Stephanie Pollack

Stephanie Pollack is an American transportation policy expert who as of 2020 heads the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). She previously worked for the Conservation Law Foundation and Northeastern University before starting her position at MassDOT. Pollack was the first female secretary of transportation in Massachusetts.[3]

Stephanie Pollack
Secretary Pollack (left) at the opening of the Hadley Overpass in 2015
Massachusetts Transportation Secretary and MassDOT CEO
Assumed office
January 2015[1]
Preceded byRichard A. Davey
Personal details
BornEast Hanover, New Jersey[2]
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Kenneth Snow
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Harvard Law School

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, and in 1985 she graduated magna cum laude with a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School.[4][5]

Career

Pollack began work with the Conservation Law Foundation as a sophomore at MIT with a position doing policy research on coal fired power plants.[1] She continued to work there post graduation from Harvard and rose to Senior VP and acting president.[1] She also worked as a senior strategy consultant for groups including the Boston Transportation Department and Massport.[6]

In 2004 Pollack took a position at Northeastern University 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.[7] During this time Pollack also served on the board of the Newton Transportation Advisory Committee and the MassDOT Transportation Advisory Committee.[8]

In January 2015, Pollack was chosen by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker to lead the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.[9] Pollack described her appointment as surprising, given fundamentally different policy views between Baker, a lifelong Republican, and her own liberal views as a Democrat.[10][2]

Personal life

Pollack met her husband Kenneth Snow while at MIT.[1] She has three children, all of whom are studying engineering.[1] Pollack has lived in Newton, Massachusetts, for over 20 years and is a strong advocate of car free transportation.[11] Pollack is an observant Orthodox Jew.[2] Pollack has been a Democrat since she first registered to vote at age 18.[2]

gollark: As the privacy policy says in clause 5.1, "If any aspect is not utterly harmonious, gratefully bring it to our notice and we shall strive to earn your satisfaction.".
gollark: <@490656381662396418> What specifically do you want from "PotatOS Light"?
gollark: Anyway, PotatOS Hypercycle is going to maybe be vaguely lighter in some ways.
gollark: You really can't do the "mysterious/obfuscation" thing.
gollark: Well, then how will you ship "PotatOS Light"?

References
  1. Dunn, Peter. "Stephanie Pollack '82". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  2. Mohl, Bruce (April 10, 2017). "The evolution of Stephanie Pollack". CommonWealth Magazine. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  3. Aloisi, James (January 13, 2015). "Pollack is solid and stunning choice". CommonWealth Magazine. Retrieved June 16, 2020. Stephanie will be the Commonwealth’s first female secretary of transportation and, while several women have held high positions within the secretariat, having a woman at the top of the organization will bring its own refreshing change to a massive agency that touches nearly everyone’s lives.
  4. Stout, Matt; Staff, Joshua. "She's the master of explaining transportation disaster. And so far, Stephanie Pollack is not going anywhere - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  5. "Stephanie Pollack - People - MBTA". www.mbta.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  6. "Gov. Baker Names Northeastern's Pollack as Massachusetts Transportation Secretary". news.transportation.org. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  7. "Stephanie Pollack - Professor of Practice in Law, Policy and Society". www.igert-id.neu.edu. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  8. "East Coast Greenway - Stephanie Pollack". www.greenway.org. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  9. "Transit and Equity Advocate Stephanie Pollack to Lead MassDOT". Streetsblog USA. January 14, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  10. Vock, Daniel. "Massachusetts' Unlikely Transit Team". www.governing.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  11. Gotsis, Chloe. "Newton person of the week: Stephanie Pollack". Wicked Local. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.