NYC Comptroller-Elect Brad Lander Announces Transition Committee
NEW YORK, NY – The day after a resounding win in the general election, Comptroller-elect Brad Lander is wasting no time getting to work, formally announcing his transition team. Lander is bringing together civic, community, and business leaders with a wide range of interests and expertise to inform his priorities in office, connect with stakeholders, and recruit a strong team to lead the work of the 700-person office of the New York City Comptroller.
Lander’s transition committee will be co-chaired by Carol Kellermann, former President of the Citizens Budget Commission, and Mark Winston Griffith, advocate, journalist, and currently Executive Director of the Brooklyn Movement Center. The co-chairs bring strong expertise in making city government work more effectively, and confronting racial, economic, and environmental inequality to build a city that works for all New Yorkers.
Lander ran a campaign focused on ensuring an inclusive economic recovery, tackling the city’s gender and racial disparities, and confronting long term challenges like the risks to city infrastructure posed by climate change. The 40 committee members bring a wide range of wisdom and experience with city governance, including:
Former city officials including former NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson, former Deputy Mayor Richard Buery (now CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation), and former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger
Labor leaders including Henry Garrido (President of DC37) and Hae-Lin Choi (Political Director of CWA District 1)
Business leaders including Carlos Naudon (President of Ponce Bank), Maura Keaney (First Vice President of Amalgamated Bank) and Randy Peers (CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce)
Climate leaders including Bill McKibben (co-founder of 350.org), Rohit T. Aggarwala (former Director of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability in the Mayor’s office and now Senior Fellow at Cornell Tech), and Eddie Bautista (Executive Director of NYC Environmental Justice Alliance)
Community leaders including Javier Valdes (former co-director of Make the Road NY, now U.S Director of Civic Engagement and Government at the Ford Foundation) and Colvin Grannum (President and CEO, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation)
“The job of the Comptroller is to make NYC government work better, confronting the challenges of today and tomorrow by working to improve services, build better-shared prosperity, and prepare our city for the future. New York City is facing an extraordinary set of challenges right now – ending the COVID public health crisis, winning a vibrant recovery, addressing the economic and racial inequities that have long plagued our city, and confronting the climate crisis that threatens our shared future. I’m grateful to this extraordinary group of people for investing their time and expertises to ensure we are ready to get to work tackling these challenges on Day 1,” said Brad Lander, Comptroller-elect.
“Those of us who care about New York City have important work to do. We can make this a city that respects the dignity and lives of ALL its residents. Brad has long been a partner in that work, from marching against abusive policing to convening thoughtful conversations among parents and school staff to advance racial justice in our schools. I look forward to supporting his work as our city’s next Comptroller to confront injustice and build a more equitable city,” said co-chair Mark Winston Griffith.
“Brad ran a campaign pledging to make government work better for New Yorkers and I look forward to helping him prepare to deliver on that promise,” said co-chair Carol Kellermann. “From speeding up contract payments to strategic audits that deliver real change, the Comptroller’s office has a strong set of tools to ensure we are spending wisely, saving prudently, and delivering services for all New Yorkers.”
The full list of transition committee members are included below. Affiliations are listed for identification purposes only. All members will be asked to complete conflict of interest disclosures prior to the committee’s first meeting.
Tahanie Aboushi, Esq., Aboushi Law Firm
Rohit T. Aggarwala, Senior Fellow, Cornell Tech
Sasha Ahuja, National Director, Strategic Partnerships at Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Eddie Bautista, Executive Director, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
Vonda Brunsting, Program Manager, Initiative for Responsible Investment, Harvard Kennedy School (fmr. SEIU Capital Stewardship)
Richard Buery, Chief Executive Officer, Robin Hood
Victor Calise, Commissioner of the New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
Sean Campbell, Founder, Capital for Communities (fmr. Macquarie Group, Marathon Asset Management, D.E. Shaw & Co.)
Eduardo "Eddy" Castell, Managing Partner, MirRam Group
Rafael E. Cestero, President & CEO, Community Preservation Corporation
Hae-Lin Choi, New York State Legislative and Political Director NY, Communications Workers of America, District 1
Louis Cholden-Brown, Deputy Counsel to the Speaker, New York City Council
Ashley Cotton, Principal, MAG Partners
Elisa Crespo, Executive Director, The New Pride Agenda
Henry Garrido, Executive Director, DC37
Matt Gewolb, Associate Dean & General Counsel at New York Law School
Megan Golden, CEO & Co-founder, Mission: Cure
Colvin Grannum, President and CEO, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
Elizabeth Guernsey, Senior Program Officer, Open Society Foundations
Ezra Friedlander, CEO, The Friedlander Group
Eric Horvath, Director of Capital Strategies, Common Future
Maura Keaney, First Vice President, Amalgamated Bank
Carol Kellermann, Committee Co-Chair, Former President, Citizens Budget Commission
Carol Kostik, Former Deputy Comptroller for Public Finance, City of New York
Bill McKibben, Founder and Senior Adviser Emeritus, 350.org
Hon. Ruth Messinger, Global Ambassador, American Jewish World Service & Former Manhattan Borough President
Carlos Naudon, President and CEO, Ponce Bank
Sochie Nnaemeka, State Director, New York Working Families Party
Theo Oshiro, Co-Executive Director, Make the Road New York
Randolph ("Randy") Peers, President & CEO, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
Andrew Rein, President, Citizens Budget Commission
Amy Rutkin, Chief of Staff, Rep. Jerry Nadler
Hon. Max Rose, Former Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense Senior Advisor for COVID-19 of the United States of America, Former U.S. Representative
Tom Sanzillo, Director of Financial Analysis, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis
Nick E. Smith, First Deputy Public Advocate, City of New York
Roy Swan, Director, Mission Investments, Ford Foundation
Hon. Bill Thompson, CUNY Board Chair and Partner at Siebert Williams Shank & Co., Former NYC Comptroller
Maf Misbah Uddin, Treasurer District Council 37 and President AFSCME Local 1407
Katie Unger, Cofounder, The Jewish Vote (Jews for Racial and Economic Justice); former Deputy Commissioner, Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit
Javier Valdés, U.S. Director of Civic Engagement and Government, Ford Foundation
Carra Wallace, President, MBE Capital Partners
Mark Winston Griffith, Committee Co-Chair, Executive Director, Brooklyn Movement Center