The Board of Directors of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all surface transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), introduced Edward D. Reiskin as the new director of transportation of the SFMTA, replacing Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. This appointment is effective Aug. 15. The terms of Reiskin's contract are yet to be finalized and will go before the board on Aug. 2.
"Ed is a talented leader and a skilled manager who has extensive experience balancing budgets, finding efficiencies and making strategic capital investments," said Tom Nolan, chairman of the board of directors. "He also has earned a reputation as a careful steward of San Francisco's tax dollars so he will be extremely valuable as we evaluate the ways we can perform our core functions to deliver the best value for our customers and taxpayers."
"I thank the SFMTA board of directors for their thoughtful, deliberative and unanimous support of Ed Reiskin as the new leader of the SFMTA," said Mayor Edwin M. Lee. "Now is the time to focus on the future of the SFMTA and continue to make good on our promise to San Francisco transit riders and taxpayers by creating greater efficiency in our transit system, improving on-time performance, and honoring our city's Transit First Policy."
"Given the strong foundation that is in place at the SFMTA and the significant level of authority of the agency, as established by the voters of San Francisco, I will work with our residents, the SFMTA board, staff and our city family to make significant advances in the performance of the agency," said Reiskin.
Reiskin currently leads the city and county of San Francisco's Department of Public Works (DPW), which has an annual $165 million operating budget and a $2 billion capital budget. Since his appointment in 2008 by Mayor Gavin Newsom and then-City Administrator Edwin Lee, Reiskin has directed and led DPW's three divisions of more than 1,100 employees, whose responsibilities range from engineering, construction management and project delivery to graffiti removal, street cleaning, and public engagement programs.
Reiskin has more than 20 years of experience in the private, academic, nonprofit and public sectors. Before joining DPW, Reiskin served as the first director of the city's 311 Customer Service Center. Prior to joining the city and county of San Francisco, he served as the Interim city administrator and as deputy mayor for the government of the District of Columbia. As city administrator, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of government, provided oversight to government agencies under the mayor's authority, and guided functional, policy, and budgetary decision-making on behalf of the mayor. As deputy mayor, he served as senior advisor on public safety issues and provided leadership and direction in the management of departments such as police, fire/EMS, corrections, and 911/311. He also served as the district's liaison to independent, federal, and regional public safety agencies, and as the District of Columbia's Homeland Security Advisor.
Prior to joining the district government, Reiskin worked for three years for the city of Oakland, Calif. as an assistant to the city manager. In that capacity, he led citywide initiatives; supported and coordinated the work of city agencies, particularly in the areas of public safety and community development; and implemented programs and policies of the city council and mayor of Oakland. From 1988 to 1998, Reiskin performed business and community environmental work for a nonprofit research and consulting organization, conducted academic research on sustainable development at a business school, and worked as an engineer and manager in the private sector.
Reiskin holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University's Stern School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He lives in the Lower Haight with his wife and three children.
