Darren Kempner
Director, Grants and DevelopmentDarren Kempner is Director of Government Relations and Development for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority. He is responsible for grants and transit-oriented development activities for the NFTA. His works supports and improves the public transit and aviation systems and regional development patterns in Western New York by securing resources and aligning policy and practice.
Prior to his work at the NFTA, Darren served as Deputy Commissioner in the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning where he led county planning efforts. He has also worked with the WNY Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) to implement the Strategy for Prosperity, WNY’s regional economic development plan, served as a financial analyst for the University at Buffalo Regional Institute and the Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority and as a policy analyst for the Office of the New York State Comptroller in Albany. He increased his financial and public policy knowledge working as a financial statement auditor with KPMG’s audit and assurance practice and as a research assistant for The Dutko Group in Washington, DC.
Darren is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in New York State. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics/Accounting from the College of the Holy Cross and earned a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University at Buffalo. He has received specialized training in public sector leadership, finance and administration through the GFOA Advanced Government Finance Institute, the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.