Michael Culotta

FTA Region 2 Acting Regional Administrator 

As the Acting Regional Administrator for FTA’s Region 2 Office in New York City, Michael Culotta provides executive direction over a $51 billion portfolio of federal investments that support public transportation in communities throughout New York and New Jersey.  He leads and manages one of FTA’s largest regions, which supports nearly half of the daily transit service in the United States and includes several multi-billion dollar, nationally significant infrastructure projects.

Mr. Culotta was appointed as the FTA Region 2 Deputy Regional Administrator in 2019, where he managed the day-to-day operations of the region, including FTA’s Hurricane Sandy Recovery Office and FTA’s Lower Manhattan Recovery Office. He previously served as FTA Region 2’s Regional Counsel from 2011 to 2019, providing legal advice on all aspects of the federal transit program.

Mr. Culotta began his tenure with FTA in 2006 in Washington, DC, where he served as a law clerk, and later as a staff attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel. He also served as a special counsel to FTA’s Office of Transit Safety and Oversight, where he helped lead efforts to develop a new industry-wide regulatory framework for public transportation safety.

Mr. Culotta holds a Juris Doctor degree from the American University Washington College of Law, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Urban Studies from Canisius College.  He is a member of the New York, District of Columbia, and U.S. Supreme Court bars.