New MTA Chairman

Jay Walder, the new the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Chairman and CEO, was appointed by Governor David Paterson and confirmed by the New York State Senate on Sept. 10 and began his new position on Oct. 5.

Walder took over after former Director of the MTA, Elliot Sander, resigned in May.          

alder grew up in the Rockaways of Queens and grew up riding the A train. He received his B.A. from Binghamton University and received his M.A. from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Walder also has prior experience working for the MTA. In 1983 he worked for the MTA's capital program budget office.

According to the MTA's Web site, he "became chief of staff and ultimately executive director and chief financial officer. In those positions he played important roles in the creation of the MTA's first Capital Plan and the implementation of the Metro Card."

Walder left the MTA in 1995 and started teaching at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. He then worked for the Transport for London (TfL) between 2001 and 2006, serving as the managing director for finance and development.

While working for the TfL, Walder helped to create the ticketing system called the Oyster card. Unlike a Metro Card it does not have to be swiped; instead it is waved over a sensor.

He was also successful in helping to get the 2012 Summer Olympics to be held in London.

Since leaving TfL in 2007, Walder has worked at the management-consulting firm McKinsey & Company. On his first day as the MTA Chairman and CEO, Walder took the 7 train from Flushing, Queens to Grand Central Station in Manhattan.

While riding the 7 train, Walder talked to reporters about what improvements he would like to be seen made to the MTA.

According to The New York Times, he called "for a high-tech overhaul of the bus system to create dedicated bus lanes, with GPS trackers that would tell commuters exactly when the next bus will arrive.

"He wanted ‘smart' fare cards that could be waved over a sensor and countdown clocks on the subway, without the endless delays that have plagued the authority's projects in recent years. And he said improving customer service was paramount."

Walder wasted no time at his new job. On first day he announced plans to "install cameras on the front of city buses to take photos of any vehicles obstructing bus lanes," according to Gothamist.

Walder's term as the Chairman and CEO runs until June 2015.