Honor Catherine Rinaldi's Retirement

Senate Resolution No. 593 BY: Senator STEWART-COUSINS CONGRATULATING Catherine Rinaldi upon the occasion of her retirement as President of MTA Metro-North Railroad after 22 years of distinguished service WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to acknowledge the significant milestones in the distinguished careers of esteemed residents of this noble Empire State; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to congratulate Catherine Rinaldi upon the occasion of her retirement as President of MTA Metro-North Railroad; and WHEREAS, Catherine Rinaldi graduated summa cum laude from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1985; after earning her law degree from the University of Virginia, she began her career with MTA in 2003; and WHEREAS, During her time with MTA, Catherine Rinaldi served in many roles, including Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel at MTA Headquarters, Vice President and General Counsel at Long Island Rail Road, Chief of Staff and Counsel to the MTA Chairman, and Executive Vice President of Metro-North; and WHEREAS, Catherine Rinaldi assumed the role of the sixth President of Metro-North Railroad on February 21, 2018, becoming the first woman to hold this position; that same year, she was named Woman of the Year by the Greater New York Chapter of the Women's Transportation Seminar; and WHEREAS, Catherine Rinaldi has overseen a host of consumer-facing initiatives during her time as President, including the delivery of real-time service information at Grand Central Terminal and outlying stations to a multimillion-dollar station upgrade at White Plains Station, the railroad's third busiest station; under her leadership, Metro-North's customer-facing safety program, TRACKS, won the 2018 APTA Gold Award for Safety; and WHEREAS, Catherine Rinaldi served as president through the duration of the federal and state-declared emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic; during this time, she led MTA Metro-North Railroad through unprecedented uncertainty and change, including the development of health and safety protocols during the pandemic and the implementation of strategies to increase post-COVID ridership; and WHEREAS, During her time as President, Catherine Rinaldi has led efforts to prioritize customer service and improve system reliability while continuing the intensive infrastructure work essential to maintaining system safety, including the opening of a brand-new maintenance and operations hub at Croton-on-Hudson and the installation of positive train control across Metro-North Territory within the federally required timeframe; and WHEREAS, In addition to her role as President of MTA Metro-North Railroad, Catherine Rinaldi served as interim president of the Long Island Rail Road from February 2022 through October 2023, where she was involved in readiness activities associated with the commencement of LIRR service into Grand Central Madison; this combined role allowed her to promote greater collaboration between the two railroads, encouraging the railroads' operating departments to learn from each other and identify best practices to solve common problems; and WHEREAS, When she retires on March 31, Catherine Rinaldi will leave an impressive legacy at Metro-North, overseeing the best on-time performance in the railroad's history last year at ninety-eight percent, the fifth consecutive year that the railroad's performance has exceeded ninety-seven percent; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individuals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to congratulate Catherine Rinaldi upon the occasion of her retirement, and to wish her well in all her future endeavors; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Catherine Rinaldi.