In Memoriam: Brigid Hynes-Cherin

Brigid Hynes-Cherin, a transit leader in federal and local public service and the private sector, died June 22, 2026. Hynes-Cherin was an early female executive leader in the transportation field, a mentor to many, and central to beneficial federal transit policies and projects during a nearly 50-year career. During her busy career, she generously contributed time and expertise to APTA’s Planning and Program Development Committee and Legislative Committee.

Her transportation journey began as a planner in the early 1970s at the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA)—now the FTA. She subsequently earned a law degree from George Washington University and served as an attorney at the FRA, UMTA, and USDOT’s Office of the Secretary.

In 1982, she became UMTA’s Region 9 administrator, serving four western states, and later led the five UMTA regional offices west of the Mississippi River. In 1990, she became executive director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, establishing the agency and managing a new sales tax and federal congestion mitigation funds that supported critical transportation projects. As Parsons Transportation Group’s vice president for transportation planning beginning in 1999, she advanced new high-capacity transit lines in regions including Charlotte, Dallas, Norfolk, Oakland, and San Diego.

She rejoined federal service in 2002, serving successively as FTA’s deputy chief financial officer, associate administrator for planning & environment, and regional administrator for FTA Region 2 (NJ/NY) and Region 3 (DE, MD, PA, VA, and WV).

Her leadership at FTA was central to advancing improvements to the New Starts program and the creation of the Small Starts program, as well as advancing the post 9/11 rebuilding of Lower Manhattan transit infrastructure and mega-projects in New York, New Jersey, and Washington, DC. In 2009, she accepted the National Trust for Historic Preservation-ACHP federal partnership award on behalf of FTA for efforts she led to preserve the Vesey St. “Survivors Staircase,” the World Trade Center’s only remaining above-ground feature. She retired from FTA in 2014 and subsequently worked with Cardinal Infrastructure.

Hynes-Cherin was an avid traveler and collector of art and jewelry. She loved her work with transportation professionals and donated an extensive part of her art collection for permanent display at the FTA.