New Jersey Gov. Murphy taps Corbett to lead NJ Transit

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy yesterday nominated Kevin Corbett to serve as executive director of New Jersey Transit.

The governor asked the agency's board to take up the nomination at its Feb. 14 meeting. If approved by the board, Corbett would succeed Steven Santoro, who earlier this month announced plans to resign.

Corbett now serves as vice president of cross services at AECOM. While there, he oversaw Amtrak's Gateway project, the first phase of MTA New York City Transit's Second Avenue Subway project and restoration of Port Authority Trans-Hudson rail service after Hurricane Sandy.

Before joining AECOM, Corbett was the chief operating officer and executive vice president of Empire State Development Corp.

"We can no longer continue to accept the dismal business as usual at an agency that so many commuters throughout New Jersey depend on," Murphy said in a press release. "I am confident that Kevin's leadership can help turn NJ Transit into a transportation system that our commuters value and trust."

Last week, Murphy ordered an audit of NJ Transit to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement. As executive director, Corbett will be expected to implement the audit's recommendations and overhaul the agency's finances, leadership, customer experience and safety practices.