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Indian-American attorney Meera Joshi has been nominated to serve on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board by New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Joshi, the deputy mayor for operations, overseeing New York City’s infrastructure, public realm, and climate portfolio, was nominated alongside NYC Department of City Planning Director and City Planning Commission Chair Dan Garodnick, on February 8, according to an official press release.

Adams showcased his “commitment” to providing New Yorkers with “a safe, reliable, and accessible public transportation system” by appointing two longtime supporters of public transit to the MTA Board, the release said.

Joshi, who currently oversees the transportation and infrastructure portfolio, spearheads the administration’s “street safety work”, which helped make 2023 New York City’s second-safest year for pedestrians since Vision Zero began in 2014.

Joshi is credited with creating “vibrant public spaces” in all five boroughs and preparing the city for “congestion pricing”.

“Deputy Mayor Joshi and Director Garodnick are the perfect people to help secure the MTA’s future and deliver a world-class, safe, reliable, and accessible transportation system to all New Yorkers,” Mayor Adams was quoted as saying.

Joshi said: “Perhaps nothing impacts the smooth operations of New York more than its public transit system; it is the backbone around which our economy functions and our identity as New Yorkers is built.” She said supporting the “MTA’s fiscal and operational wellbeing” through this “moment of transition” would be a “great honour and privilege”.

Before joining the Adams administration, Joshi was President Joe Biden’s nominee for administrator of the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the agency responsible for regulation of interstate trucking.

In this role, she led initiatives aimed at improving “roadway safety”, the working conditions of truck drivers, and accountability mechanisms to integrate automation.