PANYNJ approves Garcia as executive director, Roehrenbeck as deputy

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 's board yesterday approved the nominations of Kathryn Garcia as executive director and Jean Roehrenbeck as deputy executive director.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul nominated Garcia for the position in December 2025. Garcia brings three decades of experience to the role, PANYNJ officials said in a press release. As executive director, she will lead day-to-day operations across the port's air, rail, bridge, tunnel and seaport operations. She also will be responsible for delivering the port's recently approved 10-year capital plan.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill likewise nominated Roehrenbeck, who will report to Garcia. Garcia will become executive director on Feb. 9 following the retirement of Rick Cotton, who has held the role for the past eight and a half years. The deputy executive director role has been vacant since 2013.

Most recently, Garcia was director of state operations and infrastructure in the Hochul administration, a role in which she oversaw the launch of New York City's congestion relief toll program, the state's nuclear power plant initiative and the Gateway Hudson Tunnel project. Previously, she held senior leadership roles in New York City government.

Roehrenbeck most recently was vice president at Summit Strategies, a national government affairs consulting firm. Previously, she was acting assistant secretary for governmental affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation under then-Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. She also served on the department's senior leadership team during the rollout of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. Earlier in her career, Roehrenbeck was chief of staff to then-U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.).

PANYNJ operates the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) commuter railroad. CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway serve the port.