Rick Cotton, executive director of the New York/New Jersey Port Authority, will retire in January 2026, officials said.
Cotton, who has served as the Port Authority’s director since August 2017, will work closely with his successor to ensure a smooth transition, officials said. That successor is expected to be named soon.
Cotton’s more than eight-year tenure makes him the longest serving Port Authority Executive Director since the 1940s. Under his leadership, along with Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole, the agency has enacted many reforms while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and difficult operating environments.
“From the moment Chairman O’Toole and I stepped into these roles in 2017, we shared a simple conviction: this region deserves world-class infrastructure equal to its people and its promise,” Cotton said, “Working in partnership across two states, political lines, and every corner of this agency, we have made historic progress toward that goal. Together, we transformed our airports from appalling laughingstocks into award-winning, best-in-class gateways, and jumpstarted the Midtown Bus Terminal, which had languished for decades. The foundation is now set for future generations to keep building a stronger, more connected region.”
The Port Authority completed its proposed 10-year capital plan last week, a plan that will fund the agency’s agenda through 2035. Cotton said it was time to “hand over the reins.” Cotton thanked New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo who appointed him to the position, in his announcement.
During his tenure, the Port Authority invested $50 billion into the region’s airports, rebuilding LaGuardia from the ground up using an $8 billion public-private partnership and opening Newark Liberty’s new Terminal, as well as setting a $19 billion rebuild effort at JFK International in motion; and refocused the agency to customer experience while providing Port Authority facilities with a “distinctly New York and New Jersey sense of place and upgrading facilities to meet modern needs.
“Rick took on one of the toughest public-service jobs in America and delivered extraordinary results,” Hochul said. “LaGuardia’s transformation alone would define a career, but Rick’s impact spans airports, transit systems, bridges, and tunnels, as well as the renewed culture of a more accountable Port Authority. I was proud to work with him on so many critical projects, including the modernizing of the Midtown Bus Terminal and John F. Kennedy International Airport. His leadership rebuilt public confidence in our capacity to deliver world-class infrastructure. The Port Authority today is stronger and more resilient than ever, and his impact will be felt for generations.”
Cotton’s achievements have been recognized by national groups including the Citizen Budget Commission which awarded him the Felix G. Rohatyn Award in 2025, and the Regional Plan Association’s Zuccotti Award in 2021.