Current Bus Chief Craig Cipriano to Become NYCT Interim President
Acting Executive Vice President of Subways Demetrius Crichlow Promoted to Senior Vice President
View Photos of Cipriano and Crichlow
Acting MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber today announced his intention to appoint Craig Cipriano as the next Interim President of New York City Transit. Additionally, current Interim President Sarah Feinberg has promoted Demetrius Crichlow to serve as Senior Vice President of NYCT’s Department of Subways.
Cipriano, whose appointment takes effect July 31, has been President of MTA Bus Company and Senior Vice President of NYCT’s Department of Buses since 2019. Crichlow became Acting Executive Vice President of NYCT’s subways division earlier this year and will start his new role effective immediately.
The announcement comes after Lieber’s appointment, beginning July 31, by Governor Cuomo as the Authority’s Acting Chair and CEO following the pending departure of Patrick Foye. Before ascending to the top job, Lieber served as Chief Development Officer and President of MTA Construction & Development since 2017.
“The pandemic revealed how important it is to have continuity and seasoned leaders at the MTA managing the daily challenges of our system,” said Acting MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber. “Craig and Demetrius exemplify the very best of what NYCT has to offer. I know I will rely on them immensely as we continue the critical work of modernizing mass transit in the years ahead.”
“Craig and Demetrius have the strong leadership skills and unmatched experience to bring continued stability to the daily operations of our subways and buses,” said current Interim New York City Transit President Sarah Feinberg. “New Yorkers and the transit system are in great hands.”
“Growing up in Brooklyn I knew firsthand how important the B42 bus and L train were to the people in my neighborhood, but I never dreamed I would one day have the honor of running New York City’s world class transit system” said incoming Interim New York City Transit President Craig Cipriano. “I am excited to return to my subway roots where I began and lead the agency at this critical juncture as we work to bring ridership back and support the city’s recovery — building upon the improvements we have already made.”
“I strongly believe that the subway system is a powerful force for equity in New York City and I am grateful for the opportunity to help move the department forward alongside Craig and Janno,” said newly appointed Senior Vice President for Subways Demetrius Crichlow. “The men and women who work for the Department of Subways are dedicated, committed professionals with real expertise and I am eager to work hand-in-hand with them."
ABOUT CRAIG CIPRIANO
Cipriano has more than 30 years of public transit experience at the MTA. While he has notably worked in all five boroughs of the bus system, Cipriano got his start at Transit working in the subways division at Coney Island Yard in his native Brooklyn. He was hired as an assistant mechanical engineer for the car equipment department in 1989 via the Transit Corps of Engineers Program. Over the next three years, Cipriano also worked in the roller bearing, pneumatic, and wheel-and-axel shops.
He was then invited to complete the MTA’s nationally acclaimed Future Managers Program and transferred to Buses – where he climbed the ladder to become President of MTA Bus Company and Senior Vice President of NYCT’s Department of Buses in 2019.
As manager of North America’s largest bus agency and paratransit operation, he has proven success as a strategic leader delivering customer-focused, technological, and data-driven solutions. Before leading the Buses division through the pandemic, Cipriano executed the successful Staten Island Express Bus Network Redesign and led efforts to modernize the entire fleet with real-time bus information technology in all boroughs. Additionally, he developed the agency’s plan to transition to a zero-emissions bus fleet by 2040.
Cipriano holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stony Brook University and a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from Rutgers University. He is married with one son.
ABOUT DEMETRIUS CRICHLOW
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, rising through ranks at the LIRR to become Train Movement Supervisor overseeing operations at Penn Station Central Control. In December 2006 he transferred to MTA Headquarters to become Special Assistant for Operations for then Chairman and CEO Peter Kalikow.
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 subway line, it solidified three generations of service that began with his grandfather.
Crichlow has since been asked to take on positions of increasing management and system responsibility in subway operations. He served, among other roles, as the general manager of the and lines, Chief Officer of Field Operations for the subway, Chief of the Rail Control Center, the centralized subway dispatching office, and Chief Officer of the Staten Island Railway.
Crichlow is married and has three children.