Stephanie Pollack is an American government official who serves as the deputy administrator of the
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...
. Pollack is also serving as acting administrator pending Senate confirmation of administrator nominee
Shailen Bhatt. From 2015 to 2021 Pollack served as the secretary and CEO of the
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) oversees roads, public transit, aeronautics, and transportation licensing and registration in the US state of Massachusetts. It was created on November 1, 2009, by the 186th Session of t ...
. Pollack previously worked for the
Conservation Law Foundation
Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) is an environmental advocacy organization based in New England. Since 1966, CLF's mission has been to advocate for New England's environment and its communities. CLF's advocacy work takes place across five integr ...
(CLF), the Greater Boston Institute, BlueWave Strategies, and
Northeastern University
Northeastern University (NU) is a private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in Charlotte, North C ...
before starting her position at MassDOT. Pollack was the first female secretary of transportation in Massachusetts.
Education
In 1982, Pollack received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and a Bachelor of Science in public policy from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern t ...
. She graduated ''magna cum laude'' with a Juris Doctor from
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
in 1985.
Career
Pollack began work with the
Conservation Law Foundation
Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) is an environmental advocacy organization based in New England. Since 1966, CLF's mission has been to advocate for New England's environment and its communities. CLF's advocacy work takes place across five integr ...
as a sophomore at MIT, doing policy research on coal-fired power plants. Pollack continued to work at the CLF after graduating from Harvard, rising to senior VP and acting president before departing in 2006.
She also worked as a senior strategy consultant for groups including the Boston Transportation Department and
Massport
Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) is an American port authority in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It owns and operates three airports— Logan International Airport, Hanscom Field, and Worcester Regional Airport—and public terminals ...
. When the Commonwealth of Massachusetts negotiated
Big Dig
The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project), commonly known as the Big Dig, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery of Interstate 93 (I-93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into the 1.5-mile (2. ...
mitigation with Pollack and ultimately claimed they could not afford her proposals, Pollack stated "They can't just say, 'We're broke.'"
In 2004, Pollack took a position at
Northeastern University
Northeastern University (NU) is a private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in Charlotte, North C ...
as a senior research associate and senior director at the Center for Urban and Regional Policy and an adjunct professor for the
Northeastern University School of Law
Northeastern University School of Law (NUSL) is the law school of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as an evening program to meet the needs of its local community, NUSL is nationally recognized for its cooperative legal ed ...
. During this time Pollack also served on the board of the
Newton Transportation Advisory Committee and the MassDOT Transportation Advisory Committee.
In January 2015, Pollack was chosen by Massachusetts Governor
Charlie Baker
Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Baker was a cabinet official under two governors of Massach ...
to lead the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Pollack described her appointment as surprising, given fundamentally different policy views between Baker, a lifelong Republican, and her own liberal views as a
Democrat.
In January 2021, it was announced that Pollack was appointed to serve as deputy administrator of the
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...
.
Controversies
Pollack received criticism for lapses at
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) oversees roads, public transit, aeronautics, and transportation licensing and registration in the US state of Massachusetts. It was created on November 1, 2009, by the 186th Session of t ...
's Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) that led to a crash that killed seven people in 2019. The RMV director and RMV consultant Fast Technologies LLC both claimed they had sent information about the RMV data issues to Pollack prior to the crash. A year later, Pollack acknowledged responsibility for the scandal and pledged to fix the issues.
Pollack also received backlash for an expedited $100,000 private bathroom at MassDOT Headquarters in 2018. The controversy has become known as MassDOT's "Golden Bathroom" or "Toilet-Gate". Pollack initially refused to speak to the press about the bathroom, but later released a memo stating "We should have been more careful".
Personal life
Pollack met her husband Kenneth Snow while at MIT.
She has three children, all of whom are studying engineering.
Pollack has lived in
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...
, for over 20 years and is a strong advocate of car free transportation.
Pollack is an observant
Orthodox Jew
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses ...
.
Pollack has been a Democrat since she first registered to vote at age 18.
References
External links
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Stephanie Pollackat MBTA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollack, Stephanie
American Orthodox Jews
American public transportation executives
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority people
Massachusetts Secretaries of Transportation
Living people
MIT School of Engineering alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
People from East Hanover, New Jersey
Northeastern University faculty
Massachusetts Democrats
Women in Massachusetts politics
Year of birth missing (living people)
United States Department of Transportation officials
American women academics
21st-century American women