RPA is delighted to present the 2021 John Zuccotti Award to Rick Cotton, a transformative leader dedicated to improving the region’s infrastructure and transportation facilities.

Rick has spent his career working across the public and private sector. He started as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, serving in policy roles in the federal government before spending decades in media as the General Counsel at NBC. In January of 2015, Governor Cuomo appointed Rick as a Special Counsellor to the Governor, serving as the point person within the Governor’s office for most of the Governor’s major downstate infrastructure priorities including LaGuardia and JFK Airports, the Moynihan Train Hall and Penn-Farley Complex, the new Tappan Zee Bridge, the expansion of the Javits Center, and the on-time opening of the MTA’s Second Avenue Subway project. In August 2017, Rick was appointed Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Thanks to Rick’s leadership, in the last year the Port Authority opened the new LaGuardia’s Terminal B on the western half of the airport and is on schedule to open the major portion of Delta’s Terminal C at LaGuardia on the eastern half of the airport in the Spring of next year. New York State opened Moynihan Train Hall at the end of last year, a project that Rick helped to get off the ground when he served as Special Counsellor to Governor Cuomo. With the Governor’s strong support and commitment to building 21st century, world class infrastructure, both projects came in on time and on budget in one of the most trying years our country has ever faced. In addition, during Rick’s tenure, the Port Authority has celebrated the completion of two new bridges from Staten Island to New Jersey that were launched and brought to the verge of completion under the agency’s prior leadership. Further, the Port Authority, is advancing the construction of an entirely new terminal at Newark airport which will open its first new gates in the Spring of next year. Rick has also been the driving force behind the planning for two new AirTrains (one at Newark Airport championed by Governor Murphy and one at LaGuardia championed by Governor Cuomo), a new Midtown Bus Terminal, and a full scale redevelopment of JFK airport among many other priority initiatives. We are excited to honor and celebrate Rick Cotton’s leadership and perseverance.

On Friday, May 7, Mr. Cotton will be joined by RPA Chairman Scott Rechler for an interview focused on leadership and the future of the region. The award will be presented by Howard Milstein, a close friend and colleague of John Zuccotti.

Rick Cotton became Executive Director of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on August 14, 2017. Prior to joining the Port Authority, since January 2015, Mr. Cotton served as Governor Cuomo’s Special Counsellor for Interagency Initiatives, serving as the point person within the Governor’s office for most of the Governor’s major downstate infrastructure priorities including LaGuardia and JFK Airports, the Moynihan Train Hall and Penn-Farley Complex, the new Tappan Zee Bridge, the expansion of the Javits Center, and the on-time opening of the MTA’s Second Avenue Subway project. Mr. Cotton joined the administration following 25 years at NBC Universal, where he held a number of positions beginning in 1989, including 20 years as EVP and General Counsel and four years in London as President and Managing Director of CNBC Europe. He also served as Executive Secretary to the Department at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare under Secretary Joseph A. Califano, Jr. and Special Assistant for Renewable Energy to Deputy Secretary of Energy John Sawhill at the U.S. Department of Energy. Mr. Cotton received an A.B. from Harvard College and a J.D. from Yale Law School, and served as a law clerk to Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. on the U.S. Supreme Court.

RPA’s highest award for leadership in the metropolitan region is named after John E. Zuccotti, a long-serving member of the RPA Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Presented each year at RPA’s annual Assembly, the award recognizes a leader who has made extraordinary contributions to the built environment in the tri-state metropolitan region. The 2017 inau¬gural John Zuccotti Award was presented to U.S. President Joe Biden. The 2018 Award was bestowed to Anthony Coscia, Chairman of Amtrak. The 2019 Award was given to Alicia Glen, Former Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, New York City and Founder, women.nyc. The 2020 Award was given to The Honorable Henry Cisneros, former US HUD Secretary and Chairman, Co-Chief Investment Officer, and Co-Founder of American Triple I Partners; Chairman of the Executive Committee of ATI’s affiliate Siebert Williams Shank & Co.; and co-founder of CityView.