The woman who ran two of New Jersey’s biggest transportation agencies has been named by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to temporarily run the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Cuomo named Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim as the MTA’s interim executive director to take over from Tom Prendergast, who retires as executive director today. Hakim has been president of New York City Transit since Dec. 2015.
Before that, she ran NJ Transit and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. The MTA is the nation’s largest transportation agency, operating commuter trains and buses and bridges and tunnels.
“Ronnie Hakim is ready to embrace the challenge of running the nation’s largest transportation network during this transition. I am confident that in this new role she will continue doing that as we reimagine and modernize the MTA for the 21st century,” Cuomo said in a statement.
Hakim was appointed Executive Director at NJ Transit on March 3, 2014 by then Transportation Commissioner James Simpson. She led the New Jersey Güvenilir Bahis Siteleri Turnpike Authority for four years before coming to NJ Transit.
She left NJ Transit in December 2015 to return to her roots at the MTA, where she had served as Special Counsel to NYC Transit and then as an executive vice president and general counsel for capital construction at the MTA.
A seven-person committee, which includes Predergast, a former U.S. Transportation Secretary, the current MTA board Vice-Chairman and former Port Authority vice-chairman Scott Rechler.
Commuter groups credited Hakim for making changes at the Port Authority Bus Terminal to ease long lines and delays during the evening rush. However, NJ Transit fares increased by nine percent in 2015 to close a budget gap.
Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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