Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Executive Director Rick Cotton is set to retire in January 2026, according to a Nov. 24 press release.
Cotton's successor at the agency, which oversees the Port of New York and New Jersey and other major transportation assets in the two states, has yet to be announced.
During his eight-and-a-half year tenure — which makes him the agency’s longest serving executive director since the 1940s — Cotton has navigated several difficult operating environments, including the COVID-19 pandemic, labor strikes and fluctuating cargo volumes.
“Since 2017, I have devoted all my energy to this profoundly important work. It has been enormously rewarding — and exhausting. But nothing is forever,” Cotton said in a statement. “With the immense progress that we have made and the completion last week of our proposed new 10-year capital plan — which will fund the agency’s ambitious agenda through 2035 — it is simply time to hand over the reins, and I will do so in January.”
Cotton drove development and shepherded other achievements during his time at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, according to the press release. For instance, the Cotton-led agency expanded capacity at the ports through harbor deepening and intermodal rail enhancements and navigated the disruptive COVID-19 pandemic.
Cotton's tenure also featured the launch of a full rebuild of the John F. Kennedy International Airport and delivered an improved LaGuardia Airport and new Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport under a $50 billion transformation program, per the press release.
“As someone who has carefully studied the history of the Port Authority and served on this Board for nearly 15 years, I can say without hesitation that Rick Cotton is one of the finest leaders this agency has ever had,” Port Authority Vice Chair Jeffrey Lynford said.
