Sarah Feinberg

Sarah Feinberg
Born	(1977-10-03) October 3, 1977 Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Public official, communications expert
Years active	1999–present
Known for	Interim President of New York City Transit Authority (2020–2021), Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (2015–2017)

Sarah Elizabeth Feinberg (born October 3, 1977) is an American public official who held the position of Interim President at the New York City Transit Authority between 2020 and 2021, and previously led the Federal Railroad Administration as its Administrator. Although nominated for the position of MTA Chairperson, she was ultimately not appointed. Her expertise lies primarily in the field of communications.

Early life and education

Originating from Charleston, West Virginia, Feinberg is the daughter of Lee Franklin Feinberg, a lawyer and former state legislator, and Mary Elizabeth Stanley, who served as a U.S. District Court judge in West Virginia until 2013.

She completed her undergraduate studies with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics at Washington and Lee University in 1999. Later, during 2008–09, she pursued studies focused on Middle East foreign policy at the National Defense University (Washington, D.C.).

Early career

Beginning her career on Capitol Hill in 1999, Feinberg held various roles including working with the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, acting as communications director for the House Democratic Caucus, serving as press secretary at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and functioning as national press secretary for then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.

Between 2009 and 2010, she was part of the Obama administration, where she served as special assistant to the president and senior advisor to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Communications

Feinberg was appointed Global Communications Director at Bloomberg LP from 2010 to 2011 and subsequently took on the role of Director of Policy and Crisis Communications at Facebook from 2011 through 2013.

In 2017, she launched Feinberg Strategies, LLC, a consultancy specializing in strategic business and communications services tailored to the technology industry.

Transportation

Between 2013 and 2015, Feinberg acted as chief of staff to United States Secretary of Transportation Anthony R. Foxx, providing guidance on both operational matters and legislative affairs.

Appointed as the 13th Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration from 2015 to 2017, she was only the second woman to occupy this role. Nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate, Feinberg was responsible for overseeing rail safety regulations and held memberships on both the Amtrak board and the Northeast Corridor Commission. She notably contributed to resolving a 2016 labor dispute involving the Long Island Rail Road under Governor Andrew Cuomo.

In February 2019, Feinberg joined the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board as Chair of the Transit Committee. Following Andy Byford’s resignation in March 2020, Governor Cuomo appointed her as interim President of the New York City Transit Authority, prompting her resignation from the MTA Board to assume this role. On June 8, 2021, Cuomo put forward her nomination for MTA chairperson to replace Pat Foye, but due to objections regarding dividing leadership responsibilities, her confirmation by the state Senate was not secured. Feinberg exited the MTA on July 30, 2021.

Other work

Feinberg holds a position on the board of directors at StoryCorps and serves as a Senior Advisor for Applecart, a startup operating within the MarTech sector.

Personal

She lives in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan with her daughter and partner. Feinberg was formerly married to Dan Pfeiffer.

External links

• Official Twitter account