July 29th Edition of City & State Reports by City & State

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AlliedBarton Security Services is a proud sponsor of City & State Reports and Congratulates the Technology, Telecommunications & New Media Corporate Responsibility Awards Recipients 212.328.0209 | www.AlliedBarton.com/NewYork

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TECH CAN SOLVE NYC’S GREATEST CHALLENGES by MINERVA TANTOCO

s New York City’s first chief technology officer, I am very fortunate to be part of an administration that is open to new ideas and recognizes the power of technology to transform government, to democratize society and to improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers. I also have the privilege of being part of a groundbreaking team of technology leaders responsible for fulfilling Mayor Bill de Blasio’s inspiring vision of making New York City the most tech-friendly and innovative city in the world. New York City’s tech ecosystem is well on its way, with $30 billion in annual wages, 300,000 jobs and the most female tech founders and startup requests in the country. I encourage my colleagues and partners in the tech sector to use their skills and apply the best technology where it is needed most: to address inequity of all kinds, close the tech divide, and make our mark as the most socially responsible tech community in the world. There is no place more diverse than New York City, and our rising tech sector can leverage and capitalize on that core strength. It gives us an edge toward a more socially sustainable city and builds a healthy bottom line. According to McKinsey & Co., gender-diverse and ethnically diverse companies are, respectively, 15 percent and 35 percent more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians. We must act thoughtfully and proactively in order to leverage this diversity fully and expand on it to remain globally competitive. If a diverse set of employees isn’t being brought to the table, amend recruitment strategies and help “prime the pump” by investing in local computer science education programs or get in touch with the city to find out more about how we are incubating tomorrow’s tech leaders through the Tech Talent Pipeline initiative. Together, we can collaborate to make my story—a Filipino-American, a product of New York City public schools, and a woman in tech—the norm, and not the exception. I’m increasingly approached by individuals and organizations who want to step up to the plate and use their

tech for good, but don’t know where to start. Public-private partnerships are a fantastic way to give back. Governments and nonprofits tackle some of the most challenging social issues of our time. Technologists love a good challenge and thrive on seeing their work have an impact. There couldn’t be a more perfect fit. For instance, could your predictive analytics or digital marketing methods help steer social services to where they will have the most impact? My office recently supported HudsonHack, an intern hack-a-thon produced by Warby Parker, in which participants from over 50 companies were asked to find tech solutions to social issues presented by Robin Hood’s Blue Ridge Labs, Donors Choose, and the city Department of Homeless Services. Looking ahead, the annual NYC BigApps competition will continue through October and bring together over 35 partners who will work with technologists to deliver solutions for issues identified in the city’s OneNYC plan. We encourage you to participate in events like these, sync up with partners to create your own, or think of other ways your latest solutions can help solve our toughest urban challenges. Let’s create a tech sector with a heart as big as New York City itself. In my short time in City Hall, I have been inspired and deeply touched by the warmth and genuine kind-heartedness of those inside and outside government, propelled by a deep desire to make a difference for other human beings. It’s one of the most rewarding parts of my role in public service. There are many paths to being helpful and impactful. Problems such as homelessness, access to mental health resources, domestic violence, workforce diversity and the digital divide all require solutions as big and bold as the challenges themselves. I know the tech community is up to the challenge. All it takes is the same hands-on, entrepreneurial spirit that brought the industry to where it is now. After all, we can’t sit around and wait for progress and opportunity to just happen. To create a more just, equitable and socially sustainable city, we must actively pull that future into the present—together. Minerva Tantoco is the first chief technology officer for New York City, where she drives the citywide technology strategy

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TECHNOLOGY CAN FULFILL THE PROMISE OF THE ADA by JASON DASILVA

was a carefree 11-year-old when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed a quarter century ago and I never could have imagined then the profound impact it would have on my life. Now 36, I’ve been living for a decade with progressive multiple sclerosis, which has slowly stripped me of the use of my legs, arms, hands and, increasingly, my eyesight. Only because of the ADA am I able to get around New York City, live where I want to live, eat at restaurants, see movies, visit friends – all while pursuing a career as a filmmaker. Yet while the impact of the ADA ensures that I can navigate this complicated city with more ease, accessibility should be about more than chair ramps and Access-aRides. As my condition worsens, for example, I’m increasingly seeking out ways to continue scouting locations, operating my camera and editing film. My trade relies on a level of vision and mobility that I no longer have, but that shouldn’t mean the end of my career. And it may just be that modern technology that holds the key to realizing the accessibility vision the ADA legislation imagined all those years ago. This spring and summer I’ve participated in a global technology competition launched by AT&T and New York University that asked developers to design hightech solutions to address the every day challenges faced by people with physical, social, emotional and cognitive disabilities. What made the experience more meaningful was that developers worked directly with members of the disability community, including myself, so they could design practical solutions to the barriers we confront. We received 63 fully developed and highly impressive solutions from 15 countries and 15 states. The grand prize winner is a technology called Kinesic Mouse that allows me to control my PC hands free using different facial expressions. Other winners include a mobile application called Ava that allows the deaf to “see” in real time what people around them are saying. Another winner is Lola, a digital tool that helps users with social and emotional issues train

their brains by using humor and personal challenges to strengthen their social and daily living skills. I have no doubt this is just the tip of the iceberg. As GPS, voice over, sensory and streaming technologies become more sophisticated, their applications for people with disabilities is limitless. They can give eyes to the sightless, voice to the voiceless, and improve mobility and increase participation in activities that the abled world takes for granted. My hope for the next 25 years is to continue to live as independently as possible, even as my condition progresses. The ADA opened the door to a truly accessible society for millions of Americans. If we continue to think and act creatively, technology may just blow the hinges off it. Da Silva is a New York City filmmaker. To learn more about the Connect Ability winners, visit www. connectability.challengepost.com.

THE VALUE OF IMPACT INVESTING by BY TOM ALLON Co-Founder & President, City & State Reports

’ve been a solid liberal all my life. A true believer in the concept of the communitarian society with a robust government at its core. I still am. But I’ve also come to see how the free market – especially when guided by the precepts of Corporate Social Responsibility – can play just as profound a role in helping to address issues such as hunger, the environment, education and equal opportunity. Consider the new trend called social-impact investing. As Elizabeth Boggs Davidsen of the Multilateral Investment Fund recently wrote in The Huffington Post: “A new alignment is emerging among corporate venture capitalists and impact investors. The corporate venture capitalist is seeking returns for the company and new capabilities or access to markets that are aligned with its longterm business strategy. The impact investor is interested in placing capital into companies and generating measurable social and environmental impact, together with a financial return.” According to Davidsen, impact investors are most fo-

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cused on six sectors: • Cleantech • Education • Health • Urban Infrastructure & Transportation • Financial Inclusion • Agriculture & Food Many consider this a paradigm shift in global investment, which is exactly how our June CSR award winner, Christina Alfonso, describes impact investing. Alfonso, who founded financial advisory firm Medeira Global, told us that “Impact investment is about arming private investors with the power to inject their capital into businesses that are making the most difference.” She predicts investors will increasingly channel their wealth into market-based solutions that philanthropy and government have been unable to address. According to another of our June CSR award winners, Audrey Choi, market polling suggests that Millennials have a vast appetite for values-based investing. Choi, who runs Morgan Stanley’s Institute for Sustainable Investing, has produced extensive market research that shows “Millennials are three times more likely to seek employment with a company because of their stance on social or environmental issues. They are twice as likely as other generations to check product packaging before they buy something. They are twice as likely to buy something specifically because of its social or environmental impact. The way we’re seeing that translate into their investment behavior is quite compelling. They are twice as likely as someone from another generation to invest in a company or fund that targets specific social outcomes. They are twice as likely to invest in a fund that specifically uses environmental and social practices as a way to value differentiation. They are twice as likely to divest from an investment position because of some objectionable activity in their view. “So we’re seeing a very interesting focus among Millennials on a sort of integrated holistic view of the world,” Choi continued. “They want their work to have value. They want their values to be consistent with the work that they do. And they want the money that they make to be aligned with those values. They’re very rigorous in believing that their money should return value both financially and in terms of environmental and social outcomes.”

As Christina Alfonso says, “It’s about the left hand talking to the right to create a values-based approach to investing. Impact investors are not looking to replace philanthropy and government, but they can certainly compliment it.”

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CORPORATE RESPONSIBILIT Y AWARDS

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City & State Reports honored the winners of its prestigious Corporate Social Responsibility Awards for New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s banking, finance and insurance sector on June 11 at Hunter College in Manhattan. The breakfast ceremony featured New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Hunter College President Jennifer Raab and prominent journalist and author Michael Wolff.

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We join in recognizing the 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility honorees for their outstanding work in New York’s Technology, Telecommunications & New Media Sectors. At Greenberg Traurig we share your dedication to the citizens of New York City and the commitment to uphold the principles that make New York a beautiful city to live and work.

C O NGR ATU L ATI O NS! Timothy Armstrong Neil Capel Thomas DeVito

David Hantman Max Haot John Katzman

Lou Kerner Jessica Klein Stanley Litow

Darryl Ramsey John Sabey

Greenberg Traurig’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group represents technology, telecommunications, Internet and media companies around the world in transactions and disputes relating to the procurement, sale, development and protection of their products and services. We advise established companies in virtually every industry as they deploy new technologies to transform their businesses. We also represent clients in other areas including M&A, litigation, and intellectual property. Our professionals combine broad legal experience with an understanding of our clients’ businesses and the industries in which they operate. Technology, Media & Telecommunications: Alan Sutin | Daniel Serota Government Law & Policy: John Mascialino | Ed Wallace | Robert Harding | Christopher Cernik GREENBERG TRAURIG, LLP | METLIFE BUILDING | 200 PARK AVENUE | NEW YORK, NY 10166 | 212.801.9200

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DARRYL RAMSEY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER & TECHNICAL STRATEGIST FOR STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, JUNIPER NETWORKS Outstanding Achievement in Community Engagement, Education & the Promotion of Supply-Chain Ethics

ith digital technology permeating nearly ever facet of our lives and geopolitical rivalries spilling into cyberspace, developing the next-generation of technologists should be a top priority for every city, state and nation. New York, as is often the case, has much to contribute—and much to gain as well. “New York is one of the most globally represented cities on the planet,” said Darryl Ramsey, Business Development Manager at Juniper Networks. “We have so many languages spoken here, so many cultures here, if we had the technological focus in our public schools, in our workplaces and elsewhere, the next innovative idea, the next cure is probably sitting right here in this city. All we have to do is connect the dots.” If we fail to connect those dots, Ramsey will not be the one to blame. For starters, Ramsey is a driving force in Juniper’s partnership with the National Academy Foundation, which provides STEM education to high school students, along with scholarships, work-based learning opportunities and a student certification programs. Juniper is working to help NAF reach its goal of graduating 100,000 college- and career-ready students by 2020, while at the same time providing its employees with wide-ranging opportunities to engage in skills-based volunteer work. Ramsey, who sits on several New York-based School K-20 boards and advisory organizations, is also responsible for spearheading his company’s sponsorship of MOUSE, a nonprofit that helps underserved

youth to learn, lead and create by using technology. The organization places high-school students in “shadowships” and internships with the NYC Department of Information & Telecommunications (DoITT) to expose them to the public sector while providing them with opportunities to pursue their interest in technology. Ramsey guides another of Juniper’s signature CSR initiatives – its partnership with “Not for Sale,” a nonprofit that fights human trafficking and forced labor. Juniper has invested more than a million dollars in the organization, primarily to develop and deploy mobile technology that enables consumers to identify brands that maintain responsible labor practices and clean supply chains. The partnership led to the creation of Free to Work, an app that allows users to access information on that company’s supply chain simply by scanning the barcode of a store product. For Ramsey, corporate social responsibility means looking out not only for the people who create the products a company sells, but for the people who consume them as well. “At the end of the day, no matter what we’re doing from a professional perspective,” he said. “we are affecting somebody’s life.”

Congratulations to all of the honorees whose hard work, dedication and selfless efforts set an example for all New Yorkers. Kasirer Consulting salutes their well-deserved honor and recognition.

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DAVID HANTMAN GLOBAL HEAD OF PUBLIC POLICY, AIRBNB Outstanding Disaster Relief Support in New York & Worldwide

or anyone starting a new job, the world may seem to be moving a whole lot faster than it really is. In David Hantman’s case, the world seemed to be in hyper-drive when he started his new job at Airbnb “I literally arrived on Monday,” said Hantman, recalling his first days with the global lodging website. “Superstorm Sandy had hit just a couple of days before, and there was a scramble to figure out what to do.” The government was trying to find shelter for those whose homes had been hit hardest. Meanwhile, Airbnb hosts—the users who advertise short-term housing rentals on the company website—were anxious to open up their homes but, as it stood at that time, the system was programmed to accept only paid listings and bookings. Hantman huddled with his team of engineers—he had only met them once before. Working through the night, the engineers designed a new site capable of switching into crisis mode. It went live the next morning and, instantly, 1,500 people were able to offer up their apartments, or whatever accommodation they could spare, even if just a couch. No money changed hands. Just as suddenly as it seemed they had lost everything, thousands of people could now remain close enough to home to keep their kids in school, return to work and maintain some semblance of normalcy in their lives. “To be in a company that completely suspends the entire need to make money and just do the right thing in that moment was super grat-

ifying,” said Hantman, who has since guided the Airbnb’s efforts to expand its disaster response capabilities internationally. The company’s crisis tool can now be deployed in different parts of the world. It has been used by local, regional and national governments. The tool provided relief following a major earthquake in Nepal, the East Village gas explosion earlier this year, and the recent flash flooding in Austin, Texas. “Our saying is: ‘We want you to belong anywhere,’” Hantman explained. It is that very ideal of belonging anywhere, of sharing, community building, and empowerment, that guides Airbnb’s CSR vision – whether that means giving employees paid time off to volunteer at a local charity, or helping people get back on their feet in the wake of a calamity. “It’s very traumatic to lose a home, even for a short period of time,” Hantman said. “This allows people to be welcomed into another home and still feel like they are part of the community—to still feel like they belong.”

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JOHN SABEY PRESIDENT, SABEY DATA CENTERS Outstanding Achievement in Promoting Energy Sustainability for the Internet Economy & Collaborative Genomic Research

ith the advent of big data and the explosion of digital media and e-commerce, data centers have become a pillar of the Internet economy. Without them, modern society would probably grind to a halt. But if those centers are not operated with a clear focus on sustainability, the environment could ultimately pay a high price for all that technological progress. That’s why John Sabey, President of Sabey Data Centers, spends a good deal of his time helping clients not only stay current with new technologies, but operate those technologies in the most energy-efficient way possible. Sabey has been especially focused on the healthcare sector, which “has been moving more and more into big data, and utilizing data centers for a lot of their processes and research,” he explained. “We spend a lot of our time working on energy efficiency, and being good corporate stewards of energy resources, because clients tend to require large amounts of electricity to power the equipment.” That’s not surprising, since SDC’s parent firm, Sabey Corporation has been a large holder of commercial real estate, particularly in the healthcare sector, for the last 45 years. Sabey Data Center’s portfolio includes facilities in Washington State, Ashburn, Virginia and New York City. Given its dense population and verticality, New York poses particular challenges when it comes to serving the region’s data needs in a sustainable way. “In New York we spend a lot of our time focusing on what energy efficiency gains we can pick up using the

latest and the greatest technology and equipment investments to drive electrical costs down to the absolute minimum,” Sabey explained. In order to achieve those energy savings, Sabey will often make an upfront investment in energy-efficient equipment or infrastructure that will save the client and the company money in the long run. “While a lot of organizations will make a decision to select a piece of equipment or utilize a technology in which the payback could be two to three years, we often evaluate the investment on a 12 to 15-year horizon, because we’re long-term holders of our real estate,” Sabey explained. Sabey Data Centers are equipped with variable speed drives to conserve energy. They utilize outside air to cool the data floors for as much of the year as possible also to conserve. However, it’s often simple things that make a difference, such as light switches that automatically turn off and hands-free fixtures in restrooms that preserve both water and energy. “A lot of green is just common sense,” Sabey explained. “Turn off the lights when you exit the room to leave as small a footprint as possible. At the end of the day, if you just use common sense, you’ll probably end up in the right place.”

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JESSICA KLEIN OPEN WEB DESIGNER, BOCOUP Excellence in Promoting Community Engagement, Education & Transparency through Technology

he genesis of Jessica Klein’s activism—or “hactivism,” if you will—can be traced to the moment her television, and her entire apartment, went dark. Klein had been watching for updates on Far Rockaway, the community she was raised in, and where her parents had chosen to wait out 2012’s Superstorm Sandy. Turning to Twitter, Klein befriended a reporter who helped her navigate the storm-flooded streets as she drove a Zip Car all the way from Brooklyn to Queens. In Far Rockaway, Klein shoveled sewage water from her parent’s home. Later, she walked to a local church where several people had gathered. Everyone was worried about something. Everyone was looking for someone. Klein’s response was to collaborate with community members to create a Facebook page and database to connect people in need with those who wanted to help. Using social media, she enlisted volunteers to help with the early relief efforts. Her greatest contribution, though, may have come when it was time to think forward about the long-term resiliency of these communities. “A community is not a client,” Klein said. “A community is a larger ecosystem. So you can’t just fix something. You need to have buy-in and fix things the way the people want them to be fixed.” “Half jams,” as Klein describes them, are events where designers and developers get together and hack on code to create something new. In Far Rockaway, Klein changed the format so it would also accommodate technological neophytes. She

invited friends from the tech world to brainstorm with the community to identify how technological fixes could be applied to urgent problems. “When we look at the tech industry, there is a tendency to focus on people who are producing commercial goods. But there’s also a very large community of mission-based organizations that are focused on developing tools and software for the common good,” said Klein, who works as a designer with Boucoup, an open-web technology company. From Klein’s creative workshops, a multitude of design prototypes have emerged. She has since worked with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to help expand web literacy. In the wake of a natural disaster, the technology needs of a community are greater than one might expect. People need to fill out FEMA forms, scan documents, make sure they’re accessing secure networks – all while staying on the lookout for scams. For Klein, the term “hacker” has nothing to do with breaking the law. It’s about tinkering, tweaking and rethinking a problem. “You’re doing things in a little bit of an unorthodox or non-traditional way,” she explained. “You’re not just following a path that’s set forward. You might be looking for a way to disrupt the process and figure out how things can be done in a better way. A creative process leads to a creative solution.”

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J OHN K AT ZM AN FOUNDER & CEO, NOODLE Outstanding Achievement in Promoting Education & Student Safety through Innovation & Technology

he winners in an opaque marketplace are often the players who push an inferior product on an uninformed public. Lacking the resources to guide their decisions, consumers can unknowingly reward companies that cut corners and deliver low-quality goods with impunity. According to John Katzman, educational institutions have a particularly difficult time proving the quality of their services, largely because of a lack of good, actionable data. Filling that void is what spurred Katzman to found Noodle, an education resource site whose mission is to make education markets more transparent and navigable. Katzman hopes greater transparency will lower costs of acquisition for good schools, which could allow them, for example, to offer more scholarships. More importantly, by bringing performance and rewards into alignment, Noodle provides an incentive for institutions to improve. “At its core, what we’re doing is helping good schools to win and bad schools to either mend their ways or, in the end, lose.” Since founding the Princeton Review in 1981, Katzman has been a leading figure in improving public and higher learning education. He has served as a director of several leading organizations, including the National Association of Independent Schools and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. Katzman has seen firsthand how shining light on a problem can be the best form of antiseptic. For example, when the Princeton Review began publishing ranking the nation’s most homophobic schools, Katzman was flooded with inquiries from

schools that had appeared on the list looking for advice on how to improve their standing. (Noodle displays an LGBTQ-Friendly Campus Pride Index on college profiles.) According to Katzman, the technology available today has transformed the way users receive and experience data. “You tell a parent, ‘Here’s the state score and report card for this school verses that school and their eyes glaze over,” he said. “But what if you put it this way: If your kid goes to this school, these are the chances he goes to college, and these are the chances he goes to prison?” The education data produced by Noodle is wide-ranging: The platform might help a user find a wine-tasting course, a video about quadratic equations or an article contrasting the Reggio and Montessori approaches. What works for one user may not work for another, which is why Noodle’s interactive search tool promotes robust marketplaces as opposed to a one-sizefits-all approach. As part of a broader effort to create more inclusive learning environments, Noodle has partnered with the Jed Foundation in its efforts to prevent student suicides and reduce substance abuse, and with YouTruth to combat school bullying. “Whichever school you choose, you’re going to change that school a little bit—but it’s going to change you a whole lot more,” Katzman said.

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LO U KER NER MANAGER, THE ISRAELI SYNDICATE Outstanding Innovations in Community Engagement through Social Media

ver the last few decades, Israel has managed to transform itself into a global powerhouse of technological innovation. It boasts more startups per capita than any other country in the world. The future might be even brighter, according to venture capitalist Lou Kerner, who recently launched an investment fund dedicated exclusively to Israeli-owned startups. “I started The Israeli Syndicate because it makes business sense, but also to benefit the Israeli economy—to help the country survive, and thrive,” explained Kerner, who is also founder and manager of The Social Internet Fund, which invests in primary and secondary shares of private social media, mobile, big data, online video, and ad tech companies. The Israeli Syndicate is listed on AngelList, a website that connects startups to angel investors. It is not just the Israel economy, however, that stands to benefit. Some 250 Israeli startups already have offices in New York City and, if Kerner has his way, that number will grow in the coming years, strengthening business ties between NYC and Israel. “The more Israeli companies that get funded and find success, the more we’ll see Israeli companies with offices or headquarters in New York,” Kerner said. According to Kerner, whenever a robust tech ecosystem sprouts up, economic growth follows. “In some towns like Detroit and Las Vegas, the venture capital and angel communities are already having a very positive impact on the local economy,” he said.

A Los Angeles native, Kerner has seen the same creative energy percolating throughout Silicon Beach, where he has built bridges between his alma mater, UCLA, and the tech community. Today, in his adopted hometown of New York, Kerner expects the new Cornell Tech campus will provide the city’s tech sector with an enormous boost. “I believe Cornell Technion will emerge as a hub for the city that will result in an even more vibrant tech ecosystem,” he said. At Cornell Tech, Kerner serves as a mentor in Runway, the post-doctoral accelerator program, where he helps students access the capital and resources needed to incubate their business ideas. Kerner believes Cornell’s groundbreaking partnership with Israel’s Technion – which also has a presence in China – could potentially strengthen tech ties between New York and China as well. As Kerner sees it, a buoyant tech sector does more than just stimulate the local economy. In other cities— San Francisco, most notably—the influx of designers and technologists spawned more citizen-centric, user-friendly living spaces. “Take a look at the solar panels or the electric car stations at major companies like SAP or Google,” he said. “Google buses and bikes are decreasing congestion on the roads, just like the apps for finding street parking.” It’s all about synergies.

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M AX HAOT PRESIDENT & CEO, LIVESTREAM Broadcaster Award for Innovation in Technology and New Media

hroughout most of its history, live broadcasting was the exclusive domain of governments and television networks with trucks full of equipment and multi-million-dollar budgets. The advent of the Internet, followed by broadband and smart phones, however, have made it possible to broadcast any event, no matter how small the audience, for a fraction of the cost. “It’s not that live broadcasting didn’t exist before,” explained Max Haot, Founder of Livestream, a video platform that allows users to view and broadcast video content over the Internet. “The key is that it’s been democratized.” When the European Space Agency landed the Rosetta spacecraft on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, more than 16 million viewers worldwide looked on via Livestream. Of the other three million events the platform streamed last year, many received just a handful off views. Yet, the occasion was no less monumental for those who got to tune in to a loved one’s graduation, wedding, or little league debut. No doubt, we all miss events that we’d otherwise attend if not for the constraints of time, distance or resources. In the realm of government, Livestream’s platform may have an even greater impact. Whether broadcasting senate proceedings or school board meetings, Haot hopes to usher in a new era of transparency, providing citizens with a direct view of the inner workings of their government. “Now any government can make use of live-streaming technology, whether it’s local, state or national – whether it’s the United States or

any nation in the world,” Haot said. “It doesn’t matter if the audience is ten people, or ten million. That’s why this is a true breakthrough.” From campaign events—the Obama reelection team relied on the service in 2012—to committee hearings, politicians and policymakers are using Livestream to open the political process to ordinary citizens. The New York State Senate now uses the platform. So do the cities of Las Vegas and Chicago, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission and the Civilian Complaint Review Board. “Streaming from laptops and later from phones, the idea was always to provide transparency and immediacy to world events,” said Haot. From the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street, Livestream and its users have been in the middle of making and broadcasting history. Last summer, a radio station used the platform to disseminate the unsettling events unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri before any TV trucks arrived. “If you think of checks and balances and general openness with respect to information, for the general public to be able to have access and also be able to share relevant news is something very important,” Haot said.

N E I L CAPEL FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, SAILTHRU Vanguard Award for Innovating a 21st Century Workplace

e may live in a city of unlimited possibilities, but New Yorkers tend to return to the places they know. It’s the magic of receiving that critical cup of coffee, prepared exactly to your liking, before the words “good morning” have even left your lips. Or that sweltering evening you can’t bring yourself to cook or even order in—and just want to walk to the corner diner, and slump cozily into your favorite booth. “When I was growing up, my father owned a green grocer store. He knew his customers,” Neil Capel recalled. “He knew what people were going to buy before they did.” In founding Sailthru, what Capel wanted to channel that personal touch in an age when commerce is increasingly transacted online. A cross-platform marking company, Sailthru is all about personalization, adapting to the uniqueness of each and every user, whether on its website, via email, or through its app. The platform is designed to help users find content or products that best suit them at any given moment in time. “We make sure end-consumers get the exact experience they want in terms of the relevancy and the frequency with which they are contacted by the company,” Capel said. “People have more and more things vying for their time every day, so it’s about making sure the consumer has the most productive and interesting session while they’re online.” All too often, consumers allow online companies to get away with practices they would never tolerate

from a neighborhood establishment, whether that means being bombarded with unsolicited marketing material or having their personal data flipped to third parties. Which is why Sailthru vets prospective clients to ensure their values are in alignment when it comes to safeguarding the privacy of their customers. “It has become an algebra equation,” Capel said. “Consumers don’t want to be treated like a byte of information.” The philosophy of treating people like people rather than datasets is one that Capel carries into the workplace. Aside from encouraging collective volunteerism among staff, Sailthru has instituted a professional growth program where employees are encouraged to develop individual skills. This can mean mastering the use of a trampoline, studying a foreign language or learning how to prepare a four-star dinner. For Sailthru, the focus is on learning and growing, even those skills don’t have a direct bearing on job performance. “I’ve had to improve myself as a leader of the company, and I want everyone to invest in furthering themselves as well,” Capel said. “If we lead happy lives, then we’ll be more successful in life as well as in business. It all ties together.”

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STANL EY LI TOW VICE PRESIDENT OF CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP & CORPORATE AFFAIRS IBM Chairman’s Award

arlier this month, researchers released a study showing that carbon nanotubes could potentially be used to filter water more efficiently and with less impact on the environment. That discovery, which could affect billions of people who lack secure access to potable water, was made possible by millions of volunteers who donated surplus processing power from their computing devises to IBM’s World Community Grid, a virtual supercomputer that had previously been deployed to advance studies on Ebola, Muscular Dystrophy, and solar cell technology. “If IBM had simply written a check or donated a supercomputer, you would not be able to provide that kind of massive power to multiple research projects,” said Stanley Litow, IBM’s Vice President of Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs. “That’s an example of more than just being generous, but of using your innovation and creativity to solve a problem.” The recent nanotube breakthrough is just one of many sustainable solutions to social problems that Litow, a former NYC Deputy Schools Chancellor, has helped bring to scale. IBM’s P-TECH initiative— referenced by President Obama in his past two State of the Union addresses—is designed to bolster the country’s economic competitiveness by connecting education to jobs. The company’s Smarter Cities Challenge helped Syracuse, NY use data analytics to predict which properties are likely to go off the tax rolls. Through its Corporate Service Corps, which Litow likens to a “corporate version of the Peace Corps,” IBM deploys

some of its best thinkers to solve critical problems in developing countries. In Nigeria, one IBMer designed a program that provides free health care to 105,000 impoverished people. In Ghana, an IBM team developed a management system that reduced mother-tochild AIDS transmissions. For all the social and technological progress IBM’s efforts have produced, the company has accrued tangible benefits as well. Aside from creating new markets, follow-up assessments of program participants revealed improved leadership, cultural adaptability, teaming, listening and writing skills. Litow employs five metrics to assess IBM’s corporate citizenship efforts: 1) impact on the recruitment and retention of top talent; 2) the technological innovation these programs yield; 3) the degree to which the motivate socially responsible investment funds to purchase company stock; 4) the value of media coverage garnered; 5) overall impact on the company’s brand value. Litow has found the return yield to be approximately three dollars on every dollar invested. As Litow explained it, “We look at the critical issues facing society today and the critical technologies that have the ability to make an impact, and then, much in the way that IBM would develop a new product, we customize and develop solutions to those problems, bring them to scale and look for public-private partnerships where we can really increase the value.”

CONGRATULATIONS AOL CONGRATULATES THE RECIPIENTS OF The 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility Awards for Technology, Telecommunications and New Media

We believe in the world’s best builders of culture, code and community

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T I M AR M ST RON G AOL, CHAIRMAN & CEO Lifetime Achievement Award

hen AOL launched Monster Help Day, six years ago, one motivation was simple: the satisfaction of giving back. But CEO Tim Armstrong saw an additional advantage to instating a companywide volunteer day. Community engagement, he believed, could serve as an inspirational mechanism to help pull the struggling company out of the “depths of despair,” as he described it. “We started volunteering in local communities to help save our company, to regenerate the culture, the feeling and the energy inside,” Armstrong said. “It really helped improve the company.” Over the past several years, AOL employees have volunteered in 27 cities, through partnerships with more than 100 organizations, a commitment to volunteerism that

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Armstrong credits with helping to reinvigorate the corporate culture. A slew of CSR initiatives have followed suit. “We start with our time, not our money. We expect to get personally involved in the programs,” explained Armstrong, whose three-prong strategy begins with donating time. The second and third components are democratizing access to resources and promoting diversity. This summer, AOL launched a new internship program, which brought 50 high-school and college students from under-served communities into AOL offices across the country, 35 of which took roles at the company’s headquarters in NYC. Almost 50 of the company employees have dedicated time to the program, taking a hands-on approach to managing and mentoring the teenagers. “We are working directly with Mayor de Blasio and his team on giving access to kids in low-income neighborhoods, they can experience a different world and work life than what they are normally exposed to,” Armstrong explained. AOL is also partnering with Harvey Milk High School and Step Up Women’s Network to place interns at AOL through this particular initiative. Armstrong has also redoubled AOL’s commitment to closing racial and gender gaps within the company as well as the industry as a whole. In recent years, the AOL Charitable Foundation has focused on empowering girls, women and underserved youth through leadership training and access to tech resources. “The more diverse our company is the more we’ll understand how to

program our services for the world’s population,” Armstrong said. “It’s a direct strategic need for us as well as something we feel strongly about.” Some of the organizations the AOL Charitable Foundation has awarded grants to include the New York City Foundation for Computer Science Education (CSNYC) for a software engineering pilot program and the New York Academy of Sciences to support 1,000 girls interested in STEM programs. The Foundation has also supported Step Up College & Career Connections Conferences in New York, Chicago and LA, which empower young women in under-resourced communities by enabling them to focus on college and grow as leaders. “Our CSR efforts are getting more creative because the more we run on the philosophy of getting involved, the more we are learning,” Armstrong said. “We’re sprouting up and continually launching new initiatives.”

Juniper Networks congratulates Darryl Ramsey on being the recipient of City & State Reports' 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility Award for Outstanding Achievement in Community Engagement, Education & the Promotion of Supply-Chain Ethics! The Juniper Networks mission: Together, we can Connect Everything. Empower Everyone. This recognition truly exemplifies the Juniper way!

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TOM D EVI TO VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER OF NY & NJ, AT&T Excellence in Volunteerism, Education & Community Engagement

chool dropout rates around the country have fallen considerably over the last few decades. That is welcome news. Yet opportunity gaps persist, with graduation rates still lagging among low-income students. The factors underlying disparate educational outcomes can be exceedingly complex. Even so, there are still many ways to make a difference. For instance, many at-risk students have trouble visualizing the next stage of their lives. Because of the challenges they face each day, they often cannot see the possibilities that lie before them. To fill that void, AT&T Vice President Tom DeVito invites hundreds of these students to visit his companies New York and New Jersey offices and plants every year. “We put them in our seats. We put them on our factory lines. We put them in our offices,” DeVito said. “The students can actually see and feel and touch and get a real sense for how the business world works. Sometimes it’s just that small glimmer—one thing that resonates – and suddenly they can begin visualizing their future.” AT&T’s cutting-edge program, which DeVito helps facilitate as a Board Member of Junior Achievement New York, also sends teams of company employees to local schools throughout the academic year. “When we bring a group of 50 or 60 employees to a few schools, what happens is many of those employees take it to another level. They’ll go back to those schools on their own,” DeVito said, noting that the program has the additional salutary effect of

raising employee morale and commitment. In his seven years on the board of Junior Achievement, DeVito has helped raise over $750,000 and recruited hundreds of AT&T employees to help some 5,000 disadvantaged youths across the New York region through a special program that promotes financial literacy and entrepreneurialism by using experiential learning. A core program component is the “financial park” that puts students through different simulators, such as negotiating the purchase of a new car or calculating a family budget. The experience helps participants learn critical life skills while developing a general appreciation for responsible financial planning. “We hear story after story about kids going home and asking their parents: ‘Walk me through our family budget.’” DeVito said. “It’s amazing how, when you plant a seed, it just grows.” A mentor to countless members of the AT&T community, DeVito is a firm believer in continuous education as a catalyst for success. “Education is the great equalizer,” he said. “If our young people are not properly educated, life is going to be very difficult for them, and we are going to pay the price. Society will pay the price. So we must succeed.”

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Thanks for making a difference. Congratulations to the Corporate Social Responsibility Awards recipients for Technology, Telecommunications & New Media.