American civil servant (born 1954)
Christopher Owen Ward
(born 1954) is an American
civil servant
who served as executive director of the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
from May 1, 2008, until November 1, 2011, and as
New York City Department of Environmental Protection
commissioner from 2002 to 2005.
Early life
[
edit
]
Ward was born in
Princeton, New Jersey
, on October 11, 1954, the son of Barbara Carnes and
John William Ward
. His father was chair of the Special Program in American Civilization at
Princeton University
, and later served as president of
Amherst College
1971?1979, making it co-educational. His father also ran the
Ward Commission
to investigate political corruption in construction contracts in
Massachusetts
. He was appointed by
Michael Dukakis
.
[1]
Ward attended
Macalester College
in
Saint Paul, Minnesota
, earning a
Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1976. He worked on an oil rig, for
Pennzoil
, in the
Gulf of Mexico
, as a mechanic, before attending
Harvard Divinity School
, where he received a
Master of Theological Studies
.
[2]
[3]
Ward's elder brother is
David C. Ward
. He is married to Pamela Cook. They have two children, Katherine and John.
New York City official
[
edit
]
During the
Ed Koch
administration, Ward worked at the
New York City Department of Consumer Affairs
as director of research from 1982 to 1988. From 1988 to 1992, he was an assistant commissioner for the New York City Department of Telecommunications and Energy. As part of the administration of
David Dinkins
, the first African American mayor of NYC, Ward worked on the city's negotiations with
Con Edison
and
Hydro-Quebec
regarding the expansion of the
hydropower
system in Northern Canada. Continuing his service to
Mayor Dinkins
, he worked as senior vice president for transportation and commerce at the
New York City Economic Development Corporation
(NYCEDC) from 1992 to 1995.
[4]
During his tenure at the NYCEDC, Ward worked on acquiring the
Staten Island Railroad
to re-establish
rail freight service
to the
Howland Hook Marine Terminal
. This acquisition was secured with funding obtained by Congresswoman
Susan Molinari
, "this means that there will be an alternative to New Jersey that will bring about enhanced competition and will also allow the regional port to grow".
[5]
[6]
Ward served as the commissioner of the
New York City Department of Environmental Protection
, appointed by
Michael Bloomberg
, from 2002 to 2005.
[4]
As commissioner, he worked on the
Long Island Sound
Nitrogen Reduction Program, federal approval of the Filtration Avoidance Agreement for the Protection and Water Quality of the Upstate Reservoir System, and the funding and completion of the Manhattan segment of the third water tunnel.
[7]
[8]
[9]
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
[
edit
]
From 1997 to 2002, he was chief external affairs and director of port development for the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
, under Executive Directors Robert E. Boyle and
Neil Levin
.
[10]
Ward oversaw the development of the comprehensive port development plan and the 50 foot channeling project throughout the
Port of New York and New Jersey
.
[11]
In addition, Ward also oversaw the approval of the longstanding
Airtrain
to
JFK Airport
.
[12]
[11]
Ward is a survivor of the 9/11 attack.
[13]
After
David Paterson
assumed the governorship he recommended Ward to become executive director of the Port Authority. Ward was appointed to the position on May 1, 2008.
[14]
Ward served under both Governor
David Paterson
and Governor
Andrew Cuomo
.
[3]
He resigned from the job in November 2011. He was followed by Cuomo appointee,
Pat Foye
.
[15]
[16]
While executive director of the Port Authority Ward was charged with overseeing the planned expansion of
Pennsylvania Station
to the
James Farley Post Office
, known as the
Moynihan Train Hall
.
[17]
In July 2008 Ward announced that construction at the
World Trade Center site
would run longer and cost significantly more than previously promised.
[18]
A new, more accurate timetable was delivered, and the
9/11 Memorial
was ready for the 10th anniversary.
[19]
[2]
Ward was responsible for the initiation and the renovation of
LaGuardia Airport
, as well as, the replacement of
Delta Air Lines
terminal 3 at
JFK
, and finally the long-term lease commitment by
Mediterranean Shipping Company
(MSC) at
Elizabeth Marine Terminal
.
[20]
Ward advocated for
Access to the Region's Core
, in order to expand mass transit capacity across New York and New Jersey. New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie
nixed the project, delaying the opportunity to build a new tunnel across the
Hudson River
.
[21]
Private sector
[
edit
]
Ward worked in the private sector as director of Business Development of American Stevedoring, a shipping company based in
Red Hook, Brooklyn
, from 1996 to 1997.
[10]
Ward returned to the private sector, as CEO of American Stevedoring, from 2005 to 2006. Ward then moved on to work as the managing director of the General Contractors Association of New York, Inc. (GCA).
[3]
Ward's work, since leaving the PANYNJ and re-entering the private sector, has been focused on expanding
MWBE
(Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises Program) business, and continuing to improve New York City environmental infrastructure, "the city is bedeviled by intracity truck trips".
[22]
[23]
In the role of chairman of the
Waterfront Alliance
, Ward advocates for a more accessible
New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary
as well as a long term resilience strategy in the face of climate change.
[24]
Ward is on the board of
Four Freedoms Park
.
[25]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"About John William Ward"
.
- ^
a
b
Cardwell, Diane (July 7, 2008).
"Port Authority, Often Tangled, Gets an Infusion of Philosophy"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
March 7,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
c
Rubinstein, Dana (August 2011).
"The problem with Port Authority boss Chris Ward is that he doesn't owe Andrew Cuomo a thing"
.
Politico PRO
.
- ^
a
b
"Governor Paterson Recommends Christopher Ward to Become Port Authority Executive Director"
. Office of
New York Governor
David Paterson
. May 2, 2008. Archived from
the original
on December 24, 2008
. Retrieved
March 7,
2010
.
- ^
Levy, Clifford J. (September 27, 1994).
"New York Looks to S. I. Site to Revive Port (Published 1994)"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
"Archived copy"
(PDF)
.
www.envisionfreight.com
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on March 3, 2016
. Retrieved
January 12,
2022
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link
)
- ^
Grann, David.
"City of Water"
.
The New Yorker
.
- ^
"City to Burrow New $1 Billion Filtration Plant"
.
Observer
. March 31, 2003
. Retrieved
December 29,
2020
.
- ^
"New Schoharie Bridge Officially Opened On Route 990V In Gilboa, NY"
.
www1.nyc.gov
.
- ^
a
b
"Robert Boyle Resigns As NY/NJ Port Authority Chief"
.
www.joc.com
.
- ^
a
b
Doig, Jameson (2001). Empire on the Hudson. Columbia University Press.
- ^
"Chris Ward Gets the Call"
.
The New York Observer
. May 6, 2008.
- ^
Plotch, Philip M. and Jen Nelles,
Mobilizing the Metropolis: How the Port Authority Built New York
(University of Michigan Press, 2023)
- ^
"Leadership"
.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
. Archived from
the original
on May 28, 2011
. Retrieved
March 7,
2010
.
- ^
Margolin, Josh (May 27, 2011).
"Ward 'cleaver': Andy set to ax PA boss"
.
- ^
"Chris Ward Gets the Call"
.
The New York Observer
. May 6, 2008.
- ^
"Moynihan Station and the Complexity of Major Public Projects | The New School - YouTube"
.
www.youtube.com
.
Archived
from the original on December 15, 2021.
- ^
"One World Trade Center: The Top of America"
.
Time
. Archived from
the original
on April 8, 2020
. Retrieved
January 4,
2021
.
- ^
"9/11 Museum Could Be Ready Before 10th Anniversary Of 9/11 Attacks"
. January 29, 2011.
- ^
"The Port Authority: Chris Ward on the World Trade Center and Moynihan Station"
.
Observer
. October 11, 2010
. Retrieved
December 29,
2020
.
- ^
"Christie Endorses Tunnel Four Years After Killing Project"
.
Bloomberg.com
. January 6, 2015
. Retrieved
January 4,
2021
.
- ^
"Chris Ward: NYC Truck Traffic "an Economic and Environmental Crisis"
"
.
Streetsblog New York City
. October 13, 2011.
Archived
from the original on March 16, 2017.
- ^
"Ex-Port Authority chief joins construction firm to focus on MWBEs"
.
Crain's New York Business
. June 4, 2019
. Retrieved
December 29,
2020
.
- ^
"Our Team | Waterfront Alliance"
.
- ^
"The Conservancy"
.
Four Freedoms Park Conservancy
.
External links
[
edit
]
Preceded by
|
Commissioner
of the Department of Environmental Protection
January 2002 – 2005
|
Succeeded by
Emily Lloyd
|
|
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|
Governor of New York
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Political activities
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Life and family
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Key staff
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Works
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World Trade Center
|
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First WTC
(1973?2001)
|
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Second WTC
(2001?present)
| Site, towers,
and structures
| |
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Rapid transit
|
- PATH
stations
- New York City Subway
stations
- Chambers Street?WTC/Park Place/Cortlandt Street
(
2
,
3
,
A
,
C
,
E
,
N
,
R
, and
W
trains)
- WTC Cortlandt
(
1
train)
- Fulton Street
(
2
,
3
,
4
,
5
,
A
,
C
,
J
, and
Z
trains)
- Fulton Center
|
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9/11 memorials
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People
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Other
|
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Executive Directors of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
|
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Executive Directors
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