Craig Cipriano On Planning for Zero Emissions and Developing Your Career

This week Paul is in conversation with Craig Cipriano and talking about how he put together the plan for New York MTA to transition to zero emissions. We talk a lot about the technology side of the problem. Hydrogen vs battery electric. How to charge batteries. Where is your hydrogen coming from. But what we don't talk about is how agencies need to adapt and change processes, workflows, and even the structure of their organizations to make it happen. The first thing Craig did to attack the problem head on, was to get everyone together--all the stakeholders--and created a new project management office. This office tackled the thorny problems of who would do what and who would have the final say on which decisions. It was the holistic view of the challenge that ensured departmental silos would be broken down and everyone who needed a say--from workforce to facilities, operations to maintenance--had a seat at the table. But some of Craig's best lessons from his conversation with Paul had to do with how he actively managed his career. He took advantage of opportunities. He sought out new things to learn. He got out of the office and into the field to learn more about the entire operation at the MTA. This active approach helped him climb the ladder at the MTA from mechanical engineer to eventually COO. His career advice is a must-listen no matter where you are in your career or what part of transit your work in (or even in transit at all). Also on the show: Paul talks about Andy Byford joining Amtrak and what that means for rail in the U.S. Elea Carey talks about building, protecting, and enhancing your agency's brand Paul reads from his first book Full Throttle on putting people first. Next week on the show, we have Andy Thompson of Go-Ahead Singapore on that city-state's integrated and accessible transit system. If you want to learn more about Singapore and its transit system, watch the episode on Transit Unplugged TV. If you have a question, comment, or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected]