Stephanie Pollack
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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 Shailen P. Bhatt is an American transportation official who is the designate to serve as administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. Education Bhatt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Western Kentucky University. Ca ...
. 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 Ca ...
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 land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of th ...
. 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 c ...
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. 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 (2.4&n ...
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 Ca ...
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 ...
. 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 ...
, 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 on ...
. Pollack has been a Democrat since she first registered to vote at age 18.


References


External links

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Stephanie Pollack
at 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