After 10 years at the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Veronica Vanterpool is stepping down from the role of executive director at the end of September 2017. The board of directors has appointed Nick Sifuentes, current deputy director of the Riders Alliance, as the next executive director.

“On behalf of the Tri-State board, we are very pleased to announce the hiring of Nick Sifuentes as our new executive director. We believe that Nick will build upon the foundation established by Veronica and her predecessors, advancing TSTC to the next level in the years to come. His reputation with Riders Alliance as a knowledgeable transportation professional, an impassioned communicator and a hard-driving advocate were all qualities that led our board to select him,” said John P. Casellini, chair of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign board.

Vanterpool joined the organization in 2007 and served as associate director from 2008 until she was appointed executive director in 2012. During her leadership, TSTC’s instrumental advocacy resulted in key victories such as new enhanced bus service across the forthcoming Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the launch of the CTfastrak bus rapid transit corridor, Citi Bike’s implementation and success, the planned conversion of the Bronx’s Sheridan Expressway to a boulevard, a long overdue gas tax increase in New Jersey, expansion of Select Bus Service and the implementation of Vision Zero in New York City.

Overall, Vanterpool’s work has resulted in the expansion of complete streets policies, increased funding for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and transit in state budgets and agency capital plans and improved transparency at transportation agencies and departments throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Her expertise earned her a nomination by Mayor Bill de Blasio, and confirmation by the New York State Senate, as a voting member of the board of directors for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Vanterpool has also served on the Mass Transit Task Force for the Tappan Zee Bridge and the Transportation Reinvention Commission for the MTA.

“I am proud to have added many more transportation wins to the legacy of this accomplished and respected organization. Working with TSTC’s dedicated staff and board over the past 10 years has been one of my biggest professional rewards,” Vanterpool said. “Now, I am pleased to pass along 25 years of organizational accomplishments and respect to Nick. His political and media acumen, coupled with years of successful organizing, strategic planning and coalition building, yield the right combination of experience to keep delivering sustainable transportation wins in the tri-state region.”

Nick Sifuentes comes to Tri-State Transportation Campaign from the Riders Alliance, where he oversaw the organization’s advocacy campaigns, organizing and communications as deputy director. At the Riders Alliance, Nick led campaigns to call on the New York State Legislature to fix and fund New York City’s public transit, create a half-priced MetroCard program for low-income residents known as Fair Fares, call on the MTA to improve street-level transit during the L train shutdown and – in partnership with TSTC – revamp ailing bus service in New York City.

Prior to the Riders Alliance, Nick worked in the National Issue Advocacy Practice at BerlinRosen Public Affairs, where he spearheaded communications strategies to promote environmental protection, arts and culture, LGBT rights and good jobs. His clients were featured on the front pages of the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, MSNBC, CNN, The Lancet, Time magazine, major national satellite and syndicated radio programs and numerous other national, international and local outlets.

Nick also served as the Sierra Club’s press secretary for the northeastern United States, where he led advocacy and communications efforts in 13 states. Prior to joining the Sierra Club, Nick was a communicator at the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), helping win a series of innovative organizing and legislative campaigns on mass transit, infrastructure development and energy efficiency. Prior to his work at LAANE, Nick was a journalist with the Center for American Progress. He is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.

“I’m excited to be taking on this new role at a critical moment for transportation in the region. Tri-State Transportation Campaign is a powerful voice for an equitable transportation network, and I’m proud to continue that tradition of advocacy for better transit, safer streets and smarter infrastructure,” Sifuentes said. “Veronica has always been a fearless advocate for the region, and I’m looking forward to taking up the baton and fighting for a better transportation network throughout the Northeast.”

“Veronica is a treasured colleague who has fought day and night to win a transportation system that works for New Yorkers, and her deep contributions to our community are reflected in her sterling reputation and her recent appointment to the MTA board,” said John Raskin, executive director of the Riders Alliance. “Nick is an expert campaigner and dynamic strategist with a passion for making transportation more reliable and accessible for everyone. We will be sorry to lose his talent day-to-day at the Riders Alliance, but I look forward to working with Nick in his new role and to the next generation of leadership at the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.”

Sifuentes will join the campaign on September 11.

Vanterpool thanked TSTC’s present and former staff and board of directors, her colleagues throughout the region and the philanthropic partners that make the organization’s work possible.

“I have worked with some of the smartest, sharpest, fair and pragmatic people during my 10 years at TSTC. My accomplishments at TSTC have been inspired and guided by them.”