Iris Weinshall

The boats operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and have been a vital municipal service since 1905.

During Weinshall's tenure, DOT took a number of steps to modernize the Staten Island Ferry service.

This program, which prohibits turns off of designated streets between 3rd and 6th Avenues, has reduced cross-town travel times by 25% and increased vehicle speeds by 33%.

Weinshall considered this project one of her agency's most ambitious and successful projects.

Pedestrian fences were installed near Rockefeller Center to separate traffic.

Larger street signs to provide better visibility to drivers also promoted the usual goal of the department, "to keep the traffic moving" as she often stated it.

During her tenure at DOT commissioner, Weinshall prioritized traffic flow.

One such initiative was installing pedestrian fencing to restrict pedestrian movement to increase automobile throughput in the densest part of Brooklyn.

Her attempt to increase vehicle flow through historic Park Slope, Brooklyn by making several avenues one-way was abandoned after hundreds of residents packed a meeting to argue that the plan would jeopardize pedestrian safety by encouraging speeding.

During her nearly seven-year tenure, the department also took important steps to rehabilitate and better maintain the city's bridges and roadways.

Close to $3 billion was spent on rehabilitating the city's East River bridges and, thanks to new incentives clauses for contractors, much of the work was completed ahead of schedule.

In addition to her role as DOT Commissioner, Weinshall was appointed by Mayor Bloomberg to the Taxi and Limousine Commission and also served as the Special Transportation Advisor to the Mayor.

She was responsible for shaping a transportation strategy for the city and guiding the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.

Iris Weinshall (born September 5, 1953) is the chief operating officer of The New York Public Library, former vice chancellor at the City University of New York and a former commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation.

From 1988 to 1996, Weinshall served as Deputy Commissioner for Management and Budget at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

She also served as the First Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services before being named Commissioner of the city's Department of Transportation, a post she held from 2000 to 2007.

Iris Weinshall was appointed commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani on September 8, 2000, succeeding Wilbur L. Chapman.

Commissioner Weinshall was one of a handful of Giuliani department heads to be reappointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Weinshall's DOT made efforts to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities on New York City's most dangerous street,.

By slowing traffic, changing traffic signal timing and adding new signage and pedestrian fencing, pedestrian injuries and fatalities were substantially reduced.

To enhance traffic flow in the city's most congested area, Midtown Manhattan, Weinshall and Mayor Bloomberg announced the 2003 THRU Streets Program.

The normally low profile job of DOT Commissioner came into the spotlight following the 2003 Staten Island Ferry crash that killed 11 passengers.

After the deadly crash, Weinshall came under harsh criticism for allowing patronage relationships to compromise the safety of the ferry operations.

Since 2003, DOT has made significant progress to enhance safety on the Staten Island Ferry.

Since 2004, DOT has also introduced three new, state of the art ferries: the Guy V. Molinari, John J. Marchi, and most recently the Spirit of America.

The $40 million, 310 foot vessels were built by the Manitowoc Marine Group in Marinette, Wisconsin, and replaced the Kennedy class ferries, which have been in operation for more than 40 years.

In April 2004, Weinshall appointed Captain James C. DeSimone, a 30-year maritime industry veteran to serve as Chief Operating Officer for the Staten Island Ferry and shortly thereafter appointed Margaret Gordon a maritime safety and security expert to serve as executive director of Safety and Security at the ferry.

In February 2005, Weinshall joined Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at the opening of the new Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Lower Manhattan.

Later that year, in May, DOT celebrated the grand opening of the renovated St. George in Staten Island.

In October 2005, after a year long effort to develop and implement a comprehensive safety management system for the Staten Island Ferry, the American Bureau of Shipping presented the Department of Transportation with a "Voluntary Document of Compliance Certificate" for the DOT Staten Island Ferry Division and "Voluntary Safety Management Certificates" for all operational ferryboats.

On January 29, 2007, Weinshall announced that she was stepping down as DOT commissioner and would take a job as CUNY's Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning, Construction and Management.

Her last day as commissioner was April 13, 2007.

She was succeeded by Janette Sadik-Khan.

The Staten Island Ferry system transports 65,000 passengers a day on the five-mile ride between St. George Terminal on Staten Island and Whitehall Terminal in Manhattan.

Weinshall was appointed Chief Operating Officer by the Library in July 2014, and she began her tenure on September 1, 2014.

She is the wife of U.S. Senator and Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer.

Weinshall is a graduate of Brooklyn College and earned a Master of Public Administration degree from New York University Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

She served as senior vice president of the New York State Urban Development Corporation, where she oversaw the development and implementation of the State's overall economic development program.

She then held the position of Regional Vice President of Integrated Resources, Inc. where she structured limited partnerships for property acquisition and operation.

She then served as President of the Financial Services Corporation, a nonprofit organization which functioned as the financing arm for the city's economic development initiatives.