Women in Rail 2017 – Joy Chiu, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey/PATH
Written by Railway Age Staff
As Assistant Superintendent – Way & Structures, Chiu developed and built the team for Port Authority Trans-Hudson’s (PATH’s) newest unit, Logistics and Rail Planning, which is responsible for coordination of the different capital projects at PATH; providing executive management with key information for decision-making, and managing staff who oversee the coordination of the major real estate development projects around PATH.
In 2016 Chiu managed the weekend closure of the PATH’s uptown stations during project work. This was unprecedented for PATH and its customers, and a challenge to obtain the approval from executive management and the cooperation of the many different internal and external stakeholders. She was able to successfully execute the outage plan by delegating oversight of the relevant aspects of the plan and maintaining constant communication with all stakeholders. Her work ethic, project management ability, strong communication skills, and interpersonal agility allowed her to overcome and navigate many hurdles during the planning and execution phase of the project.
Chiu spearheaded discussions and collaborations with universities (particularly Rutgers University’s Rail Program) to build the next generation of workforce across all aspect of the railroad industry – field laborers, field management, administrative staff, railroad engineers, and others, and assisted with putting together a program for the agency to develop a greater agency-academia program.
A licensed Professional Engineer in New York and New Jersey, Chiu volunteered as a Mock Interviewer for a non-profit organization that is dedicated to assisting minority college students obtaining internships within the STEM disciplines. A Mock Interviewer is required to review resumes, develop interview questions, and conduct full interviews with each student and provide feedback on his/her performance, fill out an evaluation sheet, and provide a recommendation for the student’s advancement to the next step of the process or for additional coaching.
Chiu served as president of the Port Authority Asian American Association, an Employee Resource Group whose mission is to work with agency leaders to enhance the awareness and diversity of its workforce.
