The Corporation is governed by a Board of Directors. Its membership is prescribed by the Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws which include a public official and appointees of the Mayor.
Ellen Baer
Ellen Baer has spent the last four decades imagining, financing and executing public-private-real estate partnerships in New York City and around the country. Currently, she serves as Senior Strategic Advisor to MAG Partners LP, overseeing Master Planning and infrastructure development for Baltimore Peninsula, a 240 acre former industrial site which is being redeveloped as a 14 million square foot mixed use neighborhood. Previously, she served for twelve years as the founding CEO of the Hudson Square Business Improvement District. There she oversaw the conversion of the City’s mid-twentieth century printing district, near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, into a thriving 21st century hub for the technology and creative sectors, including almost 3 million square feet of major new development for Disney and Google. To this end, working with commercial property owners, tenants the City of New York and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Ellen developed and implemented the BID’s $27 million project to transform the public realm from a place for cars and trucks into a place for people, including: the installation of almost 500 street trees; the development and redevelopment of 3 neighborhood parks; the reimagining and reconstruction of a 10 block section of Hudson Street; the creation of an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable neighborhood. The plan has received numerous awards and serves as a model for the design, financing, construction and implementation of partnerships to improve the public realm citywide.
Prior to joining the BID, Ellen spent two years as Senior Vice President for Development Strategies at the Tarragon Development Corporation, 10 years as a Partner at the economic development and real estate consulting firm of HR&A Advisors, Inc., and had a career in New York City government spanning 14 years during which she served as Chief of Staff to the First Deputy Mayor, Vice President for Waterfront Development at the Public (now Economic) Development Corporation and Director of the Concessions Division for the Department of Parks and Recreation. Ellen has held several Board positions, including co-chair for the Board of Directors of the NYC BID Association; former Board member of Women Executives in Real Estate (WX) and the International Economic Development Council. She is currently a Board member of the Design Trust for Public Space and Citizens Union and the Board of of Trustees of God’s Love We Deliver. Ellen holds a BA from Hamilton College and an MBA from the City University of New York.
Steven Banks
Steven Banks is the 83rd Corporation Counsel of the New York City Law Department, leading a team of over 1,400 attorneys and support staff across 24 legal and non-legal divisions. The Law Department represents the City on a wide variety of matters, including all civil litigation, juvenile proceedings, legislative matters, commercial transactions, development projects, and bond issuances. Prior to joining the Law Department, Mr. Banks served nearly three decades at the Legal Aid Society, rising to become its attorney-in-charge; he was appointed commissioner of the New York City Department of Social Services by Mayor Bill de Blasio, where he oversaw that agency for almost eight years; and headed the pro bono practice at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison until April 2025. He then went into private practice prior to returning to City service.
Felix A. Ciampa
Felix A. Ciampa is the Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) New York, the largest chapter of the Urban Land Institute. Established in 1936, ULI is a global nonprofit research and education institute supported by more than 46,000 multidisciplinary real estate and urban development professionals in the public and private sectors who are dedicated to advancing the Institute’s mission of shaping the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. Since joining ULI in 2013, Mr. Ciampa has led several initiatives to increase the organization’s impact in New York. In 2018, Mr. Ciampa launched ULI New York’s initiative to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within its membership. He initiated the organization’s efforts to recognize best-in-class development by launching an annual Awards for Excellence in Development competition and gala. During his tenure, Mr. Ciampa also expanded the influence of the organization’s community impact initiatives which help communities solve complex land use challenges and enable students and public officials to gain a greater understanding of the fundamental forces that affect development in our communities. Prior to joining ULI New York, Mr. Ciampa served as Deputy Commissioner for Policy and External Affairs for the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the largest municipal developer of affordable housing in the nation. During his tenure at HPD, he also served as the initial Planning Director during the creation of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s Hurricane Sandy Housing Recovery Office.
Prior to joining HPD, Mr. Ciampa served with the Madison Square Garden Company as the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. Before joining the Madison Square Garden Company, he worked in the office of Mayor Bloomberg serving as Chief of Staff for then Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, Robert C. Lieber, where he devised, fostered, and implemented economic development policies and initiatives for the Bloomberg administration. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Ciampa worked for the New York City Economic Development Corporation as the Senior Vice President of Government and Community Relations and later as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He began his career as a legislative attorney in the office of the General Counsel for the New York City Council and later served as Chief Counsel on Ethics and Counsel to the Committee on Standards and Ethics. Mr. Ciampa holds a Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University.
Richard W. Eaddy
Mr. Eaddy serves as an Executive Managing Director at Savills in its brokerage/advisory practice, a firm he has been affiliated with since 2008. He has over 30 years of experience in commercial real estate, ten of those years he spent holding full-time state and city-appointed government offices, including serving as project manager for the Grand Central Terminal redevelopment from 1992 to 1996, Executive Director and CEO of Harlem CDC from 1996 to 1998, and Deputy Borough President of the Bronx from 1998 to 2001. In addition, he has held numerous positions in the private and nonprofit sectors, managing commercial real estate projects and initiatives throughout New York City and the country. He is a senior executive experienced in managing diverse organizations & complex initiatives, with an astute understanding of managing people, processes, and projects successfully. Mr. Eaddy is involved with many civic and philanthropic organizations, and currently serves on the board of the Skyscraper Museum, the Community Service Society of New York, the Bowery Residents’ Committee and Madison Square Boys and Girls Club. In 2002, Mayor Bloomberg appointed Mr. Eaddy as a member of the New York City Planning Commission where he served until 2022. In 2023 he was appointed by Mayor Adams to the boards of the New York Industrial Development Agency and the Build NYC Resource Corporation. Additionally, Mr. Eaddy is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York (“REBNY”) and was a co-recipient of REBNY’s 2021 Edward S. Gordon Memorial Award for Most Ingenious Deal of the Year. In 2021 he joined the board of the newly created Brookfield REIT. Mr. Eaddy holds a M.S. from Columbia University in Real Estate Development and a B.A. from Wesleyan University from its College of Social Studies and in Theater.
Adam Friedman
Adam Friedman is a Strategy Consultant that helps organizations identify and capitalize on opportunities, develop strategic relationships, raise funds, and make more informed decisions to advance their missions. Adam has more than 35 years of experience in economic and community development, urban planning, and policy and the development of sustainable practices. Adam is also recognized nationally for his work to strengthen urban manufacturing and build organizational capacity. Prior to his work as a Strategy Consultant, Adam was Chief Strategy Officer at Pratt Institute, Director of the Pratt Center for Community Development, and managed economic and community development for Manhattan Borough Presidents Dinkins and Messinger. Adam was appointed to the Boards of the IDA and EDC by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Adam is co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Urban Manufacturing Alliance, a national network of economic development professionals in more than 200 cities. His career includes directing the Garment Industry Development Corporation, one of the nation’s first public-private labor-management partnerships established to strengthen one of the city’s key economic sectors, and creating the New York Industrial Retention Network, a nonprofit organization established to preserve the city’s manufacturing sector. While at NYIRN, Adam launched the Made in NYC program which now serves approximately 1,200 local manufacturers.
Venetia Lannon
Venetia Lannon is Vice President of Environment, Health and Safety at Consolidated Edison Company of New York where she oversees a staff of 225 dedicated to environmental remediation, compliance, and pollution prevention, along with programs to keep all workers safe and support sustainability efforts. Prior she was Vice President at Matrix New World Engineering, with market development responsibilities including climate adaptation services with a focus on nature-based systems for waterfront facilities, green infrastructure, and renewable energy. Before joining the private sector, Venetia spent 20 years in public service most recently as Governor Cuomo's Deputy Secretary for the Environment. In this capacity, she served as environmental policy advisor to the Governor and his cabinet and oversaw the operations of the state’s environmental agencies, including the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Office of Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation, the Environmental Facilities Corporation and the Adirondack Park Agency. Previously, Venetia was appointed by Governor Cuomo as Regional Director for the Department of Environmental Conservation, overseeing 200 staff and all aspects of DEC’s work in New York City. Prior to that she held several positions working for the City of New York, as a Senior Vice President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and as Deputy Director of the Recycling Bureau at the New York City Department of Sanitation, where she ran the composting program. At EDC, she ran the Maritime division, where key projects included launching the East River Ferry service and developing a barge and rail-served municipal recycling facility in Brooklyn. She was an active contributor to Mayor Bloomberg’s Solid Waste Management Plan and an early advocate for sustainability and environmental justice. Venetia graduated from Vassar College with departmental honors and holds a master’s in public administration, focusing on environmental policy from Columbia University.
Mark Levine
Mark Levine was elected New York City Comptroller in November 2025 and assumed office on January 1, 2026. A longtime public servant focused on building more affordable, equitable, and healthy communities, Levine previously served as Manhattan Borough President beginning in 2022, where he confronted the city’s affordability crisis by identifying opportunities for tens of thousands of new housing units, advancing policies to expand affordable housing, and strengthening tenant protections. His administration also launched initiatives to plant one million additional trees, deploy millions of dollars in low-interest loans for small businesses, improve the city’s mental health system, enhance street safety and mobility, and strengthen New York City’s preparedness for climate change.
Earlier in his career, Levine spent eight years on the New York City Council, including as Chair of the Committee on Health, where he helped lead the city through the COVID-19 public health crisis with a science-based, data-driven approach. He also authored and passed landmark tenant protections, including the nation’s first Right to Counsel law guaranteeing legal representation to tenants facing eviction who cannot afford an attorney. Outside of work, he spends time with his family and studies languages; he speaks Spanish and Hebrew fluently and is currently studying Greek and French. He holds a bachelor’s in physics from Haverford College and a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Robert P. Miraglia
Robert P. Miraglia is an attorney and New York City native who currently serves as General Counsel to the Office of the Bronx Borough President. As General Counsel, Robert directs legal operations and compliance programming, advises on governance and policy matters, and oversees the Planning & Development Division. He also serves as a Trustee of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), as member of the NYC Franchise and Concession Review Committee (FCRC), and as a Commissioner on the NYC Commission to Strengthen Local Democracy. Robert previously managed a plaintiffs’ litigation firm specializing in traumatic injuries and employment discrimination. He has also served as an adjudicator in NYC’s administrative court and in several finance and land use roles with the New York City Council. Robert holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Psychology from CUNY Queens College and a Juris Doctor from New York Law School. He has been honored by the City of New York for exemplary public service, recognized by Super Lawyers for litigation excellence, and named a 2024 Notable General Counsel by Crain’s New York Business.
Randy Peers
Randy Peers joined the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce as President and CEO on September 9, 2019. He brings decades of workforce and economic development expertise, and several years of executive leadership experience growing not-for-profit organizations that serve the business community. During his tenure thus far at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, which has been heavily influenced by the COVID pandemic response, Randy has overseen the launch of five significant new initiatives focused on supporting Brooklyn small businesses while advancing the overall theme of equity -- the Small Business Resource Network, which was adopted city-wide; the Brooklyn EXCELerate social justice lending program; the neighborhood development concentrations in Canarsie, Homecrest and Bushwick; the Brooklyn Entrepreneur Academy; and the launch of the Brooklyn Made Store, which have all led to meaningful investments and support for small businesses throughout the borough. In addition, Randy significantly expanded the Brooklyn Chamber’s international work, hosting over forty foreign delegations visiting Brooklyn, developing partnerships with Seoul, Korea, Ghana, Pakistan, and Dubai, and launching an international affiliate membership program. Randy previously served as the inaugural President & CEO of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA) in Berks County, PA. For over a decade he was CEO of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT), a Brooklyn-headquartered workforce development organization that was the leading provider of disconnected youth job training services in NYC. From 2002-2006, Randy served as Vice President of Economic Development at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Randy holds a Bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College and an MPA from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service. Randy was born, raised, and spent most of his professional career in Brooklyn, having lived in five different neighborhoods across the borough.
James Prendamano
James Prendamano is the CEO for Casandra Properties, Staten Island’s premier real estate firm. For over 20 years, James has shepherded the completion of transformative projects, including major initiatives reshaping Staten Island’s commercial real estate landscape. Currently James serves as a consultant and Broker responsible for bringing NYC’s first and only outlet mall to the St. George district of Staten Island. This has resulted in bringing thousands of much needed construction and permanent jobs to the community. He also developed an exclusive Real Estate Portfolio Optimization program helping non-profits unlock capital through their real estate to help fund their mission. James also serves on the board of Staten Island Chamber of Commerce; as a cabinet member for the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, and is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and various Real Estate Associations. He also serves on the board of directors CFLC (Central Family Life Center).
Sideya Sherman
Sideya Sherman is Director of the Department of City Planning and Chair of the City Planning Commission, with more than two decades of experience helping to build strong, equitable communities across New York City.
Sideya’s career spans City government and the nonprofit sector and is grounded in community and economic development, community-based planning, and government transformation. Most recently, she served as New York City’s first Chief Equity Officer and Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice, where she established a new City agency and led citywide efforts to advance equity through policy, practice, and structural reform across government.
With over a decade of public-sector leadership experience, she previously served as Executive Director of the NYC Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity, leading cross-agency strategies to prioritize and direct resources to communities hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. As Executive Vice President for Community Engagement and Partnerships at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), Sideya led large-scale resident engagement, service coordination, and cross-sector partnerships to connect public housing communities to critical neighborhood resources and investment.
She began her career in the nonprofit sector, advancing neighborhood revitalization initiatives. At the Municipal Art Society of New York, she provided training and technical assistance to community-based organizations and local stakeholders, helping to demystify planning and equip communities to engage effectively in shaping neighborhood change. She also held roles at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the Lower East Side Business Improvement District, supporting commercial corridor revitalization. A lifelong New Yorker, Sideya holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Utica College and a Master of Science in Urban Affairs from Hunter College.