Leadership

Stacey Matlen

Vice President of Innovation, Partnership for New York City

As Vice President of the Transit Innovation Partnership, Stacey works with public sector agencies to understand their challenges and deploy innovative solutions to solve these challenges. During her time with the Transit Innovation Partnership, she has helped New York’s regional transit agencies identify and test technologies that can reduce carbon emissions, encourage the return of transit ridership, and increase subway capacity and reliability through improvements to the signaling system.

Stacey has a public sector, startup, and public health background: she led multiple initiatives with the City of Detroit's Office of Mobility Innovation, and founded an award-winning startup that expanded access to healthy food for low-income residents. Stacey has a MPH and a BA with high distinction from the University of Michigan.

Stacey Matlen

Vice President of Innovation, Partnership for New York City

As Vice President of the Transit Innovation Partnership, Stacey works with public sector agencies to understand their challenges and deploy innovative solutions to solve these challenges. During her time with the Transit Innovation Partnership, she has helped New York’s regional transit agencies identify and test technologies that can reduce carbon emissions, encourage the return of transit ridership, and increase subway capacity and reliability through improvements to the signaling system.

Stacey has a public sector, startup, and public health background: she led multiple initiatives with the City of Detroit's Office of Mobility Innovation, and founded an award-winning startup that expanded access to healthy food for low-income residents. Stacey has a MPH and a BA with high distinction from the University of Michigan.

Yasmin Lalani

Senior Director, Partnership Fund for New York City

Yasmin is a Sr. Director at the Partnership Fund for New York City. Within the Transit Tech Lab, Yasmin engages with startups and transit agencies to solve transportation challenges. Prior to joining the Partnership Fund, Yasmin co-founded a SaaS-based startup supporting families that do not have access to financial advisors and legal counsel. She also was an early-stage team member at the fintech startup and B Corp, MPOWER Financing. In addition to her work with the Transit Tech Lab, Yasmin is co-head of the Partnership Fund’s FinTech Innovation Lab. She holds a BA from the George Washington University and an MBA from Cornell Tech, Cornell University.

Yasmin Lalani

Senior Director, Partnership Fund for New York City

Yasmin is a Sr. Director at the Partnership Fund for New York City. Within the Transit Tech Lab, Yasmin engages with startups and transit agencies to solve transportation challenges. Prior to joining the Partnership Fund, Yasmin co-founded a SaaS-based startup supporting families that do not have access to financial advisors and legal counsel. She also was an early-stage team member at the fintech startup and B Corp, MPOWER Financing. In addition to her work with the Transit Tech Lab, Yasmin is co-head of the Partnership Fund’s FinTech Innovation Lab. She holds a BA from the George Washington University and an MBA from Cornell Tech, Cornell University.

Executives in Residence

Ronnie Hakim

Executive in Residence;
National Transit and Rail Market Sector Leader, HNTB

Ronnie Hakim is HNTB’s SVP, national transit and rail market sector leader. Based in HNTB’s Parsippany New Jersey office, she is responsible for collaborating with HNTB’s leadership nationwide on strategic planning and implementation, industry representation, business development, service delivery, and client collaboration and satisfaction.

Prior to joining HNTB, Ronnie served as the Managing Director of the New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority, where she was responsible for leading more than 70,000 employees in five operating agencies, overseeing transit systems that carried 9 million riders each day. Ronnie was also the first woman to serve as the President of MTA New York City Transit running the subways and buses in NYC.

Hakim’s executive leadership experience also includes serving as President of MTA New York City Transit, Executive Director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and Executive Director of New Jersey Transit. She also served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel MTA Capital Construction.

Over the course of her career, Hakim has been recognized by professional organizations including the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), General Contractors Association. Hakim is currently an active leader with several professional organizations including Chairman of the Board for Coalition of Northeast Corridor; Board member of APTA Board of Directors, Salvadori Center, NYU Tandon School of Engineering Advisory Board, and association member of the National Academy of Construction, WTS International and WTS Greater New York Chapter. She is sought as a speaker by many industry associations.

Hakim holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Rochester and a juris doctorate degree from the Pace University School of Law.

Ronnie Hakim

Executive in Residence;
National Transit and Rail Market Sector Leader, HNTB

Ronnie Hakim is HNTB’s SVP, national transit and rail market sector leader. Based in HNTB’s Parsippany New Jersey office, she is responsible for collaborating with HNTB’s leadership nationwide on strategic planning and implementation, industry
representation, business development, service delivery, and client collaboration and satisfaction.

Prior to joining HNTB, Ronnie served as the Managing Director of the New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority, where she was responsible for leading more than 70,000 employees in five operating agencies, overseeing transit systems that carried 9 million riders each day. Ronnie was also the first woman to serve as the President of MTA New York City Transit running the subways and buses in NYC.

Hakim’s executive leadership experience also includes serving as President of MTA
New York City Transit, Executive Director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and Executive Director of New Jersey Transit. She also served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel MTA Capital Construction.

Over the course of her career, Hakim has been recognized by professional
organizations including the American Public Transportation Association (APTA),
American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), Women’s Transportation
Seminar (WTS), the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), General Contractors Association. Hakim is currently an active leader with several professional organizations including Chairman of the Board for Coalition of Northeast Corridor; Board member of APTA Board of Directors, Salvadori Center, NYU Tandon School of Engineering Advisory Board, and association member of the National Academy of Construction, WTS International and WTS Greater New York Chapter. She is sought as a speaker by many industry associations.

Hakim holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Rochester and a juris doctorate degree from the Pace University School of Law.

Ronnie Hakim

Executive in Residence;
National Transit and Rail Market Sector Leader, HNTB

Ronnie Hakim is HNTB’s SVP, national transit and rail market sector leader. Based in HNTB’s Parsippany New Jersey office, she is responsible for collaborating with HNTB’s leadership nationwide on strategic planning and implementation, industry representation, business development, service delivery, and client collaboration and satisfaction.

Prior to joining HNTB, Ronnie served as the Managing Director of the New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority, where she was responsible for leading more than 70,000 employees in five operating agencies, overseeing transit systems that carried 9 million riders each day. Ronnie was also the first woman to serve as the President of MTA New York City Transit running the subways and buses in NYC.

Hakim’s executive leadership experience also includes serving as President of MTA New York City Transit, Executive Director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and Executive Director of New Jersey Transit. She also served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel MTA Capital Construction.

Over the course of her career, Hakim has been recognized by professional organizations including the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), General Contractors Association. Hakim is currently an active leader with several professional organizations including Chairman of the Board for Coalition of Northeast Corridor; Board member of APTA Board of Directors, Salvadori Center, NYU Tandon School of Engineering Advisory Board, and association member of the National Academy of Construction, WTS International and WTS Greater New York Chapter. She is sought as a speaker by many industry associations.

Hakim holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Rochester and a juris doctorate degree from the Pace University School of Law.

Sally Librera

Executive in Residence;
Transit Market Leader for the Americas, AECOM

Sally is AECOM’s North American Transit Leader. She focuses on growing value and delivering sustainable, innovative, cost-effective solutions for transit providers, riders, communities, and systems.

Sally leads a transit practice committed to embedding sustainable development and resilience across projects, improving social outcomes, achieving net-zero carbon emissions and enhancing governance around sustainability.

Sally has extensive experience in successfully leading large, complex transit operations through system modernization, with a strong focus on improving system performance and customer service; growing transit ridership; identifying and implementing efficiencies; and maximizing the value of operating and capital investments.

As the former Senior Vice President for Subways at MTA New York City Transit, Sally oversaw North America’s largest urban rail transit operation, leading a team of 30,000 employees and serving nearly six million daily riders. She oversaw 8,000 train trips on a fleet of 6,400 railcars across 660 miles of track and 472 stations each day.

Sally was the first woman to lead the NYC subway operation. She led the NYC subways team through a dramatic performance turnaround by focusing on targeted, data-driven system improvements and full staff engagement. Sally and her team significantly improved on time performance, cut train delays in half, and safely reduced customer journey times on every line in the system.

Sally also led MTA’s Staten Island Railway, a 24/7 heavy rail operation, and has served in executive posts focusing on safety management, transportation policy, workforce development, operations efficiencies, and reliability-based maintenance.

Sally Librera

Executive in Residence;
Transit Market Leader for the Americas, AECOM

Sally is AECOM’s North American Transit Leader. She focuses on growing value and delivering sustainable, innovative, cost-effective solutions for transit providers, riders, communities, and systems.

Sally leads a transit practice committed to embedding sustainable development and resilience across projects, improving social outcomes, achieving net-zero carbon emissions and enhancing governance around sustainability.

Sally has extensive experience in successfully leading large, complex transit operations through system modernization, with a strong focus on improving system performance and customer service; growing transit ridership; identifying and implementing efficiencies; and maximizing the value of operating and capital investments.

As the former Senior Vice President for Subways at MTA New York City Transit, Sally oversaw North America’s largest urban rail transit operation, leading a team of 30,000 employees and serving nearly six million daily riders. She oversaw 8,000 train trips on a fleet of 6,400 railcars across 660 miles of track and 472 stations each day.

Sally was the first woman to lead the NYC subway operation. She led the NYC subways team through a dramatic performance turnaround by focusing on targeted, data-driven system improvements and full staff engagement. Sally and her team significantly improved on time performance, cut train delays in half, and safely reduced customer journey times on every line in the system.

Sally also led MTA’s Staten Island Railway, a 24/7 heavy rail operation, and has served in executive posts focusing on safety management, transportation policy, workforce development, operations efficiencies, and reliability-based maintenance.