Carrie H. Cohen Appointed by the Governor to MTA Inspector General Management Advisory Board
Carrie H. Cohen Appointed by the Governor to MTA Inspector General Management Advisory Board
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed Carrie H. Cohen to serve as a member of the Management Advisory Board to the Inspector General of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
The Management Advisory Board assists the MTA Inspector General in identifying ways to improve services, reduce costs, and increase the efficiency of the MTA and its subsidiaries, the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, and the New York City Transit Authority and its subsidiary. The Management Advisory Board was created pursuant to the New York State Public Authorities Law and requires that all members have substantial experience in the management of private enterprise, in the delivery of public services, or in labor or labor-management relations.
Carrie’s appointment follows her retention by the MTA as special counsel to investigate and report on issues related to overtime and time and attendance after fiscal watchdog group the Empire Center shared data showing a 16 percent rise in overtime payments the previous year. Carrie led the firm’s investigation and presented the firm’s report of its findings and recommendations to the MTA Board of Directors, which included 19 recommendations to curb overtime fraud, including installing biometric time clocks across the entire MTA as well as standardizing overtime approval procedures.
A former federal and state prosecutor, Carrie routinely advises and represents corporations, boards, and c-suite executives in sensitive government-facing investigative and regulatory matters. While serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Carrie investigated and tried public corruption, investment fraud, and securities cases. Carrie is a recognized industry expert in public corruption and state and local government matters, and among other appointments, she has served as Special Counsel to the New York City Council, Special Independent Counsel to the City of Rochester, and on the monitorship team appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice for the global Odebrecht corruption case, as well as having been appointed by the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York as Counsel to the Court’s Grievance Committee. Carrie also is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School where she teaches a seminar entitled Public Corruption and the Law.
Carrie also serves on multiple bar committees and task forces as part of her effort to promote the public interest through criminal justice reform. She was appointed Chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Domestic Terrorism and Hate Crimes, whose report was adopted by the House of Delegates in June 2020, and as a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Racial Injustice and Police Reform and Task Force on Wrongful Convictions.