RPA is pleased to announce the addition of four new members to its Board of Directors, who were elected to the 101-year-old organization at its June meeting. The leaders bring many years of expertise in the fields of transportation, construction, infrastructure, and communications. They will join an esteemed group of professionals that help support RPA’s operations, set its strategic vision and reach its policy goals. 2023 has already been a dynamic and productive year for the RPA team, and we look forward to having them join the team to advance RPA’s priorities of a more equitable, healthy, and prosperous New York-New Jersey-Connecticut Metro Region. Learn more about them here!
Mike Finley
CEO
Boingo Wireless
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Mike Finley is CEO of Boingo Wireless and serves on the company’s board of directors. He is responsible for the company’s strategic direction and leading the business into the 5G future.
Prior to Boingo, Finley served as President of North America and Australia at Qualcomm. He has over three decades of experience in senior management roles in the telecommunications industry with Nextel, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Airtouch Cellular, Cellular One and McCaw Cellular. He currently serves on the board of the CTIA, the board of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission, and the Creighton University Board of Trustees. In 2022, Finley was named to the City & State New York Transportation Power 100 list.
Finley received a B.S. and B.A. in marketing from Creighton University and is a member of the university’s Hall of Fame. He also attended the General Manager Program in Executive Education at Harvard Business School.
Hayley Prim
Senior Policy Manager
Uber Technologies, Inc.
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Hayley is a public affairs professional with more than 15 years experience spanning government, political campaigns, consulting, policy, and communications.
After graduating from Stony Brook University, she got her start working for Rep. Steve Israel in his capacity as a Member of Congress and Chair of the DCCC, both in his district office and as a political fundraiser.
In 2012, she joined Bill de Blasio’s winning mayoral campaign and continued to work for the Mayor first in City Hall and then on his political team through 2016. She then spent three years at a consulting firm launching progressive electoral campaigns around the country. Hayley joined Uber in 2019 and for the past four years has helped to lead the public affairs strategy for key northeast markets including New York and New Jersey.
Michael Shapiro
Managing Director
Blackstone
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Michael Shapiro is a Managing Director of Government Relations for Blackstone, with a focus on infrastructure investments and projects.
Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Shapiro served with the White House Infrastructure Implementation Task Force, and was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Prior to joining the Biden Administration, Mr. Shapiro was a founding team member and Vice President at Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP), a company backed by Alphabet (the parent company of Google) and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) that owns, acquires, and invests in advanced infrastructure, where he was responsible for the origination, diligence, and execution of investments, as well as public-private partnerships, government relations, and external communications.
He previously led economic policy for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential campaign, and served in roles in economic policy at the White House and Executive Office of the President in the Obama Administration.
Mr. Shapiro holds a B.A. from the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs, and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
John Williams
President, Infrastructure Northeast US & Canada
Bechtel
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John Williams is Bechtel’s President for Infrastructure in Northeast US & Canada. He lives in New York and is responsible for the operational performance and growth of the business in the transportation and digital sectors.
John was previously (2019-2022) Bechtel’s General Manager for Infrastructure, UK & Ireland, where he successfully expanded the business in the transport, digital, defense and renewables sectors. Between 2016-2019, John was deputy project director of Bechtel’s Crossrail project delivery partner team, leading the staged integration and upgrade of the legacy network into the new central operating section.
Prior to that role, John was manager of Bechtel’s Nuclear, Security & Environmental global business unit’s international portfolio. He developed and delivered a strategy to expand Bechtel’s defense, nuclear decommissioning, and nuclear new-build capabilities into non-US markets, and to provide operational oversight to those contracts.
Before joining Bechtel in 2012 John held senior positions within the UK Government and the private sector. From 2005-2009, John served as special advisor to UK Cabinet Minister, the Rt Hon John Hutton MP, providing senior policy advice in four UK government departments – Cabinet Office, Department of Work and Pensions, Department for Business, and Ministry of Defence.
John started his career in local government as founding director of the New Local Government Network, creating one of the most successful and influential public policy think tanks in the UK.
John graduated from Lancaster University with a BA (with honors) in politics and international relations.
