October 17, 2008
GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES APPOINTEES TO THE NEW YORK STATE COMMISSION ON STATE ASSET MAXIMIZATION
Appointees Named after Paterson Signed Executive Order Establishing the
Eleven-Member Commission
Two weeks after signing an executive order to establish the New York State Commission on State Asset Maximization, the Governor today announced the Commission’s 11 appointees. The Commission will study potential public-private partnerships including ways to leverage the State’s physical and human capital resources, without looking at selling assets, to better serve its citizens. The Commission is required to submit a preliminary report of their recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature within 90 days, and a final report within 180 days. The Commission will hold hearings and meetings across the State.
The 11 members of the Commission are appointed by the Governor: one on the recommendation of Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, one on the recommendation of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, one on the recommendation of New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, one on the recommendation of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, and seven without prior recommendation, one of whom will be a representative of organized labor. An Executive Director, Samara Barend, was recently appointed to the Commission. Pursuant to Executive Order 11, an Advisory Council and staff will be assembled to assist the Commission in its work.
“I want to thank these distinguished leaders for devoting their time to examining the role of public-private partnerships in the long-term economic growth of our State,” said Governor Paterson. “Now, more than ever, we must bring together both public and private stakeholders to identify ways to maximize our economic potential and identify sources of efficiency and innovation. I look forward to receiving the Commission’s findings and recommendations.”
The appointees to the Commission include:
Charlotte Hitchcock, Chair
Hon. Byron W. Brown
Hon. Herman D. Farrell, Jr., recommendation of the office of the Speaker of the Assembly
Denis M. Hughes, representative of organized labor
Hon. Thomas Libous, recommendation of the office of the Senate Majority Leader
Hon. H. Carl McCall, recommendation of the office of the State Comptroller
David Ochoa
Bernard Schwartz, recommendation of the office of the Attorney General
Larry Schwartz
Diana L. Taylor
Alan M. Trager
About the Appointees:
Charlotte Hitchcock:
Ms Hitchcock, the Commission’s Chair, currently serves as the Governor’s Deputy Secretary of Labor and Financial Regulation, a position she has held since May, 2008. Prior to joining the Paterson Administration, Ms. Hitchcock was the Deputy Counsel to New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. She holds a Master’s in Public Health Degree from Yale University and a law degree from New York University.
Byron Brown:
Mayor Byron W. Brown is the 58th Mayor of Buffalo. Prior to his election as Mayor of Buffalo, Mayor Brown served five years in the New York State Senate. Sworn in January 1, 2001, Mayor Byron Brown became the first African-American elected to the State Senate outside of New York City. He also made history by becoming the first minority member of the New York State Senate to represent a majority white district. Mayor Brown was first elected to represent the Masten District on the Buffalo City Council in 1995.
Herman D. Farrell, Jr.
Assemblyman Herman D. Farrell, Jr. was elected to the State Assembly in 1974 from a district that encompasses West Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood. In March of 1994, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver appointed Mr. Farrell Chair of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. He is also a member of the Rules Committee and the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, as well as the New York State Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force. Among the legislation Assemblyman Farrell is proudest of is the passage of the Omnibus Consumer Protection and Banking Legislation Act. Prior to Assemblyman Farrell's election to the Assembly, he was the Assistant Director of the Mayor's office in Washington Heights, and had been a Confidential Aide to a State Supreme Court Justice. Assemblyman Farrell was elected County Leader of his political party in New York in April 1981, and is still serving in this position.
Denis Hughes:
As President of the 2.5 million member New York State AFL-CIO, Denis M. Hughes has made creating a more mobile, active and aggressive statewide labor movement a top priority. He has set a tone for organizing new members into the movement and has led the way in developing proactive legislative and political statewide strategy. Hughes currently serves as Deputy Chair of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as well as Chair of the Management and Budget Committee, and as a member of the Audit Committee. In 2008, President Hughes was appointed to a three year term as a Commissioner of the New York State Insurance Fund. He is a graduate of the Empire State College, Harry Van Arsdale School of Labor Studies with a Bachelor of Science Degree.
Thomas Libous:
Senator Tom Libous (R-C-I: Binghamton) is serving his tenth term in the New York State Senate representing Broome, Tioga and Chenango Counties. In 2005, he was appointed to Chair the Transportation Committee, which oversees the work of the Department of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles and other agencies. Senator Libous also serves as Chair of the Select Committee on the Disabled, where he has fought to protect and improve services for vulnerable New Yorkers. In 2008, he was named the Deputy Majority Leader of the State Senate. Senator Libous is a graduate of Broome Community College and SUNY-Utica. He lives in Binghamton with his wife, Fran, who serves as a Member of the Workers Compensation Board and they have two grown sons, Matt and Nick.
Carl McCall:
H. Carl McCall served as Comptroller of the State of New York from May 1993 to December 2002. Currently, he serves as a member of the State University of New York Board of Trustees. Prior to that, he served three terms as a New York State Senator, as an Ambassador to the United Nations, a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and as Commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights. From 1991 to 1993, Mr. McCall served as President of the New York City Board of Education. He also currently serves on the boards of New Plan Realty Corporation and the Ariel Mutual Fund and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He received his B.A. from Dartmouth College and was also educated at the Andover Newton Theological Seminary and the University of Edinburgh.
David Ochoa:
David Ochoa is the Founder and Senior Managing Partner of NuAlliance, LLC, an investment firm specializing in small to medium sized high technology and energy companies. Before founding NuAlliance, Ochoa held numerous senior level positions at higher education institutions across the country including Dowling College where he served as Vice President for Development. From 1981-1984 he served as CEO of Buena Vision Cable Company before which he worked as executive producer for WNBC TV NY. Ochoa currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Suffolk County Community College. Previously he served on the Board of Directors of Doral Bank. He received a B.A. in History from Whittier College and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law.
Bernard Schwartz:
Bernard Leon Schwartz was the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Loral Space & Communications, Chairman and CEO of K&F Industries, Inc., Chairman and CEO of Loral Corp., and president and CEO of Globalstar. He is currently the Chairman and CEO of BLS Investments, his own investment firm located in Manhattan. Schwartz earned a B.S. in finance and an honorary doctorate of science from City University of New York. A lifelong believer in effective communication as a prerequisite for success in business, Schwartz founded the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute, at Baruch College of the City University of New York.
Larry Schwartz:
Larry Schwartz is Deputy County Executive for Westchester. Mr. Schwartz helped to create the county's Office of Economic Development and assisted efforts to acquire property for open space and playing fields. He helped oversee a $140 million renovation project for the county courthouse in White Plains, and was involved in the current project to build the Hudson Hills Golf Course in New Castle. He is also involved in the county's plan to purchase Davids Island from the city of New Rochelle.
Diana Taylor:
Diana L. Taylor serves as Chair of the Hudson River Park Trust and as Managing Director of Wolfensohn & Company LLC. From 2003 to 2007, Ms. Taylor was Superintendent of Banks for New York State. Prior to her appointment as Superintendent of Banks by Governor Pataki, Ms. Taylor was the Governor’s Deputy Secretary for Finance and Housing. Before that, Ms. Taylor worked for several years in the energy business, first as Vice President of KeySpan Energy and then as Chief Financial Officer of the Long Island Power Authority. Ms. Taylor was a founding Partner of M. R. Beal & Co., a successful investment banking firm concentrating primarily in municipal bonds. Ms. Taylor earned her A.B. at Dartmouth College, followed by her M.B.A. and M.P.H. at Columbia University.
Alan Trager:
Alan M. Trager, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, teaches courses on the role of public-private partnerships in addressing complex public policy problems. His involvement in partnerships in New York City includes service as Chairman of the Board of the Riverside Park Fund and as an advisory director of the Sports Museum of America. His private sector experience includes founding and chairing AMT Capital Management, a private investment firm, and creating and managing ventures for Morgan Stanley, where he was a managing director. Trager is a graduate (MPA 1972) of the Kennedy School.
These appointments are unpaid positions and do not require Senate confirmation.
