Rebekah Scheinfeld

Rebekah Scheinfeld

Rebekah Scheinfeld was appointed Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in January 2014 with the direction to continue the critical work of making sure Chicago has a strong, vibrant, accessible transportation network that provides a foundation for a thriving economy in the 21st Century. Rebekah has a broad background in urban development issues, working in both the public and private sectors and in a variety of policy areas including transportation, infrastructure investment, housing, open space, and real estate. She oversees a department with about 1,300 employees and manages a $745 million capital and operations budget. In a little more than two years at the helm of CDOT, she has led the Emanuel Administration’s key transportation initiatives, including an unprecedented amount of street repair and resurfacing, as well as major capital investments that are completed or underway, such as the Chicago Riverwalk, Loop Link, construction of The 606 and Bloomingdale Trail, Navy Pier Flyover, new CTA elevated stations at Washington-Wabash and Cermak Road, and a major freight rail grade separation project, as part of the CREATE Program, at 130th St. and Torrence Ave. In addition, she has spearheaded investments in bicycle infrastructure throughout Chicago and the growth of the popular Divvy bike share program, the City’s newest transit system. Rebekah was previously the Chief Planning Officer and a Senior Vice President at the CTA, where she handled the CTA’s strategic planning for major capital projects and new transit service. She is an attorney, having worked previously at Mayer Brown, representing public and private sector clients on major infrastructure and transportation projects. Scheinfeld has a BA in Urban Studies from Brown University and both her JD and MBA from Northwestern University.