MTA Announces Appointments

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced appointments of two executive leaders, naming Frank Farrell as Executive Vice President of Buses and Sergio Penque as the next Chief Procurement Officer.

"Frank and Sergio are seasoned professionals who are prepared to take bus operations and procurement to the next level starting on Day One," said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. "2026 is shaping up to be another big year for the MTA, and I have no doubt both will deliver for New Yorkers in their new roles."

NYC Transit President Crichlow Appoints Frank Farrell as Executive Vice President of Buses

Farrell has served in the role on an interim basis since September 2025 and previously led Regional Bus Operations within the Department of Buses. As Executive Vice President, Farrell will oversee daily bus operations serving more than one million riders, manage the agency's 6,000-bus fleet, and drive fleet modernization, maintenance execution, and on-street performance to deliver safer, more reliable service citywide.

"Frank's knowledge of the entire New York City Transit system, his core values of safety and service, and his understanding of how critical buses are to daily life in every borough, make him a natural fit for this role," said New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. "He's the kind of leader riders want driving modernization efforts for both service and the fleet, and I'm confident under his leadership the department will deliver fast, reliable, and safe service for bus riders."

"I grew up riding the bus, so I understand how vital good bus service is, and what it means to truly rely on it," said Executive Vice President of Buses Frank Farrell. "I'm grateful for the trust Demetrius has placed in me and my team, and we will continue looking at every way to deliver on NYC Transit's mission to provide safe, reliable bus service across the city."

A Queens native who grew up riding the Q46, Farrell led the implementation of Queens Bus Network Redesign-the largest bus network redesign in North American history. He also oversaw service recovery efforts on Staten Island, helping drive on-time performance and customer travel times to among the strongest in the five boroughs.

Farrell has comprehensively reorganized regional operations to strengthen oversight and accountability and improve day-to-day service and maintenance practices. He is also continuing the rollout of centralized service management at the Bus Command Center, enhancing incident response and delivering safer, more reliable bus service for customers.

Farrell's 26 years at NYC Transit include stints with Maintenance of Way at Department of Subways and served as Vice President of Staten Island Railway (SIR). As Vice President of the SIR he oversaw all aspects of 24/7 operations, including maintenance, service delivery, long-term capital projects, budget and finance management, safety, and policy compliance. Across his career, he has developed deep operational expertise and a broad portfolio of leadership experience spanning service delivery, maintenance, and system management.

Farrell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management & Economics with a concentration in Transportation Management from Empire State College.

Sergio Paneque New Chief Procurement Officer

The MTA also announced the appointment of Sergio Paneque as its new Chief Procurement Officer. Paneque brings decades of experience leading procurement operations for some of the largest public-sector organizations in the country, with a strong track record in contract management, efficiency, and accountability.

Most recently, Paneque served as Chief Procurement Officer at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), where he led procurement strategy and contracting for the nation's largest public housing authority. Prior to NYCHA, he served as Chief Procurement Officer for New York State, managing more than 1,400 contracts valued at over $16 billion. He has also held senior procurement leadership roles with New York City and the State of Michigan, where he drove initiatives that reduced procurement cycle times, strengthened compliance, improved transparency, and delivered measurable cost savings across complex public portfolios.

Paneque will report to MTA Chief Administrative Officer Lisette Camilo.