RPA is excited to introduce eight new Members of our Board of Directors who have joined since October 2020. Leaders in the region and experts in their respective fields, from goods movement to transportation planning to environmental sustainability, their insight and experience will help inform RPA as we work towards the region’s recovery and renewal. We’re excited to work with this committed group to advance RPA’s priorities and to work towards a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable region. Learn more about our new Board members below!
Sol Maria Alfonso-Jones, Senior Program Officer, Long Island Community Foundation
Sol Marie has more than 25 years’ experience in nonprofit management, community building, program development and evaluation and has been with the Long Island Community Foundation (LICF) since spring of 2009. As senior program officer, she manages the Foundation’s grantmaking programs in the areas of Education, Environment, Youth Development, and other special community response projects, such as helping to combat Long Island’s opioid crisis, and developing regional solutions to racial and economic inequities. She also spearheads LICF’s Community Development programs, including its affordable and fair housing initiative on Long Island.
Axel Carrion, Vice President of State Government & Public Affairs, UPS
As Vice President, Axel is responsible for state government affairs including territories from Connecticut through Maryland while overseeing Community Relations extending through the Mid-Atlantic States culminating in Virginia. Axel began his career at UPS in 1994 as a loader/unloader out of the Metro New York District 43rd Street facility, and has held a range of positions from Hub & Feeder to Security and Package Operations out of the East Region territory. He founded the North Atlantic District Latino BRG in 2012 while working with local community groups including the New Jersey Governor’s Hispanic Fellowship Program (HISPA), The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families and the Puerto Rican Action Board. Axel currently is a Board Member of various State Trucking Associations and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign; serves as the UPS liaison to the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA); serves on the Business Advisory Councils for the Board of Hispanic Caucus Chairs (BHCC) and the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL); is a member of the NYC Mayor’s OneNYC Advisory Group and also serves on the Corporate Board of Advisors for HISPA.
Craig Covil, Managing Director & Chief Development Officer, Itinera Infrastructure & Concessions/Halmar International
Craig leads the coordination, project origination, teaming, technical strategy for solicited and unsolicited proposals, and project development and delivery for major Design-Build and P3 projects. He has almost 35 years’ experience delivering major civil infrastructure, tunnel, land reclamation, maritime, highway, building, aviation, and transit infrastructure around the world. Most recently he led the $1.4 billion Fulton Street Station and the $4.5 billion Second Avenue Subway, and was also involved in the Tappan Zee Alternative Analyses as a Principal at Arup. He is currently involved in leading teams on PANYNJ’s LGA and Newark AirTrain projects.
Nick Dhimitri, Vice President of External Affairs, Suffolk Construction
As National Vice President of External Affairs, Nick supports Suffolk’s clients and helps grow Suffolk’s presence in communities across the country. In addition to leading Suffolk’s government relations team, Nick also helps to guide Suffolk’s civic and philanthropic activity in all of the markets the company serves, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Florida. Prior to joining Suffolk, Nick worked as the Director of Economic Development and as a Legislative Assistant to U.S.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. During his time with Senator Schumer, Nick was a critical advisor to the Senator on a wide range of policy matters including transportation, infrastructure, and economic development.
Janice Fuller, President of Mid-Atlantic, Anbaric
Janice is President, Mid-Atlantic of Anbaric Development where she leads efforts to develop offshore wind transmission infrastructure. Prior to joining Anbaric, she served as Chief of Staff to Congressman and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone (NJ-06), where she oversaw staff executing legislation ranging from telecom to environmental issues. She has also held roles as Director of Cabinet Affairs in the administration of Governor Jon Corzine where she oversaw the operations of several state departments and as the Executive Director of a state political party.
Jerry Janetti, Director, East Operations & Northeast Regional Business Manager, WSP
Jerry has overall responsibility for WSP’s transportation consulting operations in the Eastern United States and direct supervision of the Northeast region, including oversight of 23 corporate offices and the firm’s work on projects such as East Side Access, Canarsie Tunnel and the extension of the No. 7 subway line in New York. Prior to his current position, Jerry was the area manager for WSP’s Mid-Atlantic region. He expanded the capabilities of the Baltimore office into a diverse operation, delivering work across the transportation market, including highways, bridges, aviation, ports, tunnel, rail and transit systems. During his tenure in Baltimore, the firm assisted clients with every “mega-project” undertaken in Maryland.
Greg Kelly, President & CEO, STV
As the President and Chief Executive Officer of STV, Greg is responsible for overseeing the workforce of over 2,200 employees and guiding the firm toward achieving its short- and long-term strategic goals with an emphasis on performance, business development, technology, and human capital. STV is a leader in providing architectural, engineering, planning, environmental, and program and construction management services for transportation systems, infrastructure, buildings, energy, and other facilities. Greg was previously Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Construction & Materials, a leading provider of services in asphalt products, aggregate supply, and road building construction. Prior to that was a member of WSP’s global executive team and CEO of the U.S. operation providing professional services across transport, property and buildings, water, energy and the environment. Greg previously served on the RPA Board from 2013 to 2019 and we are delighted to have him re-join!
Dr. Herminia Palacio, President & CEO, Guttmacher Institute
Herminia is the President and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute – a leading research and policy organization dedicated to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in the United States and globally. Prior to joining the Guttmacher Institute, Dr. Palacio served as Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services for the City of New York. In this role, she was in charge of coordinating transformation efforts across the City’s public health and healthcare system, expanding access to social services, and ensuring that agencies serving the City’s most vulnerable populations are run compassionately, equitably, and effectively. She practiced clinical medicine for nearly 20 years, including nearly 15 years at San Francisco General Hospital during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and her work standing up and overseeing the public health and healthcare delivery emergency response operations for 27,000 evacuees during Hurricane Katrina earned her the Excellence in Health Administration Award from the American Public Health Association in 2007.
Ernest Tollerson
Ernest is a seasoned environmental policy maker, sustainability expert, non-profit executive and journalist with a distinguished record of volunteer leadership. Ernest is the former Director of Environmental Sustainability and Compliance at the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), where he led work on a Blue Ribbon Commission providing a rationale for environmentally sustainable business practices at the MTA, North America’s largest transportation network. In his nearly 25 years as a journalist, he was a reporter and editor for a number of newspapers, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Newsday and The New York Times, where he was a national correspondent and member of the editorial board. He currently serves as Board Chair of Riverkeeper, and also serves on the boards of the Hudson River Foundation, the Environmental Grantmakers Association, the South Street Seaport Museum and the New-York Historical Society.
