Crichlow Appointed NYCT Interim President

Demetrius Crichlow will take over as NYCT Interim President, effective June 14. (NYMTA photo)

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chair and CEO Janno Lieber on May 29 appointed Demetrius Crichlow as Interim President of MTA New York City Transit (NYCT), effective June 14.

Crichlow will replace Richard Davey, who served as NYCT President from May 2022 until announcing his departure this week after the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Board of Directors voted to offer him the position of CEO and Executive Director for a five-year term and a starting salary of $420,000, beginning no later than Sept. 9, 2024.

The board vote follows “weeks of speculation on Davey’s future after he was announced as one of two finalists for the top job at Massport,” according to a report in THE CITY.

“It’s obviously a great job at the top of the transportation industry, so congratulations to [Davey], congratulations to Boston for bringing home their native son, even if it creates a momentary disruption for MTA,” Lieber said Wednesday, according to THE CITY report.

Davey’s looming departure, THE CITY reports, means the MTA “will again go searching for a new leader of a sprawling subway, bus and paratransit system that, for more than a decade, has not had a president last longer than three years.”

Crichlow, who will take over as Interim Transit President beginning next month, has led NYCT’s Department of Subways as its Senior Vice President since July 2021, a period where, the agency says, “service has increased, and ridership has soared 67%.” “He has led the subway as it has maintained the best on-time performance in at least a decade and recorded improving customer satisfaction,” according to MTA.

“Demetrius is a long-time leader at New York City Transit who has ensured subway system performance remains at record levels even as we dramatically increased service beginning last summer,” Lieber said. “I have confidence that he will be able to build on the successes he’s helped to achieve.”

Crichlow is a lifelong New Yorker who started his career with the MTA in 1997 as an Assistant Signal Maintainer at the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), rising through the ranks at the LIRR to become Train Movement Supervisor overseeing operations at Penn Station Central Control. In 2007 he transferred to MTA Headquarters to become Special Assistant for Operations for then-Executive Director Elliot G. “Lee” Sander.

While Crichlow started his career at the LIRR, his father—who retired as a car inspector for subways—had always hoped he would continue the family tradition of working at NYCT. When Crichlow became Deputy General Manager for the ​ L line, it solidified three generations of service that began with his grandfather. Since then, he took on increased responsibility within NYCT, including Chief Officer of Field Operations, Chief Officer of the Operations Control Center, and Vice President & Chief Officer of Staten Island Railway.

As the Senior Vice President for the Department of Subways, Crichlow leads efforts for across-the-board service improvements and a better customer experience for the average 3.5 million daily customers who ride the subway. This includes working intimately on the implementation of communications-based train control on the ​L and 7 lines and its current expansion in the system, making vast upgrades to the customer environment, and rebuilding its 29,000-person workforce post pandemic.

“I am thrilled to continue improving the experience of 1.3 billion annual subway, bus and paratransit customers,” Crichlow said. “As a third-generation MTA career professional, I am passionate about how public transportation can improve the lives of millions of people in New York City. We at New York City Transit will keep furthering our efforts to enhance service, safety, and accessibility.”

The search firm Isaacson, Miller sought a diverse candidate pool for the position of Massport CEO and Executive Director, according to the state government authority that operates Boston Logan International Airport and two other regional airports, shipping terminals, a police force and more. Nearly 100 people expressed interest in the position. Of those 100 people, 48 candidates were considered, and 10 candidates made the first round. Three candidates were advanced to a second round earlier this month. Of the 10 first round candidates, half were women and six were people of color. The Committee advanced Eulois Cleckley and Richard Davey as finalists at a public meeting on May 16.

From 2003-2014, Davey held various transportation leadership roles in Massachusetts, serving as the General Manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Commuter Rail; MBTA General Manager; and the Commonwealth’s Secretary of Transportation. The Secretary of Transportation serves as an ex officio member of the Massport Board, and Davey was also the Massport Board Chairman for a period during his tenure.

Prior to the position at the MTA, Davey served as a consultant and advisor. His work focused on transportation and infrastructure topics, such as green vehicle technology, and the future of mobility. During this period, he was a sought-after speaker at various forums, including the MIT Sustainability Summit, National Governors Association, the Aspen Institute’s Future of Cities.

“Davey’s vast transportation experience makes him an ideal candidate for the position to lead the Authority,” said Massport Board Chairwoman Patricia Jacobs. “We are thrilled to be bringing someone on board with so much experience leading large and complex organizations. Davey will be building upon a solid foundation. The senior leadership team has kept the Authority in good standing, with strong bond ratings and growth across the three business lines, as well as strategic investments to reduce emissions, attract more business, improve the customer experience, while being a good neighbor.”

According to THE CITY report, NYCT has had 11 full-time, acting or interim presidents since 2013. Going back more than a decade, the longest-tenured transit president is Thomas Prendergast, a respected transportation professional who led NYCT from December 2009 to January 2013, when he was elevated to Chairman and Chief Executive of the MTA.

Multiple former NYCT presidents who spoke with THE CITY described the job as “one of the premier transportation positions in the world but one that also comes with round-the-clock pressure to move millions of daily riders; demands from elected officials, the workforce and watchdogs; and an aging system that can make safe and reliable service a challenge.”