Sarah Feinberg

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Sarah Feinberg
Sarah Feinberg official photo.jpg
Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration
In office
2015–2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byJoseph C. Szabo
Succeeded byPatrick Warren (Acting)
(Interim) President of the New York Transit Authority
In office
March 2020 – July 2021
GovernorAndrew Cuomo
Preceded byAndy Byford
Succeeded by(interim)Craig Cipriano
Personal details
Born (1977-10-03) October 3, 1977 (age 43)
Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 2006; div. 2011)​
EducationWashington and Lee University (BA)
National Defense University

Sarah Elizabeth Feinberg (born October 3, 1977) was the Interim President of the New York City Transit Authority, and a former Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, and the chosen MTA Chairperson as of June 8, 2021, but was ultimately not selected for the position.[1] Her background is mostly in communications.[2]

Early life and education[]

Feinberg is a native of Charleston, West Virginia.[3][4][5][1] Her father is attorney , a West Virginia state legislator, and her mother is , until 2013 a U.S. District Court judge in West Virginia.[6][7][8]

She attended Washington and Lee University, where she obtained a B.A. in Politics in 1999. She also attended National Defense University in 2008-09, studying Middle East foreign policy.[1][6]

Early career[]

Feinberg spent a number of years on Capitol Hill beginning in 1999, including working for the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, as the communications director for the House Democratic Caucus, the press secretary at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the national press secretary to then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.[4][1][9][7]

From 2009-10, she served in the Obama administration as special assistant to the president, and senior advisor to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.[4][5]

Career[]

Communications[]

Feinberg served as Bloomberg LP’s Global Communications Director (2010-11), and as the Director of Policy and Crisis Communications at Facebook (2011-13).[4][5][1]

In 2017 she founded Feinberg Strategies, LLC, a strategic business and communications consulting practice focused on the tech sector.[4]

Transportation[]

Feinberg's first day as Interim President of New York City Transit Authority.

From 2013 to 2015 she served as chief of staff of United States Secretary of Transportation Anthony R. Foxx in the US Department of Transportation, providing strategic advice and counsel to the Secretary regarding operational and legislative initiatives.[4][5][1][9]

Feinberg, from 2015 to 2017, served as the 13th Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, the safety regulator of the U.S. rail system, becoming the second woman in history to do so.[10][11] She was nominated for the post by President Obama in June 2015, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.[12] Feinberg served on the Amtrak board of directors during that time, and has been a member of the Northeast Corridor Commission, starting in 2015.[4][1] Feinberg was instrumental in helping Andrew Cuomo resolve a LIRR dispute in 2016.

Beginning in February 2019, she was a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board, where she was the Transit Committee Chair.[4][5][11] Feinberg was named the Interim President, by Andrew Cuomo, of the New York City Transit Authority as of March 2020, after the resignation of Andy Byford.[4][5][13][14] She stepped away from her position as an MTA Board member to serve.[11] She had been chosen by the Governor Andrew Cuomo as the new Chairperson of the MTA on June 8, 2021, to replace current MTA Chairman Patrick Foye, who will lead the Empire State Economic Development Authority effective July 30, 2021. Ultimately, Feinberg was not approved for the position, and she left the MTA in July of 2021.

Other work[]

Feinberg currently serves on the StoryCorps board of directors.[4][1]

Personal[]

She is a resident of the East Village in Manhattan, New York City, with her partner and daughter.[4][5][15] She was previously married to Dan Pfeiffer.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h "NOMINATION OF SARAH E. FEINBERG TO BE ADMINISTRATOR, FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION". Senate Hearing 114-227; U.S. Government Publishing Office. September 17, 2015.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Carmon, Irin (May 26, 2020). "The Woman Tasked With Saving the Subway Is Still Commuting on It". New York. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  3. ^ Hennelly, Bob (April 16, 2020). "Air They Breathe on Job a Factor In High Total of Transit-Worker Deaths". The Chief Leader. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k "Sarah E. Feinberg; Interim President of the New York City Transit". MTA.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "MTA appoints Sarah Feinberg as interim president of New York City Transit; Feinberg has previously served as chief of staff at USDOT and was the second woman in history to lead the Federal Railroad Administration". Mass Transit Magazine. February 27, 2020.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Helena Andrews. "Sarah Feinberg; Rahm's talking point woman". Politico.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Steve Straehley (October 3, 2015). "Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration: Who Is Sarah Feinberg?". AllGov.
  8. ^ "Sarah Feinberg, H. Daniel Pfeiffer". The New York Times. July 16, 2006.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Louise Uffelman (February 5, 2015). "Sarah Feinberg '99 Named Acting Federal Railroad Administrator". W&L Magazine.
  10. ^ Dan Rivoli (February 21, 2019). [1], New York Daily News.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c Mark Hallum. "MTA names Sarah Feinberg to take over for Andy Byford as interim NYC Transit president". amny. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  12. ^ Ron Nixon (September 17, 2015)."Lawmakers Press Railroad Nominee on Safety Deadline," The New York Times.
  13. ^ Guse, Clayton (February 25, 2020). "MTA names Cuomo-appointed board member as interim replacement for ex-NYC Transit President Andy Byford". New York Daily News.
  14. ^ Meyer, David (February 25, 2020). "MTA announces interim bus and subways chief, Sarah Feinberg". New York Post.
  15. ^ Stephen Nessen (March 2, 2020). "A Q&A With Sarah Feinberg, New Interim President Of New York City Transit". Gothamist.

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by
Joseph C. Szabo 		Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration
2015–2017 		Succeeded by
Patrick Warren
Acting
Retrieved from ""