Merline Barrington is ERM Lead at Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. She earned a Master of Public Administration-Public Policy and Administration, dually specializing in management and operations as well as human resources management from the City University of New York-John Jay College. Subsequently, Merline successfully completed a competitive management rotational program at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, during which she led initiatives in areas including human capital, change management, strategic planning, finance and grant management, bolstering her skills to understand the totality of an organization. Thereafter, Merline joined the Enterprise Risk Management division, where she initially held a senior analyst role and rose quickly to increasingly critical roles in the unit.
Currently, Merline leads the ERM function, responsible for developing and implementing an ERM program, that supports the proactive identification and management of risks to a complex organization, spanning 2 states, 5 industries and home to some the Nations’ key transportation hubs. In this capacity, Merline leads the enterprise wide identification and assessment of significant risks and reports the agency’s risk profile to the Board of Commissioners. Merline collaborates with c-suite executives to integrate risk intelligence in decision making and key agency processes. She also leads a team of practitioners, responsible for assisting business units with the identification, evaluation and management of business risks and controls. With a constant focus on raising risk awareness, Merline develops and executes a communication strategy aimed at increasing the understanding of ERM as a significant decision-making framework. The culmination of Merline’s 10-year, and counting, career in public service reflects her innate commitment and passion to better the services regions, communities and people depend on each day.