Former FRA Administrator Szabo named executive director of CMAP

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) will soon have a new executive director, Joseph Szabo.

 

Szabo was selected unanimously after a national search by the agency’s board, which is appointed by elected leaders from across the seven counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will. He will be responsible for operations of CMAP, which has state and federal mandates for regional integration of planning for land use, transportation and related factors that shape quality of life and economic prosperity.

“Our region and agency are fortunate to have a leader of Joe’s depth and vision,” said Gerald Bennett, chair of the CMAP board and mayor of Palos Hills. “Metropolitan Chicago and the state as a whole are facing unprecedented challenges, such as the need to rebuild crumbling infrastructure, give residents options to live nearer to where they work and expand parks and open space, to name a few of our priorities. To a significant extent, his highly varied background enables Joe to embody these regional aspirations.”

Prior to joining CMAP as a senior fellow in January, Szabo had served 2009-15 as the twelfth Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) within the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT). He led a staff of more than 900 professionals located in Washington, D.C., and at field offices across the nation as the first FRA head to come from the ranks of rail workers, having served as a conductor and switchman with the Illinois Central Railroad and Metra, where his father Joseph Szabo also worked for 40 years.

But long before filling a prominent position in the Obama administration, Szabo began his public service as a zoning commission member in his native south suburban Riverdale, Ill., where he later served as a park district commissioner, village trustee and ultimately mayor. He also was a member of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association executive board and transportation committee and the regional Council of Mayors executive committee.

“For me, this is a return to my roots in local government,” said Szabo. “Municipalities are the most representative form of government and CMAP depends on its strong connection to our region’s towns, cities and counties. While at USDOT, I recognized that CMAP is viewed nationally as a model of regional collaboration. I look forward to working with the agency board, stakeholders and staff to continue that record of excellence on behalf of this region that I love.”

Bennett, the board and Szabo thanked CMAP interim executive director Jill Leary for guiding the agency since January, when Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner appointed original CMAP executive director Randy Blankenhorn as Illinois Secretary of Transportation. When Szabo assumes his new position on June 15, Leary will resume her duties as chief of staff.

 

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