Nuria I. Fernandez

Nuria I. Fernandez
Born	Panama City, Panama
Occupation(s)	Civil engineer, public transportation executive
Years active	1983–present
Known for	Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (2021–2024)

Nuria I. Fernandez is a Panamanian-American civil engineer who held the position of administrator at the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) from June 10, 2021, until February 24, 2024. Initially appointed as deputy administrator on January 21, 2021, she served as acting administrator prior to her official confirmation in June. Fernandez has occupied executive roles within prominent transit organizations, including serving as general manager and CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (2014–2021), chief operating officer at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) (2011–2014), and senior vice president responsible for design and construction at both the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) from 1994 to 1997.

Early life and education

Fernandez was born and grew up in Panama City, Panama, in a modest family with two brothers and Jamaican heritage. She moved to the United States to pursue higher education, obtaining a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Bradley University in 1982, followed by an MBA from Roosevelt University in 1990.

Career

During her studies at Bradley University, Fernandez completed an internship at the Panama Canal Company, subsequently joining their engineering division at the Gatún Locks after graduation. Between 1983 and 1990, she worked with the Chicago Department of Public Works, then transitioned to the CTA from 1990 to 1993, where she contributed to planning and managing $1 billion worth of upgrades at O'Hare International Airport. From 1993 to 1994, she held the role of Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). She then served as Assistant General Manager at WMATA between 1994 and 1997, overseeing the $2.1 billion Metrorail extension initiative. In 1997, President Bill Clinton appointed her as FTA Deputy Administrator; she acted as Administrator starting in 1999 and was nominated for the Administrator role in 2000, though her nomination was ultimately returned that same year.

Following this period at the FTA, Fernandez joined engineering consulting firms Earth Tech in Long Beach, CA, and CH2M in Englewood, CO. Her work included managing programs for the Panama Canal Authority and contributing to public transit modernization efforts. Between 2006 and 2008, she served as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation, stepping down amid challenges such as unsuccessful airline expansion negotiations and operational difficulties.

Fernandez was considered for the position of U.S. Secretary of Transportation during both the Obama and Biden administrations. In October 2011, Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed her as COO of the MTA alongside Chair Joseph Lhota. She departed this role in 2013 to assume leadership of VTA. During her tenure there, VTA collaborated with Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to extend service from Fremont to San Jose via the Silicon Valley BART extension. From 2019 through 2020, she chaired the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

In January 2021, Fernandez was named deputy Administrator of the FTA, serving as acting Administrator until her Senate confirmation by voice vote on June 10, 2021. Notably, her confirmation hearing took place exactly twenty-one years after her initial nomination hearing under President Clinton. She became the first FTA Administrator confirmed by the Senate since Peter Rogoff in May 2009. Prior to her confirmation, K. Jane Williams had acted as Administrator from January 2020 following a returned nomination.

External links

• Biography of Nuria Fernandez at the Federal Transit Administration
• Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Nomination Hearing, May 11, 2021