Partnership for New York City Announces David Rockefeller Fellows – Jonathan Gray
NEW YORK, October 13, 2004 – The Partnership for New York City has announced its 2004- 2005 class of David Rockefeller Fellows. The 18 Fellows join an eminent and diverse group of over 150 New York City business leaders who have taken part in the program since it was created in 1989, in honor of David Rockefeller, the Partnership’s founder.
The goal of the David Rockefeller Fellows Program is to provide a forum for the development of corporate leadership in the public arena. David Rockefeller Fellows are senior executives, nominated by their CEO’s and selected in a competitive process. The Fellows are committed to learning first-hand about the challenges facing New York City and identifying opportunities to leverage their resources in addressing these challenges.
The ten-month program consists of discussions with top public, civic and private sector leaders and site visits to city institutions and neighborhoods. The dynamic format of the program allows the Fellows to explore major issues each month and learn how they and their companies can be effective corporate citizens in partnership with the public and non-profit sectors.
“Over my more than a decade of involvement with the Rockefeller Fellows, I am pleased to say that I have watched the program blossom and improve,” said Alair A. Townsend, Publisher of Crain’s New York Business and Chair of the David Rockefeller Fellows Advisory Committee. “This year, we again received an impressive set of applications – a testament to the private sector’s commitment to civic leadership and partnership with the public sector – a commitment that is especially needed at a time when so much of New York City’s energy is being devoted to strategies to promote long-term growth.”
The Partnership for New York City (www.pfnyc.org) is a network of business leaders dedicated to enhancing the economy of the five boroughs of New York City and maintaining the city’s position as the global center of commerce, culture and innovation.
2004 – 2005 David Rockefeller Fellows Biographies
WILLIAM J. AKLEY has been with KeySpan Energy for 21 years and currently holds the position of Vice President, Gas Operations. Mr. Akley is responsible for all field activities associated with the maintenance, construction and operation of the Long Island natural gas distribution system. He is a New York licensed professional engineer and serves on multiple industry committees and boards. He has a B.S. in Mechanical & Industrial Engineering from Clarkson University and a M.B.A. from Adelphi University.
ALAN C. BOWSER is Managing Director and Head of Client Solutions for the Latin America Private Bank at Citigroup. In this role, he leads a regional product organization spanning discretionary investments, capital markets trading, estate planning, insurance, lending and banking. Alan is an active member of the New York Urban League Board of Directors. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania where he earned his B.S. in Economics, and of Oxford University where he earned his Master of Philosophy in Politics.
ANTHONY N. DALESSIO has more than twenty years of accounting and auditing experience. He is KPMG’s lead Partner for The City of New York, and is a member of the KPMG Chairman’s Partnership Council and the firm’s Partnership of Choice/Employer of Choice Task Force. Mr. Dalessio has worked with the Auditing Standards Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and served as the Deputy Director General of the International Federation of Accountants.
JONATHAN D. GRAY is a Senior Managing Director at The Blackstone Group. He is currently responsible for overseeing U.S. acquisitions for Blackstone’s real estate investment fund. Mr. Gray serves on the Board of Extended Stay America and Homestead Studio Suites. He previously worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity Groups at Blackstone. He received a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School as well as a B.A. in English from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
ALAN HAINES is Vice President of Cauldwell Wingate Company LLC, a medium sized Construction Management firm in New York City. Mr. Haines oversees Finance, Accounting, Business Development, Administration and Operations for the firm. A native of Wales and a first class honors graduate of the University of Glamorgan receiving a B.S. in Quantity Surveying, he relocated to New York in 1994. He joined the Cauldwell Wingate team after two years at Structure Tone Inc. Mr. Haines assists the New York University Construction Management Department Advisory Group and is a mentor for several programs with New York Youth at Risk.
JOHN H. JOSEPHSON is a Managing Director at Allen & Company LLC. He works principally with clients in the entertainment, media and information technology industries in a variety of transactional contexts. Mr. Josephson serves as Chairman of the Board of Volunteers of America – Greater New York and as Chairman of the Finance Committee of Literacy Partners. Mr. Josephson received an M.B.A. with High Distinction in 1987 from Harvard Business School, where he was elected a George F. Baker Scholar. He received his B.A., summa cum laude, from Cornell University in 1983, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
PATTI LEE is the Senior Vice President, General Manager of the Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square. She is responsible for all aspects of the 1.1 million square foot operation including: merchandising, visual, human resources, security and logistics. Prior to her current assignment, Ms. Lee has held a number of key divisional and store line positions within the Macy’s organization. Ms. Lee received a B.A. in Art History from Bucknell University.
TERRI LUDWIG is the President of the Merrill Lynch Community Development Company. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Ms. Ludwig was the CEO of ACCION New York, providing small business owners the capital and support they need to work their way out of poverty. She established the American Dream Fund, a disaster relief fund delivering loans to small business owners who lost their livelihoods in the disaster of 9/11. She currently serves on numerous boards and advisory positions. Ms. Ludwig obtained a Master in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and a B.S from the University of Illinois.
KERRIE D. MACPHERSON is a Partner at Ernst & Young and is the Americas Market Leader for their Transaction Advisory Services (“TAS”) Practice. Ms. MacPherson is responsible for all TAS activities related to priority accounts, transaction executives, public relations and marketing. She also leads the Firm’s Financial Services Transaction Support Practice for North America. She is a Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Toronto Board of Trade. Additionally, in 1998, Ms. MacPherson was named one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40. She earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree and also an M.B.A. from the University of Toronto. Ms. MacPherson is a Canadian Chartered Accountant (CA).
ROCCO J. MAGGIOTTO is Chairman for MMC Client Development, where he is responsible for promoting MMC capabilities through MMC worldwide client development and client relationship management programs. Prior to joining MMC, Mr. Maggiotto was a Partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers serving as Global Markets Leader and a member of their Global Leadership Team. Prior to the merger of Coopers & Lybrand (C&L) and Price Waterhouse, he was a Vice Chairman for Coopers & Lybrand. Mr. Maggiotto also was a Partner with KPMG Management Consulting Practice and spent sixteen years with a New York banking institution. Mr. Maggiotto has a M.B.A. and is a certified systems’ professional.
MICHAEL O’NEILL is Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Communications, American Express Company. He heads the company’s communications group and is a member of the American Express Global Management Team. In addition to serving as the Company’s principal spokesman, Mr. O’Neill is responsible for supervising media relations and employee communications activities worldwide. Mr. O’Neill joined American Express in 1991 from Shearson Lehman Brothers Inc., where he had been Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Communications. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo.
TAI H. PARK is a Partner in the law firm of Shearman & Sterling LLP, where he practices in the Litigation Group. He specializes in the defense of companies and individuals in regulatory and criminal investigations and proceedings. He was formerly an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York where he served for 10 years. His numerous pro bono activities include service on the Criminal Justice Act panel. He also served for two years as a Commissioner on the Civilian Complaint Review Board. Mr. Park received his B.A. from Columbia College in 1983 and his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1986.
DAVID V. RING is a Senior Vice President and Commercial Banking Director at Wachovia Bank, N.A. He provides executive leadership to all of Wachovia’s commercial banking operations in New York City. Mr. Ring is Chairman of Wachovia’s New York City contributions committee, and is a member of the bank’s regional operating committee for New York and Connecticut. He joined Wachovia in 1996. Prior to his current role, he served as Group Head of the Pennsylvania/Delaware and Atlantic Regions of the Corporate Finance Strategies Group. Mr. Ring holds a B.S. in Finance from Providence College
VINCENT E. SILVESTRI is Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer for Rockefeller Group International, Inc. (RGI). In this capacity, Mr. Silvestri is responsible for RGI’s Corporate Communications, Administration, Corporate Financial Services (IT, Billing, Payroll and Accounts Payable functions) and Corporate Human Resources departments. Mr. Silvestri joined The Rockefeller Group in 1984. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Communications from Fordham University.
GEORGIANA J. SLADE is a Partner at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP and is Practice Group Leader of their Trusts and Estates Department. She has been actively involved with many professional organizations including the New York State Bar Association, the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel, the American Bar Association and the Duke University Estate Planning Council. Ms. Slade also serves on the Board of Trustees of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Ms. Slade is the author of numerous publications on estate planning. Ms. Slade graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Duke University and received a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
LARRY E. THOMPSON is Senior Deputy General Counsel and Managing Director of The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) and General Counsel for the Depository Trust Company. He is co-chair of DTCC’s Internal Risk Management Committee and head of the Office of Corporate and Regulatory Compliance. A founding member of the DTCC’s Diversity Committee, Mr. Thompson also helped develop the company’s Code of Ethics and established policies governing workplace harassment. He is a former Director of the Legal Aid Society of New York and a former Director of The Studio Museum of Harlem. Mr. Thompson earned his B.A. degree from Yale University, cum laude, and honors as Scholar of the House. He earned his law degree at the University of California at Berkeley.
VIRASB VAHIDI is Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Development at AT&T and leads the corporate planning and competitive analysis teams. Mr. Vahidi joined AT&T in October 2002 and is an elected officer of the company. Prior to joining AT&T, Mr. Vahidi was Managing Director of Airline Profitability & Financial Analysis of American Airlines. He joined American in 1994 and held a wide range of planning positions between 1994 and 1998. In 1998, he was appointed Managing Director International Planning of American’s alliances with global airline partners. Mr. Vahidi is a 1988 graduate of University of California, San Diego. He received his M.B.A. in 1994 from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees in Paris, France.
MARK S. WEISS is an Executive Vice President and Principal at Newmark & Company Real Estate, Inc. where he is regarded as one of the leading tenant brokers in New York City. While his practice is broad based within the corporate world he has represented some of the largest and most prestigious law firms and not for profits in New York. He is on the Board of Directors of Working In Support of Education (WISE), The Joint Passover Association and The Real Estate Advisory Board of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He received his B.S. in 1984 from Syracuse University.