WOODBRIDGE — The woman widely regarded as the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s most knowledgeable employee is scheduled to retire at the end of the summer. Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, who worked her way from assistant contract administrator in the law department to executive director of the authority, takes her 21 years of authority experience with her on Aug. 31. When anyone...
Cars line up to go through New Jersey Turnpike toll booths in East Brunswick.WOODBRIDGE — The woman widely regarded as the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s most knowledgeable employee is scheduled to retire at the end of the summer.
Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, who worked her way from assistant contract administrator in the law department to executive director of the authority, takes her 21 years of authority experience with her on Aug. 31.
When anyone — from a new employee to the state transportation commissioner — needed advice on the inner workings of the authority that oversees the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, Gutierrez-Scaccetti was their go-to person.
She will be succeeded by Veronique Hakim, a Livingston resident who is senior vice president/general counsel for the New York MTA’s capital construction agency. She will make $174,000 annually, about $10,000 a year more than Gutierrez-Scaccetti.
But to hear members of the authority’s board of commissioners in a tribute Tuesday, Gutierrez-Scaccetti, 51, won’t be easily replaced.
"The roadways are much safer with Diane at the helm," Commissioner Michael R. Du Pont said.
"Everything I know about the Turnpike Authority, Diane has taught me," Commissioner David G. Evans said.
Department of Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson said Gutierrez-Scaccetti made an unprecedented rise from the bottom of the authority ranks to the top of a "tremendously huge, complex, technical and political organization."
She never forgot her view from the bottom.
"Throughout her tenure, Diane has been a dedicated, loyal professional, with the highest degree of ethical standards," Simpson said. "She is a fast learner and has the ability to quickly get to the heart of the matter. By rising from the ranks, she earned the respect and confidence of all Turnpike employees. I think she knows every single one by name."
After her stint in the law department, Gutierrez-Scaccetti was chief of staff in 1995 and deputy director in 1997 before becoming executive director in 2008. She worked on bond issues, labor negotiations, implementation of E-ZPass and the consolidation of the Turnpike and Parkway and widening of both roadways, while finding time for charitable activities such as sending necessities to troops overseas.
The authority plans a big sendoff for her at the Aug. 31 board meeting, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the authority’s headquarters in Woodbridge.
Gutierrez-Scaccetti said it was "humbling" to listen to the heartfelt comments of board members Tuesday.
"The Turnpike Authority is truly a family, and we’ve been through a lot together," she said. "It (the tribute) was totally unexpected."