Rising Stars 2024: Franck Joseph II

Franck Joseph II, 34
Chief of staff and organizational strategy
MTA New York City Transit, Department of Subways

Nominator’s quote: “In his work for the largest transit system in North America, Franck and his team are helping to shape solutions across the country and around the globe as he often liaises with other transit executives in the U.S. and around the world.” — Demetrius Crichlow, MTA New York City Transit Department of Subways

Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science, Stony Brook University; MBA, Quantic School of Business.

Job responsibilities: Provide oversight and consistency for strategic planning, special projects, external relations, succession planning and retention, hiring and promotions, labor relations matters, workforce development and investigations for a 29,000-person workforce.

Career path: After graduating college, I started working in government, first for my local U.S. Congress member and then for my local City Council member, where I became chief of staff. Then I worked for the NYC Commission on Human Rights, where I eventually became deputy commissioner. I also served as chief of staff and senior adviser for the Queens Borough president and worked with some impactful nonprofits and community-based organizations, prior to joining MTA New York City Transit.

How did you get into the rail industry? The Department of Subways was seeking to make some bold moves to build on its rich history of delivering quality transportation services for New Yorkers. Part of that was reimagining some of the organization’s strategies. I felt that the functionality of the role and my previous experiences were uniquely aligned. I also felt that this new chapter would provide a good balance between the ability to use my skillsets and the opportunity to learn more about transit as in industry, while effectuating organizational change.

What’s the best career advice that you’ve received to date? “Be who you needed when you were younger.” It is how I lead. I try to support my staff and those around me in the same way I desired leadership to empower me.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in their rail industry career? I would advise them to get balanced exposure to the rail operations and the business operations of the organization, so they have a well-rounded view.

What was your first job? My very first job was part of NYC’s Summer Youth Employment at Queens General Hospital when I was in high school.

Share a fun fact about yourself. I love chocolate on everything, except on strawberries.

If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be and why? President Barack Obama. We’ve been in the same spaces before but never actually met.

Who has had the most influence on your career? Rosemonde Pierre-Louis. She is a great mentor and friend who has always helped me with tough career decisions. She is also a champion of mine and someone I admire.

Describe a major obstacle in your career and how you surmounted it. Joining the MTA in itself was a major obstacle. The NYCT subway has been around for 120 years with dozens of disciplines and more than 29,000 people working here. As a person who does not have a traditional technical background, I understood it was important to learn as much as I could but also know who the key points of contact were for anything I was unfamiliar with.

I surmounted the obstacle of not being a technical expert by going into the field when there were special projects, major incidents or just to see the daily work. I befriended those in the organization who had institutional knowledge so they could be thought partners with me, and I read a lot of materials. I still do all those things today.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the rail industry today? The patterns and habits of people have changed post-pandemic. The schedules we offer are ever changing to better accommodate that reality. The way we engage the workforce and attract new employees is also evolving due to this new reality, which is still defining itself.