Sarah Feinberg
{{Short description|American political communications operative and transport executive}}
{{Infobox Officeholder
| name = Sarah Feinberg
| image = Sarah Feinberg official photo.jpg
| office = President of the New York City Transit Authority
| status = Interim
| governor = Andrew Cuomo
| term_end = July 2021
| predecessor = Andy Byford
| successor = Craig Cipriano (interim)
Richard A. Davey
| office1 = Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration
| president1 = Barack Obama
| term_start1 = 2015
| term_end1 = 2017
| predecessor1 = Joseph C. Szabo
| successor1 = Patrick Warren (Acting)
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|10|3}}
| birth_place = Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Democratic
| education = Washington and Lee University (BA)
National Defense University
| spouse = {{marriage|Daniel Pfeiffer|2006|2011|reason=divorced}}
}}
Sarah Elizabeth Feinberg (born October 3, 1977) is an American civic employee who previously served as the Interim President of the New York City Transit Authority from 2020 to 2021, and a former Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. She was nominated for the role of MTA Chairperson but was ultimately not selected for the position.{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/114/chrg/shrg99711/CHRG-114shrg99711.htm|title=Nomination of Sarah E. Feinberg to be Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation|publisher=Senate Hearing 114-227; U.S. Government Publishing Office|date=September 17, 2015}} Her background is mostly in communications.
Early life and education
Feinberg is a native of Charleston, West Virginia.{{cite web|last=Hennelly |first=Bob |url=https://thechiefleader.com/news/news_of_the_week/air-they-breathe-on-job-a-factor-in-high-total-of-transit-worker-deaths/article_2ef655c0-7b62-11ea-a887-4f9eb456109c.html |title=Air They Breathe on Job a Factor In High Total of Transit-Worker Deaths |work=The Chief Leader |date= April 16, 2020|accessdate=April 22, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://new.mta.info/people/sarah-e-feinberg|title=Sarah E. Feinberg; Interim President of the New York City Transit|website=MTA}}{{cite web|url=https://www.masstransitmag.com/management/press-release/21127445/mta-new-york-city-transit-mta-appoints-sarah-feinberg-as-interim-president-of-new-york-city-transit|title=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.|work=Mass Transit Magazine|date=February 27, 2020}} Her father is attorney Lee Franklin Feinberg, a West Virginia state legislator, and her mother is Mary Elizabeth Stanley, until 2013 a U.S. District Court judge in West Virginia.{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/politicopros/sarahfeinberg.html|title=Sarah Feinberg; Rahm's talking point woman|first=Helena|last=Andrews|work=Politico}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allgov.com/news?news=857557|title=Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration: Who Is Sarah Feinberg?|website=AllGov|date=October 3, 2015|first=Steve|last=Straehley}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/fashion/weddings/sarah-feinberg-h-daniel-pfeiffer.html|title=Sarah Feinberg, H. Daniel Pfeiffer|date=July 16, 2006|work=The New York Times}}
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.
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.{{cite news |url=https://columns.wlu.edu/sarah-feinberg-99-named-acting-federal-railroad-administrator/|title=Sarah Feinberg '99 Named Acting Federal Railroad Administrator|date=February 5, 2015|first=Louise|last=Uffelman|publisher=W&L Magazine }}
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.
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).
In 2017 she founded Feinberg Strategies, LLC, a strategic business and communications consulting practice focused on the tech sector.
=Transportation=
File:Interim MTA NYCT President Sarah Feinberg's First Day (49639039873) (cropped).jpg
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.
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.{{cite news |first=Dan |last=Rivoli |date=February 21, 2019 |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-metro-mta-sarah-feinberg-20190221-story.html |title=Cuomo nominates ex-Federal Railroad Administration chief to MTA board |location=New York |work=Daily News}}{{cite web|first=Mark|last=Hallum|url=https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-names-sarah-feinberg-to-take-over-for-andy-byford-as-interim-nyc-transit-president/|title=MTA names Sarah Feinberg to take over for Andy Byford as interim NYC Transit president |work=amny |date=February 25, 2020 |accessdate=April 22, 2020}} She was nominated for the post by President Obama in June 2015, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.{{cite news |first=Ron |last=Nixon |date=September 17, 2015 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/18/us/sarah-feinberg-federal-railroad-administration.html |title=Lawmakers Press Railroad Nominee on Safety Deadline |work=The New York Times}} Feinberg served on the Amtrak board of directors during that time, and has been a member of the Northeast Corridor Commission, starting in 2015. Feinberg was instrumental in helping Governor 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. In March 2020, Cuomo appointed her interim President of the New York City Transit Authority after the resignation of Andy Byford.{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-sarah-feinberg-nyc-transit-president-20200225-2vqaom5f2za63nf5tygarpk4z4-story.html|title=MTA names Cuomo-appointed board member as interim replacement for ex-NYC Transit President Andy Byford|first=Clayton|last=Guse|location=New York|work=Daily News|date=February 25, 2020}} She stepped away from her position as an MTA Board member to serve. On June 8, 2021, Cuomo nominated Feinberg to be chairperson of the MTA, succeeding Pat Foye, who had been both chairperson and CEO.{{Cite web|last=Yakas|first=Ben|date=June 8, 2021|title=MTA Shakeup: Pat Foye Departs, Sarah Feinberg & Janno Lieber Tapped To Co-Lead Agency|url=https://gothamist.com/|access-date=October 27, 2021|website=Gothamist|language=en}} Due to opposition to splitting the top role between two people, the state Senate did not act on her nomination; as a result, Feinberg left the MTA on July 30, 2021.{{Cite web|last=WABC|date=July 29, 2021|title=Sarah Feinberg leaving MTA after legislature fails to approve leadership changes|url=https://abc7ny.com/10916362/|access-date=October 27, 2021|website=ABC7 New York|language=en}}
=Other work=
Feinberg currently serves on the StoryCorps board of directors. She is currently a Senior Advisor at the MarTech startup, Applecart. https://www.applecart.co/#
Personal
She is a resident of the East Village in Manhattan, New York City, with her partner and daughter.{{cite web|url=http://gothamist.com/news/q-sarah-feinberg-new-interim-president-new-york-city-transit|title=A Q&A With Sarah Feinberg, New Interim President Of New York City Transit|first=Stephen|last=Nessen|date=March 2, 2020|work=Gothamist}} She was previously married to Dan Pfeiffer.{{cite news |last1=Carmon |first1=Irin |title=The Woman Tasked With Saving the Subway Is Still Commuting on It |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/amp/2020/05/sarah-feinberg-mta-profile.html |accessdate=May 29, 2020 |work=New York |date=May 26, 2020}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://twitter.com/feinbergsarah?lang=en Twitter page]
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Joseph C. Szabo}}
{{s-ttl|title=Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration|years=2015–2017}}
{{s-aft|after=Patrick Warren
{{small|Acting}}}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feinberg, Sarah}}
Category:21st-century American railroad executives
Category:Administrators of the Federal Railroad Administration
Category:Bloomberg L.P. people
Category:Executives of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Category:National Defense University alumni
Category:Obama administration personnel
Category:People from Charleston, West Virginia
Category:People from the East Village, Manhattan