Governor Kathy Hochul has announced changes to her senior administration team. Kathryn Garcia, currently Director of State Operations, is being nominated as the next Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Jackie Bray, who serves as Commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, will be named the new Director of State Operations.
Governor Hochul praised both officials for their contributions. “I have long believed that my greatest talent is finding talent, and I am fortunate to have two of New York’s most talented public servants as my Director of State Operations. I am incredibly grateful to have had Kathryn Garcia serve in that role for more than four years, during which time she helped us transform New York for the better,” Governor Hochul said. “From the Gateway Tunnel to Micron, the Interborough Express to our Nuclear Moonshot, Kathryn helped us launch and advance generational infrastructure projects and rebuild our economy following the pandemic with an eye toward the future. I am thankful she will continue serving the people of New York as Executive Director of the Port Authority, where she will help us continue to advance a regional economy that keeps us the global leader in job creation and growth.”
Hochul also spoke about Bray’s qualifications for her new position: “Kathryn leaves big shoes to fill, but New Yorkers could not ask for a better leader to step into this critical role than Jackie Bray,” Governor Hochul continued. “As Commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Jackie has helped lead the State’s emergency management response through extreme weather, infectious disease outbreaks and threats to our public safety. Her experience coordinating interagency operations makes her the right leader to continue delivering the government that New Yorkers deserve. And in her time serving as acting policy director, she helped us to design and implement some of our most important initiatives, including delivering financial relief to millions of New Yorkers and getting cell phones out of our classrooms.”
Garcia reflected on her tenure: “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the first female Governor as her Director of State Operations and Infrastructure. I’m enormously proud of what we have accomplished over the last four years: launching the largest infrastructure project in modern history with the Gateway Development Commission; reducing traffic and generating critical funding for the MTA through congestion pricing; and advancing the 1-81 Viaduct project to reunite Syracuse’s Southside. I know Jackie Bray will bring expert leadership to the team as she steps into the Director role, and I look forward to continuing to serve Governor Hochul and New Yorkers as Executive Director of the Port Authority.”
Bray expressed gratitude regarding her appointment: “I am incredibly grateful to Governor Hochul for the opportunity to serve the people of New York as Director of State Operations. For the last four years I have had the honor of supporting the Governor’s vision for a New York that is safe, affordable and truly works for all families. Kathryn Garcia has been a boss, mentor and friend, and I am humbled to step into this role that she has performed so admirably. We will continue to deliver real and measurable results that improve the lives of New Yorkers in every corner of the state.”
Rick Cotton, outgoing Executive Director at Port Authority also commented: “Governor Hochul’s nomination of Kathryn Garcia as the next Executive Director of The Port Authority Of New York And New Jersey is a superb choice. I have worked closely with Kathryn for many years. She has deep knowledge of city and state government combined with extraordinary insight and judgment and a collaborative spirit. I could not imagine a government executive better suited to advance The Port Authority’s standards of world-class infrastructure and get things done.”