Tony Barsamian
Mr. Barsamian is the publisher of the Queens Gazette newspaper chain, owns GN Printing, and is President of Future Properties, Inc. and of Service Advertising Group. He is the publisher of the Pennysaver, the Queens Dollarsaver, the Halsey Junior Gazette, and is a member of the New York Press Club. He is a graduate of Queens College.

Rev. A.R. Bernard, Sr.
Rev. Bernard is the founder and Pastor of Christian Cultural Center, a ministry and not-for-profit organization with over 30,000 members. He is the President of the Council of Churches of the City of New York, which represents 1.5 million Protestants, Anglicans, and Orthodox Christians. He has previously served as President of the Christian Men’s Network. He is one of the founders of the Christian Renaissance Corporation, established to foster urban revitalization through an alliance of church and para-church organizations.

Sharon Y. Bowen
Ms. Bowen is a Partner at Latham & Watkins LLP where she practices corporate law, specializing in finance and securities transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate restructuring, and venture capital financing. She received an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and her Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees from Northwestern University. She currently chairs the Board of Northwestern Law School. Appointed by President Obama, Ms. Bowen serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation.

William A. Candelaria
Mr. Candelaria is a Partner at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, specializing in corporate transactions, private equity and capital markets. He previously was a Partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and before that at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP. He received his undergraduate and Master of Arts degrees from Stanford University and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Following law school, Mr. Candelaria served as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Los Angeles. He is admitted to practice law in California and New York.

Angela A. Chao
Ms. Chao is Deputy Chair of Foremost Group, an international shipping organization. She formerly worked as an investment banker at Salomon Smith Barney. She received an undergraduate degree from Harvard College and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School.  She also serves on the Boards of The Foremost Foundation and The Chao Family Foundations.

Marlene Cintron
Ms. Cintron is President of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (BOEDC), which provides incentives and assistance to new and expanding firms in the Bronx. Among its activities, BOEDC is an SBA 504 lender (only one of two in New York State) as well as being in charge of the Bronx Empowerment Zone fund. Ms. Cintron was previously the Executive Director of the Puerto Rican and Latino Caucus of the New York State Senate and has worked in a variety of roles in the private, not-for-profit, and public sectors. Ms. Cintron received an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Old Westbury, a Master’s degree from the Fordham University School of Education, and a Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Anthony W. Crowell
Mr. Crowell is Dean and President of New York Law School. Prior to assuming this role in 2012, he was Counselor to New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, serving as counsel and senior management and policy advisor to the Mayor, as well as general counsel to the Office of the Mayor.  He served as Special Counsel to the Mayor from 2002 to 2006. From 1997 to 2002, he served as Assistant Corporation Counsel in the New York City Law Department's Tax & Condemnation and Legal Counsel Divisions.  In 2001, he directed the City's World Trade Center Death Certificate Program, and was counsel at the City's Family Assistance Center, aiding families of victims of the 9/11 attacks.  During his tenure in City government, he worked on a broad array of economic development issues.  He first joined New York Law School in 2003 as an adjunct professor and continues to teach the New York City Law Seminar and Workshop.  He also was an adjunct professor for twelve years at Brooklyn Law School.  Dean Crowell  is Board Chair of the Brooklyn Public Library, the nation's fifth largest library system.  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and American University's Washington College of Law.

Nicholas Dmytryszyn
Mr. Dmytryszyn is an environmental engineer for the Staten Island Borough President, analyzing environmental issues impacting Staten Island. He received an undergraduate degree as well as a Master’s degree from the City College of New York.

Monica Foskett
Ms. Foskett is the Director of Capital Budget and Economic Development for the Office of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, where she manages strategies to spur increased economic development through capital investment and the advancement of small business.  Prior to her Brooklyn service, she managed capital projects for Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer and federal investments for Congressman Mike Quigley and Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson.  Ms. Foskett anticipates a Master of Public Administration degree from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service in 2015.  She completed her undergraduate studies at Northern Illinois University.

Alan B. Friedberg
Mr. Friedberg is the President of Alan B. Friedberg Investment & Development Corp., an owner, operator, developer and manager of apartment, hotel and commercial real estate in Manhattan, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. He was Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Charles H. Greenthal & Company, Inc. and is a recipient of the lifetime achievement award by the Associated Builders and Owners of New York City. Mr. Friedberg is on the Board of the Educational Alliance, a nonprofit organization that provides programs and services for the needs of all races and religions. Mr. Friedberg has served on the Board of Directors of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and as a member of the Advisory Board of the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission. He is a graduate of New York University.

Victor F. Ganzi
Mr. Ganzi is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the PGA Tour, Inc., the entity which operates the men’s professional golf tour in the United States. Mr. Ganzi was President and CEO of Hearst Corporation from 2002 to 2008, beginning his career there in 1990. He received an undergraduate degree from Fordham University, a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School, and an LL.M. degree from New York University in taxation. He is also trained as a Certified Public Accountant, specializing in taxation, and has chaired and served on almost 20 public, private, and non-profit boards; these include the American Museum of Natural History and Palm Management Corporation, the entity that operates the various Palm Restaurants throughout the United States and has been 50%-owned by his family for the past 84 years. Mr. Ganzi is the Chairperson of NYCEDC’s Board.

Alaina Gilligo
Ms. Gilligo is the Chief of Staff for Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, directing the development of programs and policies designed to improve the lives of New Yorkers, in areas including urban planning, community and economic development, housing, education, and transportation. She received a Master of Public Administration degree from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and completed her undergraduate studies at Columbia University’s Barnard College.

James McSpiritt
Mr. McSpiritt is the Chief of the New York City Law Department’s Economic Development Division, which plays a central role in advising the City and negotiating major development projects. Prior to returning to the Law Department, where he had previously served in the Economic Development Division and as Deputy Chief of the Municipal Finance Division, Mr. McSpiritt was Corporate Vice President and General Counsel of the Phipps Houses Group, the nation’s largest non-profit developer, owner and manager of affordable housing. He is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.

Melva M. Miller
Ms. Miller is the Director of Economic Development at the Office of the Queens Borough President, where she advises and provides assistance to small businesses throughout Queens and leads a borough-wide workforce development initiative to support economic development. She received a Master’s degree from the Hunter College School of Social Work.

Mario J. Palumbo, Jr.
Mr. Palumbo is a Partner at Millennium Partners, where he manages commercial assets comprising a $2 billion real estate portfolio, as well as investments in the luxury fitness business. Mr. Palumbo received an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees from Stanford University.

Jeffrey Pash
Mr. Pash is an Executive Vice President at the National Football League, serving as the NFL's principal in-house counsel and chief administrative officer. Prior to joining the, NFL, Mr. Pash was Senior Vice President and General Counsel at the National Hockey League and began his professional career with the Washington, D.C. firm of Covington & Burling. He received an undergraduate degree from Harvard College and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.

Shaifali Puri
Ms. Puri is the Executive Director of Scientists Without Borders, a web-based initiative that aims to improve the quality of life in the developing world through the coordination and mobilization of science-based, capacity-building efforts. Prior to Scientists Without Borders, Ms. Puri was Senior Advisor to the President & Chief Operating Officer of the Empire State Development Corporation. She also served as Assistant Solicitor General for the State of New York Attorney General. She received an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School. Ms. Puri is also a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Frank Randazzo
Mr. Randazzo is the Public Administrator of Bronx County.  He formerly worked at the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (BOEDC), the economic development consultant to the Bronx Borough President’s Office, as a Senior Manager of the organization and as the Director of the Bronx portion of the New York Empowerment Zone.  Prior to that he was a partner at the law firm of Pino & Associates, LLP, and prior to that he was an Assistant District Attorney in the office of the Bronx District Attorney.   He received his undergraduate degree from Fairfield University and his law degree from the Albany Law School of Union University.

Mark E. Russo
Mr. Russo is President of Russo Picciurro Maloy (RPM) Insurance Agency, Staten Island’s largest and oldest independent insurance agency, established in 1886. RPM also provides commercial real estate and mortgage services throughout the tri-state area. Mr. Russo joined the firm in 1989 and became a partner in 1994. He manages company relations as well as sales, marketing, and advertising.

Robert K. Steel
Mr. Steel is Deputy Mayor for Economic Development. He is responsible for the Bloomberg Administration's five-borough economic development strategy and job-creation efforts, as well as its efforts to expand job training, strengthen small business assistance, promote new industries, diversify the economy, and achieve the goals of the New Housing Marketplace Plan, which is designed to build or preserve enough affordable housing for 500,000 New Yorkers by 2014. Prior to his 2010 appointment as Deputy Mayor, Mr. Steel was the President and CEO of Wachovia. From 2006 to 2008, Deputy Mayor Steel was the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Prior to entering government service, Mr. Steel spent nearly 30 years at Goldman Sachs, ultimately rising to become co-head of the U.S. Equities Division and Vice Chairman of the firm. He is Chairman of Duke University's Board of Trustees, Chairman of the Aspen Institute's Board of Trustees, Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, a member of the FDIC Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion, Chairman of The After-School Corporation, and Co-Founder of SeaChange Capital Partners, an organization dedicated to helping nonprofits grow. He is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.

Robert J. Strang
Mr. Strang is the Chief Executive Officer of Investigative Management Group and is one of the world’s leading corporate investigative specialists, serving major financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies, large law firms, and high net-worth individuals and families. He began his law enforcement career in 1979 with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, DC, graduating from the Department of Justice’s Special Agent Basic Training class in December 1980, and serving as a Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration until 1989. At that time, he formed the firm Strang Hayes with a fellow agent, with whom he also founded Investigative Management Group in 2003.

George Twill
Mr. Twill is the CEO and President of Twill Realty LLC. He is responsible for the management and operations of the company's core businesses, which include real estate advisory services, commercial office and retail leasing, acquisitions and sales, and strategic planning. Prior to the formation of Twill Realty LLC, Mr. Twill was President of CSFB Realty Corp. Before joining CFSB, he was President of DLJ Realty Services, Inc., where he represented Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette, leasing commercial office space globally. He is a graduate of Seton Hall University.

Rev. Reginald Williams
Rev. Williams is the Pastor of Charity Baptist Church, Inc. and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Addicts Rehabilitation Center Foundation, Inc. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Public Administration degree from American International College, and a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Manhattan Bible Institute.

Steven Wolfe
Mr. Wolfe is the Executive Vice President and Managing Director of MediaVest, one of the largest marketing, media and technology agencies, where he leads media strategy, communications planning, multicultural marketing and branded entertainment for world-class brands including The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Foods, Microsoft, P&G, Walmart and Yahoo!. He received an undergraduate degree from Tufts University and completed an Executive Master of Business Administration program at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Mr. Wolfe was also a Fulbright Scholar.

Kathryn S. Wylde
Ms. Wylde is the President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, a nonprofit organization of the City’s business leaders dedicated to maintaining New York City as a center of world commerce, finance, and innovation. She previously was the founding President and CEO of the Housing Partnership Development Corporation. She is a graduate of St. Olaf College.

Alfred J. Youngwood
Mr. Youngwood is Of Counsel at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and a former chair of the firm and its Management Committee. Mr. Youngwood joined the firm in 1964 and became a partner in 1970, focusing on acquisitions, reorganizations, and financings involving both American and foreign business organizations through the use of corporate and partnership structures. He received an undergraduate degree from Yale University, an LL.B degree from Harvard Law School, and was a Fulbright Scholar in international taxation at the London School of Economics.