3 new members to join MTA Board includes 2 current & former NYCDOT Commissioner (1298114) | |||
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3 new members to join MTA Board includes 2 current & former NYCDOT Commissioner |
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Posted by Gold_12th on Fri Jun 20 23:42:01 2014 NYC Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and Metro-North Commuter Council’s Neal ZuckermanThe Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that two new members are joining the MTA Board. New York City Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg will assume the seat formerly occupied by former New York City Budget Director Mark Page. Neal Zuckerman of the Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council will take the non-voting seat formerly occupied by the Council’s Jim Blair. Trottenberg and Zuckerman were confirmed to their positions today by the New York Senate after being nominated recently by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Trottenberg had been recommended to Governor Cuomo by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Zuckerman had been recommended by the Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council to the MTA. The Senate today also re-confirmed two existing Board members, Andrew Albert and Ira Greenberg. “Polly Trottenberg and I already have a great working relationship through her leadership of the New York City Department of Transportation,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “I am delighted that we’ll be able to build upon and further strengthen that relationship through her new role on our Board. I have the utmost respect for the work of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Council to the MTA and its constituent organizations including the Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council. In that vein, I welcome Neal Zuckerman to our board and look forward to working with him on a more regular basis going forward. I thank both Commissioners Page and Blair for their long service to New Yorkers through their service on our Board.” “I thank Mayor de Blasio, Governor Cuomo and the NY State Senate for entrusting me with this role on the MTA’s executive board,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “As one of the Mayor’s representatives, I pledge that the City and the MTA will be strong partners in providing safe and essential transit services to the millions of people who ride the system every day. New Yorkers rely on the MTA to provide access to jobs and opportunity and our transit network is fundamental to the economic vitality of the City and the region.” “The MTA’s heritage includes a great deal of high quality customer service and efficiency, but last year’s difficulties with Metro-North have given us pause,” said Neal Zuckerman. “I am proud to join the MTA Board to help management and my fellow board members, from the perspective of a commuter, reach resolutions to some of the difficulties that have been become a focus recently.” Polly Trottenberg Polly Trottenberg was sworn in as Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation on January 27, 2014. Responsible for one of the largest portfolios of any municipal agency, NYCDOT provides for the safe, efficient and sustainable movement of people and goods throughout the five boroughs. With an annual operating budget of $900 million and a five-year $6.3 billion capital program, NYCDOT’s assets cover more than 25 percent of New York City’s land area. Every day, 4,500 skilled and dedicated agency employees meet the challenge of maintaining a state of good repair for 6,000 miles of the world’s busiest streets and highways, one million street signs, 315,000 street lights and 12,700 signalized intersections. Together with operating the Staten Island Ferry, the nation’s busiest commuter ferry service, and managing 789 bridges, including the iconic East River Bridges, NYCDOT upholds and enhances the transportation infrastructure crucial to the city’s economic vitality and quality of life. With NYCDOT serving as one of the lead agencies in implementing Mayor de Blasio's Vision Zero traffic safety initiative, Trottenberg’s priorities include establishing policies and programs to dramatically reduce traffic fatalities and injuries and continue the effort to make New York's streets the safest in the country. Trottenberg is also focused on improving public space and transportation options, including Select Bus Service and cycling, in underserved neighborhoods so that all New Yorkers have access to jobs, education and opportunities to improve their daily lives. Trottenberg’s 22 years of government experience include over four years at USDOT, most recently as the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, where she developed key initiatives for the Obama Administration, including the groundbreaking TIGER discretionary grant program. In 2008, Trottenberg was named as the first Executive Director of Building America’s Future, a non-profit organization that advocates for increased investment in infrastructure and major transportation policy reform. During her 12 years on Capitol Hill, Trottenberg served with U.S. Senators Charles Schumer, Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Barbara Boxer. Prior to her work in Congress, Trottenberg also served at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Trottenberg holds a B.A. in History from Barnard College and an M.P.P. from the Kennedy School of Government and lives in Brooklyn. Neal Zuckerman Neal Zuckerman is a Partner and Managing Director in the New York office of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consulting firm and advisor on business strategy with 81 offices in 45 countries. Neal’s professional advisory work is centered on media and entertainment companies, with a particular focus on supporting the transformation of media companies into sustainable, digitally-oriented businesses through growth strategies, business development and large-scale change. Prior to BCG, Zuckerman served in related roles at Time Warner and McKinsey & Company. Zuckerman is a resident of Garrison, NY (the station from which he commutes on Metro-North), and was appointed as Putnam County's representative to the Metro North Railroad Commuter Council (MNRCC) in 2010 by Governor Paterson and nominated by then County Executive Bob Bondi. The Metro North Railroad Commuter Council, an arm of the Permanent Citizens' Advisory Council to the MTA, is a statutory entity that serves as a source of timely advice to the MTA about its finance, operations, management, planning and service. In addition to his role on the MNRCC, Zuckerman serves in a variety of community-based roles, to include as a member of the Philipstown Planning Board, a Trustee of the Desmond-Fish Library, and a former President and Trustee of the Putnam County Historical Society. He is also the former chair of the New York Public Radio Community Board of Advisors. Prior to his business career, Zuckerman was a Captain in the U.S. Army, having served as a helicopter pilot and in various staff roles. He holds a B.S. in History from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. The Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council was created by the New York State Legislature in 1981 to represent the official voice of Metro-North riders. It’s eleven volunteer members are appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Westchester, Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, and Rockland County Executives, and the Bronx Borough President. http://www.mta.info/press-release/mta-headquarters/two-new-members-join-mta-board-0 Iris Weinshall Joins MTA Board The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that Iris Weinshall will join the MTA Board effective July 1, assuming the seat currently occupied by Mark D. Lebow. Weinshall was confirmed to the position today by the New York Senate after being recently nominated by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. She had been recommended to Governor Cuomo by Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Iris Weinshall brings to the MTA Board a depth of experience in infrastructure maintenance and upgrading and transportation management and policy that will be of tremendous benefit to us we continue to strive to make improvements to everything we do,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “We will benefit from her expertise, and we are looking forward to welcoming her into her new role on the MTA Board starting next month.” Iris Weinshall served as New York City Transportation Commissioner from September 2000 to January 2007. She is currently Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning, Construction, and Management at The City University of New York, where she is responsible for the University’s award-winning design and planning initiatives and a five-year capital construction budget of more than $3 billion for 23 colleges and University professional schools. As CUNY Vice Chancellor, Weinshall is responsible for physical plant maintenance and operations, facilities planning, and capital programs; planning, negotiating, and implementing capital construction and rehabilitation programs in consultation with a broad range of constituencies including the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York and the City University Construction Fund; and monitoring and providing technical assistance and support to the campuses for the operation and utilization of the 26-million-square-foot, 300-building CUNY plant. As New York City Transportation Commissioner, Weinshall supervised a $5 billion capital program that included the construction of the widely-praised Whitehall Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan and the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island. Under her leadership, the NYC DOT consolidated its offices at 55 Water Street in lower Manhattan and launched a major program to rehabilitate and maintain the city’s huge network of bridges and roadways, including the nearly $3 billion rehabilitation of the city’s East River Bridges. Ms. Weinshall implemented programs to improve traffic flow and upgrade the city’s infrastructure, while making the city's streets and sidewalks safer for millions of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. Ms. Weinshall was appointed Special Transportation Advisor to Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2003, with responsibility for shaping the city’s transportation strategy. Mayor Bloomberg also named her to the Taxi and Limousine Commission. During Commissioner Weinshall’s tenure, pedestrian fatalities in New York fell to their lowest level since 1910. The THRU Streets Program, implemented in 2003 by Commissioner Weinshall and Mayor Bloomberg to enhance traffic flow in Midtown Manhattan, has reduced cross-town travel times by 25% and increased vehicle speeds by 33%. In addition, DOT filled a record 260,000 potholes in 2005 and was able to respond to pothole complaints reported to the city's 311 line in four days, on average. Ms. Weinshall graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College, and earned her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. In 2000, she was named Alumna of the Year by the Brooklyn College Alumni Association, the group's highest honor, in recognition of her commitment to the betterment of the community through her many professional and civic achievements. About the MTA Board The MTA Board is comprised of 23 members. Seventeen voting members cast 14 votes, and six members are non-voting. All members, including the Chairman, are nominated by the Governor of the State of New York and confirmed by the New York State Senate. Before being nominated, four of the voting members are recommended by the Mayor of the City of New York and seven are recommended by the executives of the seven suburban counties in New York State that are served by the MTA. The six non-voting members are recommended by organizations that represent organized labor or MTA customers. http://www.mta.info/press-release/mta-headquarters/iris-weinshall-joins-mta-board |