WHAT’S NEW & WHO’S NEWS
Lisa Garcia Named Commissioner of DEP, Overseeing Major Capital Projects, New Policies
NEW YORK—New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed on Jan. 27 Lisa Garcia as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
An experienced administrator, lawyer and policymaker, Commissioner Garcia has spent her career working across the public and private sector to protect the environment and advance climate justice. She previously served as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Regional Administrator for Region 2, overseeing the Biden Administration’s environmental agenda in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight Indian Nations.
She ran the Climate Solutions Lab at GRIST Magazine, where she worked to elevate climate justice leaders, and served as both vice president for Litigation at EarthJustice and as an Associate Administrator and Advisor at the EPA.
Along with experience at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Attorney General’s Environmental Protection Bureau, Commissioner Garcia previously served as an associate professor at Rutgers Law School and as Adjunct Faculty at Columbia University and New York University School of Law. She received her B.A. from Stony Brook University and her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.
In this position, Commissioner Garcia will help protect the city’s infrastructure and environment; ensure the delivery of high-quality services such as drinking water and sewage treatment; and make sure that New York City is a global leader in the fight against the climate crisis.
“Whether it’s advocating for community groups, working for the state and federal government, or representing large NGOs and academic organizations, I’ve been proud to fight for environmental and climate justice throughout my career. Those are the exact same principles I will bring to DEP,” said DEP Commissioner Garcia.
“Lisa Garcia is an outstanding public servant who has dedicated her career to protecting the environment and the health and welfare of all New Yorkers,” said Basil Seggos, former commissioner of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. “Mayor Mamdani made a tremendous choice in selecting Lisa as the next DEP Commissioner. New York City’s water, air and lands are in very capable hands.”
Orange Bank & Trust Michael Gilfeather Elected to New York Fed Board of Directors
MIDDLETOWN, NY—Orange Bank & Trust Company announced on Jan. 27 that President and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Gilfeather has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, one of the 12 regional Reserve Banks that, together with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., comprise the Federal Reserve System.
Mr. Gilfeather was elected as a Class A Director, representing member banks of the Second Federal Reserve District with capital and surplus between $40 million and $2 billion. His term will run through Dec. 31, 2028.
“I am honored to join the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York,” said Mr. Gilfeather. “As a locally focused, independent bank serving businesses across the Hudson Valley and the greater New York metropolitan region, Orange Bank & Trust brings a unique regional perspective. I look forward to contributing insights from our markets and helping support the New York Fed’s mission to promote a strong and stable financial system.”
He leads Orange Bank & Trust, a 133‑year‑old financial institution delivering business banking, commercial lending, payment processing, and wealth management services. Since assuming leadership, he has guided the bank’s expansion to 16 branches and more than 200 employees across Orange, Westchester, Rockland and the Bronx, helping to grow the organization into a regional economic engine with $2.7 billion in total assets.
“Michael’s appointment to the New York Fed Board is a tremendous recognition of his leadership, integrity, and deep understanding of regional banking and economic development,” said Orange Bank & Trust Company Board Chair Jonathan Rouis.
Jessie Lazarus to Lead New MTA Organization To Manage New Rolling Stock Strategy, Assets
NEW YORK—Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and CEO Janno Lieber announced recently he had appointed Jessie Lazarus to build and lead a new organization that directs the MTA’s rolling stock strategy and ensures dedicated attention to the acquisition and lifetime costs for the MTA’s most strategic assets, including buses, subway cars, and commuter rail trains.
As chief of the new Rolling Stock Program, Ms. Lazarus and her team will manage the $12-billion dollar investment from the 2025-2029 Capital Plan to replace the MTA’s aging fleets.
“With billions of dollars set aside for new subway cars, commuter trains and buses in the new capital plan, we need strong leadership driving the decision-making,” said Mr. Lieber. “Jessie’s no stranger to big projects and complex commercial negotiations, and I have total confidence in her ability to deliver the best deal for the MTA and our millions of daily riders.”
“The subway cars, buses, and commuter trains that New York grew up on belong to a different era,” said Ms. Lazarus. “The new Rolling Stock Program will make sure the MTA’s multibillion dollar commitment to the future of our transit system gives New Yorkers a smoother, greener, faster, more cost-efficient ride to explore the amazing places the MTA can take them for generations to come.”
Ms. Lazarus joined the MTA in 2023 and serves as Deputy Chief of Commercial Ventures, responsible for strategic, commercial partnerships that enhance the MTA’s financial position and strengthen service offerings, which include the transition from MetroCard to tap-and-ride. Her cross-functional leadership was critical for growing customer adoption of tap-and-ride, driving contractor accountability, and ensuring operational readiness to end MetroCard sales.
Ms. Lazarus and her team will work closely with Chairman Lieber, agency presidents, and the Chief Financial Officer to pursue a focused, long-term strategy to modernize terms and conditions, apply aggressive performance-based fleet specifications, harness data to inform acquisition choices, increase supplier competition, achieve the best value for these strategic assets over their lifetime, and generate economic development benefits by encouraging domestic manufacturing.
Ms. Lazarus joined the MTA from Toyota, by way of CARMERA, a spatial AI company which she helped lead through acquisition by Toyota in 2021. As Vice President of Go-to-Market, she was responsible for building the company’s partnerships with OEM, mapping, and technology stakeholders. Prior to joining CARMERA, Ms. Lazarus served as Chief Digital Officer for the City of New York. She is a graduate of Middlebury College and Harvard Business School.
Published: February 17, 2026.