Assembly Resolution No. 289 BY: M. of A. Shimsky CONGRATULATING Catherine Rinaldi upon the occasion of her retirement, as President, after many years of distinguished service to the MTA Metro-North Railroad WHEREAS, This Legislative Body seeks to acknowledge those individuals whose professional lives and civic endeavors serve to enhance the stature of the State of New York; and WHEREAS, Catherine Rinaldi is a summa cum laude graduate of Yale University and obtained her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law; and WHEREAS, In 2003, Catherine Rinaldi joined Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) as General Counsel; in January of 2015, she joined Metro-North Railroad as Executive Vice President; she has served as President of Metro-North Railroad since February 21, 2018; she is the sixth president of Metro-North and the first woman to hold that position; and WHEREAS, Catherine Rinaldi has held several titles during her tenure with MTA, including Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel at MTA Headquarters, Vice President and General Counsel at Long Island Rail Road, and Chief of Staff and Counsel to the MTA Chairman; from February of 2022 until October of 2023, she was appointed as Interim President of the Long Island Rail Road; and WHEREAS, The first woman to lead the Metro-North Railroad, Catherine Rinaldi oversaw Metro-North's best on-time performance in history in 2024 and Long Island Rail Road's largest service increase while serving as its Interim President; and WHEREAS, Catherine Rinaldi has worked to improve employee engagement at the railroad, including support for women in the Metro-North workforce; under her leadership, the Metro-North Railroad's customer-facing safety program, "Together Railroads And Communities Keeping Safe" (TRACKS), won the 2018 American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Gold Award for its safety standards and management; and WHEREAS, Additionally, Catherine Rinaldi has led the effort to implement a federally mandated Positive Train Control (PTC) system for the Metro-North Railroad; and WHEREAS, In 2018, the Greater New York Chapter of the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) named Catherine Rinaldi "Woman of the Year"; she has achieved the implementation of many essential programs and improvements within MTA's railroad system, rendering railroad travel safer and more enjoyable for passengers and the work environment safer for employees; and WHEREAS, Throughout her many years of dedication and service to the MTA, most notably for the Metro-North Railroad, Catherine Rinaldi has earned the admiration, esteem, and affection of her colleagues; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to congratulate Catherine Rinaldi upon the occasion of her retirement, as President, after many years of distinguished service to the MTA Metro-North Railroad; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Catherine Rinaldi.