director of the Indiana Office of Energy and Defense Development.

Morris, the former LaPorte mayor, will oversee the lease agreement between the state and the Indiana Toll Road Concession Company, which manages the highway's operations.

"Leigh thoroughly knows Northwest Indiana, but doesn't belong to a faction or interest group," Daniels said. "He'll be a trusted, honest broker who can help the RDA board make the wisest investment of the new funds we have provided for the region ... His job at the Indiana Toll Road is simple. Hold the operator strictly accountable for high performance standards and the huge investment the contract requires for constructing and maintaining a superior highway."

State law established the RDA in July 2005. The organization is responsible for developing and funding road, air, rail and bus projects along with improvements to the lakeshore and other economic development initiatives in Lake and Porter counties.

Morris will monitor all facets of the IRTCC's performance and meet regularly with the company's leadership to review their operational and long-term plans. Prior to becoming mayor, he was president and chief executive officer of the LaPorte Regional Health System for 21 years. Morris will report to Karl B. Browning, Indiana Department of Transportation commissioner and will begin his new duties Jan. 14.