Lee Sander Elected RPA Board Chair

Download the PDF News Release.

FOR RELEASE: Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 6pm

For More Information Contact: Neysa Pranger at (212) 253-5796,
(917) 532-0567 or npranger@rpa.org

Former MTA Chief Lee Sander Elected Chair of Regional Plan Association

NEW YORK - By unanimous vote, Regional Plan Association's board of directors has elected Elliot "Lee" G. Sander, current Group Chief Executive, Global Transportation for AECOM, Inc. and former Metropolitan Transportation Authority Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, as Chairman of Regional Plan Association. Mr. Sander will hold the position for a three-year term and replaces outgoing Chair Peter W. Herman, retired partner at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy.

"We are delighted to have Lee's leadership and expertise in shaping public policy and investments in the metropolitan region," said Bob Yaro, President, Regional Plan Association. "I can think of no better person who understands the challenges we face and possesses the skills to set a bold agenda for both RPA and the region. Lee will also provide the leadership we need for RPA's America 2050 program, which is preparing national infrastructure and development strategies, including plans for America's emerging High-speed rail system."

Mr. Sander brings extensive experience from the private sector, academia and public service, having also served as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, as an executive for AECOM's legacy DMJM Harris operation and as founder of New York University's Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management. Mr. Sander, along with RPA President Bob Yaro, founded the Empire State Transportation Alliance in 1997, which has played a critical role in funding New York State's transportation capital program.

"RPA has always been allied with my fundamental belief that the region's economic health is centered around our ability to move people and goods efficiently and sustaining the region's livability." said Mr. Sander. "I look forward to leading this distinguished organization in a new capacity as we forge a path for recovery and livability here and across the country."

"I am thrilled Lee Sander has been elected and has accepted the position as RPA chair," said Peter W. Herman. "I have had a wonderful experience as Chairman of Regional Plan Association, which has been an important part of my life in one capacity or another for almost four decades."

Mr. Herman, who has been associated with RPA professionally for 40 years, including 23 years on the Board and 13 years as Chairman, will continue to serve RPA in an emeritus capacity.

A recommendation in support of Mr. Sander's nomination by the RPA board executive committee was the result of a several-month-long-search for new chairman, which considered and interviewed several candidates. The search committee was led by RPA Treasurer Matthew S. Kissner.

Mr. Sander will lead a board composed of prominent members including former New York City Deputy Mayor Barbara Fife, former New Jersey Governor James Florio, university presidents Robert A. Scott of Adelphi University and Brendan J. Dugan of St. Francis College, and well-known Columbia University historian Kenneth T. Jackson, in addition to representatives from corporate and philanthropic institutions.

Also approved at the meeting were other RPA board officers including Vice Chair positions filled by Christopher Daggett, former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator and New Jersey independent candidate for governor, real estate developer Douglas Durst, the Honorable James Florio, former New Jersey governor, and Patrick Foye, former New York Economic Development Corporation downstate development chief.

Established in 1922 and incorporated in 1929, RPA has played a major role in shaping public policy investments for the Tri-state region for nearly a century. The Association has produced three long-term plans for the region, in 1929, 1968, and 1996.