What's New & Who's News

WHAT’S NEW & WHO’S NEWS

Port Authority ED Director Rick Cotton to Retire

NEW YORK—The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced on Nov. 24 that Rick Cotton will retire from the agency in January 2026. Cotton has served as the executive director of the Port Authority since August 2017, which makes him the longest serving executive director of the Port Authority since the 1940s.

During his eight-and-a-half-year tenure, Mr. Cotton, along with PA Chairman Kevin O’Toole, has delivered an unprecedented wave of renewal and institutional reform, while successfully navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and one of the most difficult operating environments in its history.

Prior to joining the Port Authority, Mr. Cotton served as New York State’s Special Counsellor to the governor for interagency initiatives, focused on the state’s major downstate infrastructure projects such as LaGuardia and JFK Airports, the Moynihan Train Hall and Penn-Farley Complex, the new Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the expansion of the Javits Center and the MTA’s Second Avenue Subway project.

Previously, he spent 25 years at NBC Universal where he held several positions, including 20 years as EVP and General Counsel and four years in London as president and managing director of CNBC Europe. He also served as executive secretary to the Department at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare under Sec. Joseph A. Califano, Jr., and special assistant for Renewable Energy to Deputy Secretary of Energy John Sawhill at the U.S. Department of Energy.

“Rick took on one of the toughest public-service jobs in America and delivered extraordinary results,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “LaGuardia’s transformation alone would define a career, but Rick’s impact spans airports, transit systems, bridges, and tunnels, as well as the renewed culture of a more accountable Port Authority. I was proud to work with him on so many critical projects, including the modernizing of the Midtown Bus Terminal and John F. Kennedy International Airport. His leadership rebuilt public confidence in our capacity to deliver world-class infrastructure. The Port Authority today is stronger and more resilient than ever, and his impact will be felt for generations.”

Among some of his accomplishments at the Port Authority include: reimagined the region’s airports with a $50-billion transformation program—the largest in agency history—delivering a new LaGuardia, Newark Liberty’s award-winning Terminal A, and launching the full rebuild of JFK; refocused the agency around customer experience; moved the long-stalled Midtown Bus Terminal replacement into construction, securing all approvals and beginning work on a $11-billion community-supported project after decades of paralysis; revitalized the World Trade Center campus, opening 3 WTC, the Perelman Performing Arts Center and the St. Nicholas Church and National Shrine; elevated the Port of New York and New Jersey to the nation’s second-busiest, maintaining fluid operations through the COVID supply-chain crisis, and expanded capacity through harbor deepening and intermodal rail enhancements; invested billions of dollars to modernize PATH’s aging infrastructure; built the largest PAPD force in agency history and strengthened cybersecurity capabilities to meet rising safety and digital security demands across critical regional infrastructure.

He also led the way in having the Port Authority achieve historic milestones in minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE) participation, including $2.3 billion at LaGuardia and $3 billion at JFK—both New York State records and advanced sustainability leadership, becoming the first U.S. transportation agency to adopt Paris climate accords in 2018, launched a roadmap to net-zero emissions, expanded clean-energy and electrification programs, and introduced pioneering emissions-reduction initiatives across airports, the seaport and rail.

Most recently, he issued the Port Authority’s record $45-billion proposed 2026–2035 Capital Plan, setting the blueprint for the next decade and advancing a suite of generational projects, including completion of the new JFK and Newark Liberty airports as well as the new Midtown Bus Terminal, among many others.

Julianne Fuda Named NYSDOT Region 8 Director

ALBANY—The New York State Department of Transportation recently announced that Julianne Fuda, P.E. has been appointed Regional 8 Director for the Hudson Valley.

Ms. Fuda takes over as Director after most recently serving as NYSDOT Director of the Structures Design Bureau. Her appointment was reported by NYSDOT as part of announcement of three new Regional Director appointments.

She first came to the department in 2008 as an intern in the Office of Structures and since that time has worked in increasingly responsible positions in the transportation industry starting as a consultant before coming back to the NYSDOT in 2015.

Ms. Fuda is a member of the AASHTO Committee on Bridges and Structures, serving as Vice Chair of the Steel and Metals Committee, as well as the Concrete and Research Committees. She actively serves on other committees, including the department’s Digital Delivery Committee, as well as the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), and the International Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) Symposium. Ms. Fuda graduated from RPI with a degree in Civil Engineering.

“I am honored to start this next step in my career, serving the Hudson Valley Region comprised of Columbia, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester counties,” Ms. Fuda stated on social media.

NYSDOT also announced appointments for the Central New York and Finger Lakes regions. Elizabeth “Betsy” Parmley, P.E. was promoted to Regional Director for Central New York. She brings two decades of NYSDOT experience, having played a major role in some of the region’s most complex projects. Most recently, she served as Project Director for the I-81 Viaduct Project, guiding the transition from planning to delivery of this multi-billion-dollar effort. The Bucknell University graduate began her career at the department in 2005 and has served in structures, operations, and traffic.

Longtime NYSDOT employee Brad Walike, P.E., P.T.O.E. was appointed Regional Director for the Finger Lakes. He has served the department for 31 years, most recently as Resident Engineer in western Monroe County, where he led a Class A residency overseeing maintenance crews, engineers, and support staff. His extensive background includes roles in traffic operations, safety evaluation, and residency leadership across the region. He holds dual A.A.S. degrees in Civil Engineering Technology and Surveying Technology from Mohawk Valley Community College.

CEO Bosch Steps Down From Pattern for Progress

NEWBURGH, NY – Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress announced late last month that Adam Bosch, its president and CEO since 2022, will resign from his role at the end of the year.

Mr. Bosch will continue to serve Pattern as a special advisor during the leadership transition. The Pattern Board of Directors has convened a search committee to lead the process of selecting the organization’s next president and CEO.

During his time as Pattern’s sixth chief executive, Mr. Bosch led Pattern with a deep understanding of regional issues and a spirit of service. Mr. Bosch utilized Pattern’s research and planning efforts to help federal, state, and local leaders, civic organizations, and community partners make well-informed decisions about challenges and opportunities throughout the Hudson Valley. He led new research efforts on adaptive reuse and childcare, established an inter-regional planning partnership with New York City, and oversaw reports on housing stress and demographic changes that attracted national attention, Pattern stated in its press announcement.

“Leading the team at Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress has been one of the great honors of my life,” Mr. Bosch said. “My career has allowed me to work with so many wonderful, smart, and civic-minded people across the Hudson Valley and Catskills. I am grateful to the dozens of communities and organizations that invited me to share Pattern’s work, and to those who made important decisions based on our research and planning.”

He added, “I am proud that our work drove zoning and regional development decisions, influenced state programs on infrastructure and childcare, and completely reshaped the regional conversation about housing. There are few nonprofits like Pattern in the United States. The Hudson Valley is fortunate to have an organization the provides objective research, develops strategic planning, and convenes the region around issues that genuinely affect our quality of life.”

Upon his departure, Mr. Bosch will step into a senior leadership role at the New York City Water Supply, where he worked for 10 years before joining Pattern. Pattern Vice President of Operations Robin DeGroat, who has served the organization for more than 18 years, will manage the daily operations of Pattern until a new chief executive is hired.

Mr. Bosch began his career as a journalist in the Hudson Valley. He covered public affairs, courts and the environment for the Wallkill Valley Times, the Times Herald-Record, and in the Albany bureau of The New York Times. His work also appeared in several regional and national magazines. His work in journalism earned six Associated Press awards for investigative reporting, depth reporting and breaking news coverage. Mr. Bosch also served as an adjunct professor of journalism for 10 years at SUNY New Paltz.

Mr. Bosch joined Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress in 2012 as vice president of research and external affairs. Mr. Bosch authored reports on the adaptive re-use of closed school buildings across the region, New York’s tax cap, and an investigation of Rockland County’s budget deficit. His examination of Rockland County’s fiscal crisis, and recommendations to solve it, earned Pattern the President’s Award from the Rockland County Business Association.

For nine years, Mr. Bosch has served as director of public affairs for the New York City water supply system. In that role, he was responsible for community outreach, intergovernmental affairs, education programs and more. He served as the primary liaison between New York City and federal, state and local officials across the Hudson Valley and Catskills for issues related to the city’s reservoir system and its infrastructure.

Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress is a nonprofit organization founded in 1965 that provides objective research, planning and educational training throughout the region. Its work identifies civic challenges and promotes regional, equitable, and sustainable solutions to improve the quality of life in communities throughout the Hudson Valley. The organization serves the counties of Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester.

Published: December 11, 2025.