Press Release: Chairman Mendelson Statement on WMATA Board Nominee

News Release — DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

CONTACT:

Lindsey Walton

WASHINGTON, DC – DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson today announced that he is nominating Stephanie Gidigbi as a Council appointee to represent the District as a voting member on the Board of Directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

“I’m really excited that with Stephanie we’ve got someone who is a regular transit user, knowledgeable about transportation issues, and – as a resident of Ward 8 – committed to the District,” Mendelson said. “She will be a fresh face on the WMATA Board and is sensitive to the changing technologies that are transforming transportation.”

Stephanie previously served as a political appointee in the Obama Administration, where she advanced the administration’s economic opportunity agenda at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said, “WMATA could not have a better steward of the nation’s transit agency than Stephanie Gidigbi.  She is smart, energetic, full of integrity and passionate about ensuring equity in transportation.  She’s an outstanding choice.”

Gidigbi was also previously appointed as the New Jersey Director for Public Engagement, overseeing the Hurricane Sandy Taskforce, under the leadership of the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to support the federal disaster response in the region. 

Chairman Mendelson hopes to fill the second vacant seat on the WMATA board soon.

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