Our Executive Director, Kim Minkel, was recently featured in a Business First article entitled, NFTA Director: Buffalo shouldn't be so down on itself.  We have also included its content, below:   

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Kimberley Minkel, executive director of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, grew up in Strykersville in Wyoming County, where her family had a dairy farm on Minkel Road.

“It’s very scenic,” she said. “My parents still live there, and I go there often.”

It’s a more peaceful scene than the hustle and bustle of her office which is above in the train station at 181 Ellicott St. in downtown Buffalo.

She started her career in Webster, where she worked for Xerox Corp. for about five years. She moved back to Buffalo 22 years ago to work for the NFTA doing environment, health and safety work. In 2010, she became the executive director.

For 14 years, she’s been running Buffalo’s transit system with nearly 1,600 employees. She lives in Lancaster with her husband Mark and their two children, Jake and Allison.

Power 250 in 2024: 21

Power 200 women in 2023: 3

When hiring, you look for: Fit within an organization and making certain that from a cultural standpoint that they would be a good fit. It’s more important about getting the right people on the bus, and then I can figure out what seat to put them in once they’re here.”

Travel plans: I love Europe. The nice thing about Europe is the history and the food. When you take a look at how things were built, they were built for future generations. It’s not something you see very often in the U.S. We throw up a building very quickly and expect it to last 50 years, and then we build again.

When not working, I'm: Playing the piano, reading and going antiquing. I like to up-cycle instead of recycling. All the time I find really cool things. (She refurbishes furniture and mostly makes her finds locally and on the Southern Tier.) In the summer I like to be out on the boat. We have a small cottage down on Rushford Lake.

Where to find talent: I look internally first, if we’re talking about a promotion,” Minkel said. “We go to job fairs, the schools, universities, open houses. Pretty much we look everywhere for talent, but depending on the position, looking internally could be key.

As a boss: I would say collaborative is more my style. I think evolving or adaptive, because you always need to change, but certainly collaborative. I value input from my team.

Favorite volunteer organization: There are so many really good organizations it’s really difficult to pick one. I think Roswell Park does really good work. I’ve always had a soft spot for the United Way and Catholic Charities.

I'd tell my 25-year-old self: I would probably tell her to not get a perm. Something I always tell my kids is do good and be good. It’s really important to give back.

With a magic wand, what would you change the Buffalo region: The challenge here in Western New York, in Buffalo, is we’re always so down on ourselves, and it’s important to remain positive. There’s a quote that I like, ‘Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.’ I think that’s an important message for everyone in Western New York. Of course we can and we shouldn’t be so down on ourselves. We live in a beautiful community, a beautiful city and sometimes that message doesn’t get out there enough.

When dealing with clients, what do you keep in mind: You have to have empathy, compassion and patience. On the airport side, traveling can be stressful, and people can be anxious, so you have to have patience. On the bus side, we have our folks who are transit dependent and don’t have other options, so you have to have empathy and listen to people and hear them out.

Amazing part of my job: The answer truly would be the people, but I would say the variety that comes with the job. Whether it's planes, trains or buses, every day is an adventure. It’s never the same day twice.