TransLink Chair Dale Parker has announced that Thomas Prendergast, who ran subway and commuter rail systems for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority in the 1990s, will become the new CEO of Metro Vancouver’s regional transportation authority.

Prendergast, of Monroe Township, N.J., comes to TransLink with more than 30 years experience in transportation operations and infrastructure development. He served as senior vice president of New York City’s subway system from 1990 to 1994, and as president of the Long Island Rail Road, the largest commuter railroad in the United States, from 1994 to 2000.

Currently, he is director of services for the Americas for Parsons Brinckerhoff, an international leader in planning, engineering and construction management of infrastructure projects, where he has helped oversee more than 3,500 projects valued at more than $1 billion in North and South America.

Chair Parker says the search for a replacement for Pat Jacobsen, who left TransLink at the end of May after seven years, attracted worldwide attention. "There are few organizations anywhere that have the scope and mandate that TransLink has to plan, finance and deliver an integrated transit system covering all modes as well as to oversee a large regional network of major arterial roads. In our search for Pat’s replacement, we found that someone with Tom’s broad range of credentials is quite rare."

"Tom has specific experience in large and complex transportation agencies and he has worked with communities and political leaders on the significant challenges involved in expanding and improving transportation systems. He has also been a national leader in the United States on initiatives to address safety and security on transit.

"As importantly, he has transit operations experience, practically right from the shop floor and understands all the dynamics of meeting the public’s expectations for good service," Parker added.

Former TransLink CEO Pat Jacobsen echoed Chair Parker’s comments. "It was rewarding to assist the board in its process to recruit a new CEO for TransLink. Tom Prendergast is extremely well regarded in the transportation field across North America as having a solid reputation in both the public and private sectors. TransLink is getting someone with very strong leadership abilities."

Janette Sadik-Khan, chair of New York City's Transit Commission and a commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, has worked with Prendergast for more than 20 years in both the public and private sectors. "Tom has the leadership and technical skills to move large and complex transportation projects forward. He compliments this with a genuine sensitivity for the impact on the community and for the benefits ultimately delivered to customers. We're sorry to lose him — his move is a big loss for New York and a major gain for Metro Vancouver."

Prendergast, his wife and two children, are expected to arrive in late July or August. He says the attraction of the challenge and the quality of life in the region were the biggest factors in his decision. "I doubt that many people in Metro Vancouver are aware of TransLink’s worldwide reputation in the transportation industry. But I know that dozens of delegations from across the globe visit each year to see first hand how they are able to move forward so effectively with such a massive program of road and transit improvements, not to mention all the support for cycling, walking and other travel options," he said.

"One of the biggest things that made the CEO’s position so attractive to me is the scope of TransLink’s mandate. I’ve had years of experience in just about all aspects of transportation, but this is the first time I’ll have had the opportunity to apply all of it in one place," he added.

"Of course, the opportunity to bring my family to one of the most livable places in the world was a factor in my decision personally, but professionally, the opportunity to make a contribution toward preserving that quality of life for the whole region was too good to pass up. The vision shown in TransLink’s long-term strategy and the sheer size of the provincial government’s transit plan and its Gateway road projects are all clear signals that there will be ample opportunities for me and everyone at TransLink to help fulfill Metro Vancouver’s goals for prosperous and sustainable growth," Prendergast said.