elizabeth williams

Very little media fanfare greeted the May appointment of Helena Williams as interim CEO of New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority, which moves millions of people a day on dozens of interlocking transit systems. But I had met Helena years ago in her capacity as president of the Long Island Rail Road, and told my fellow board members at Women’s Voices for Change that there was something special about her. We’re thrilled that she gave WVFC an exclusive of sorts this week; below she talks to our correspondent, Diane Vacca, about public transportation, women with power, work-family balance and how it feels to be the Top Urban Multi-Tasker. The executive picked up the phone. “How are you? Getting ready for the holiday?” It was shortly before July Fourth and we’d never met, so her ebullience was a happy surprise. Did the CEO of a company that transports 8 million people a day, with an operating budget of close to $11 billion, sense that her interviewer might be be feeling just a little bit daunted at the prospect of questioning her? At 53, Helena E. Williams has been called upon to head New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority until the governor makes a permanent appointment. In the meantime, she will continue as president of the Long Island Rail Road, the first woman to hold that post in the 175 years of the LIRR’s history.