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HEALTH

City inks

Medicare Advantage contract with Aetna

THE WOMEN WHO SHAPE NEW YORK

Women at the top are in uencing all spheres of life in New York, from sports to fashion, philanthropy to law enforcement, clean streets to professional services. Come inside to meet them and learn where they will be pushing change in the coming year. Plus, nd out which individuals and organizations Crain’s judges chose as Rising Stars, Mentors and Women-forward Workplaces.

INSIDE

10 women who will shape New York this year PAGE 18

Women outpace men returning to work PAGE 17

Child care advances as an employee perk PAGE 25

PLUS Tech clings to equity amid layoffs PAGE 26

BY JACQUELINE NEBER

The city signed a Medicare Advantage contract with Aetna on ursday that will eliminate supplemental health plans for retired city workers. e move marks the end of a yearslong battle involving the city, unions and municipal retirees—at least for now.

e bitterly contested change will strip as many as 80% of retirees of their existing plan, prompting concerns over the loss of continuity of care with preferred doctors who know patients’ medical history.

HEALTH CARE SPECIAL REPORT

Life science leaders discuss industry’s growth in the city

PAGE 12

PLUS

Health tech soldiers on, despite economic turmoil, investor hesitancy PAGE 14

Mayor Eric Adams hopes to save as much as $600 million a year in insurance premiums at a time when federal pandemic funding for the city is ending. He is pressing for cutbacks in other areas while predicting substantial de cits in the coming years.

Beginning Sept. 1, municipal retirees who are on the traditional Medicare supplemental Senior Care plan will be automatically enrolled in the Medicare Advantage Plan. Eligible retirees could opt into

See CONTRACT on page 30

The cost-cutting move will end supplemental health plans for more than 250,000 city retirees

CARE

Flatiron Building’s future remains in limbo following auction, even after winning bid of $190M

BY EDDIE SMALL AND C. J. HUGHES

One week after Jacob Garlick’s Virginia rm Abraham Trust shocked the New York real estate world with its surprise winning bid of $190 million to purchase the Flatiron Building, the fate of the iconic property remains far from settled.

Garlick was supposed to put down a $19 million deposit by the end of the day on March 24 to secure the deal and would then have had 90 days to close. However, he had yet to put down this money as of March 29, raising further questions about the already mysterious buyer and his company.

Je Gural’s GFP Real Estate, along with Sorgente Group and ABS Real Estate Partners, together

$189.5

owned 75% of the building and had the second-highest bid at $189.5 million. ey would have the option to purchase it if Abraham Trust doesn’t close, but Gural declined to comment on whether he would exercise this option and described the situation as “crazy.”

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Indeed, in an interview last week, Gural suggested that the bidding had ratcheted up his o er to a level that is too high, and that $189.5 million seems like an unreasonable amount to pay for an early-20th century building that requires $100 million in renovations.

A uid situation

Matthew Mannion of Mannion Auctions, which ran the auction for the property, said the situation is very uid at the moment. He expects Gural to decline his option to buy the Flatiron Building at $189.5 million, which would likely lead to another auction that Abraham Trust would be responsible for funding.

If another auction happens, Abraham Trust would also still be responsible for the 10% down payment on the property, plus fees for the new auction, according to court documents, so he’s hardly out of the woods.

Justice Joel Cohen, the judge who ordered the auction the rst time around, could not be reached by press time.

Since Garlick came out of nowhere last week to buy the terracotta landmark at East 23rd Street, the mystery around him has appeared

POLITICS

to only deepen. Despite promising last ursday to be available this week for an interview, Garlick has been unreachable.

No one has answered the phone at Abraham Trust’s Reston, Virginia, o ce for days, and on Wednesday the company’s voicemail box was full.

Claiming to invest in media, technology and real estate companies at all stages, Abraham Trust appears to have just a single previous investment under its belt, ac-

cording to Crunchbase: FitFight, a company that vows to get people in shape using patented heavy steel bars. Abraham invested $2.5 million in the company in summer 2022.

Upkeep and future uses

e Flatiron Building is subject to bidding because the four entities that own it had been squabbling over its upkeep and future uses. In addition to GFP, Sorgente and ABS, a 25% stake is held by Nathan R. Sil-

verstein, whose family reportedly invested in the property around World War II.

In 2021, unhappy with the tangled ownership arrangement, Gural’s side sued Silverstein to force a sale of the building. For his part, Silverstein has said Gural and the others have dragged their feet, depriving him of rent revenue. Silverstein had no comment, and a message left for Jackson Davis, his attorney, was not returned by press time. ■

Alvin Bragg’s long road to indicting Trump began in Manhattan’s neighborhoods

BY NICK GARBER

Before Alvin Bragg was catapulted into the national spotlight for indicting Donald Trump, he rst had to get elected Manhattan district attorney. Rather than presidential politics, his 2021 campaign dwelled largely on the issues plaguing Manhattan’s neighborhoods—gun violence, police misconduct, deed theft and drug abuse.

Campaigning on street corners and at farmers markets, Bragg described being shaped by Harlem, his lifelong home, where encounters with police and brushes with violence shaped his view of the criminal-justice system. e votes that propelled him to his close Democratic primary win—and put him in a position to indict a former president—came largely from his uptown base, as well as the Upper West Side and Greenwich Village.

Still, the Manhattan district attor-

ney is no ordinary prosecutor, and the now-former president loomed over the campaign, given the ofce’s pending investigation of the Trump Organization. Bragg, a former state and federal prosecutor, often boasted of having sued Trump “more than a hundred times” in his previous roles.

ose included a series of state probes between 2017 and 2018, when Bragg served in the New York attorney general’s o ce and assisted in the investigation that ultimately dissolved Trump’s charitable foundation.

Proceeding with caution

In liberal Manhattan, voters have long been tantalized by the prospect of a Trump arrest. But Bragg and his seven Democratic Party rivals had to be careful of prejudicing a future case by talking about the president too directly.

Indeed, his chief rival, Tali Farhadian Weinstein, vowed to take a

more “judicious approach” in her own campaign. She criticized Bragg’s rhetoric, telling e New York Times that he attacked Trump “for political advantage every chance he gets.”

After taking o ce in 2022, Bragg, as expected, took over the existing investigation of the Trump Organization’s business practices. He won a 17-count tax fraud conviction against the company in December, and its former chief nancial o cer was sentenced to jail.

But Bragg faced internal turmoil earlier last year for pausing an investigation of whether Trump had committed crimes by misstating his nancial assets. at prompted the high-pro le departures of the two prosecutors who had led that criminal case, and it left Bragg open to criticism from across the political spectrum.

ursday’s indictment, instead, was based on alleged hush-money payments to the porn star Stormy Daniels—a long-running probe that prosecutors within Bragg’s o ce refer to as the “zombie case,” e Wall Street Journal reported.

Along the way Bragg has become a boogeyman to conservatives and a target of violent threats, though his allies in the city have lionized him. He has come a long way from his block-by-block campaign two years ago.

“We do not know what will happen with investigations in other jurisdictions,” said Upper Manhattan Rep. Adriano Espaillat—a onetime supporter of Bragg’s primary rival—during a rally this week. “But we do know that New York City stands in solidarity with Alvin Bragg, a son of Harlem.” ■

CHRISTINA HORSTEN/DPA/ALAMY LIVE NEWS

MILLION SEEMS LIKE AN UNREASONABLE AMOUNT TO PAY FOR AN EARLY-20TH CENTURY BUILDING

GARLICK (front left) won a bidding war for the iconic Flatiron Building with an offer of $190 million.

BRAGG BLOOMBERG

Startup The Pizza Cupcake is a lesson in pandemic adaptability

The upstart: The Pizza Cupcake

On their rst date, Andrea Meggiato and Michelle Jimenez-Meggiato made pizza. ree years later, in 2018, they canceled their honeymoon at the last minute after learning they had been accepted to Smorgasburg—the popular city food market—where they would have a chance to o er their new snack food invention, the pizza cupcake.

Now, the 2-ounce treat, which features pizza toppings on a aky sourdough-brioche base, is sold in the freezer case at more than 1,900 supermarkets across the U.S., including Walmart and Wegmans, and, in the Northeast, Whole Foods Market.

In a world saturated with pizza o erings, Meggiato and Jimenez-Meggiato’s creation stands out, thanks to its adaptability. You can also nd pizza cupcakes in stadiums, at corporate events and in school cafeterias. But it took some doing.

“Michelle and Andrea put in a tremendous amount of work to not only change the core business, but also the formulation and creation of the product itself so as to shift to a scalable e-commerce model,” says Neal Batra, an early-stage investor who helped fund the startup, named e Pizza Cupcake.

e Pizza Cupcake, headquartered in the couple’s Jersey City o ce and operating with just a handful of employees, is a tiny operation. But the founders say they sold an estimated 2.9 million pizza cupcakes in 2022 (at a suggested retail price of $9.99 for a pack of six), and are on track to double sales this year.

The reigning Goliath: General Mills

Minneapolis-based food industry giant General Mills is the maker of Totino’s Pizza Rolls, the leader in the frozen pizza snack category. Totino’s Pizza Rolls come in eight avors, including “triple meat.” Sales approached a reported $800 million in 2021.

How to slay the giant

When they met, Jimenez-Meggiato was running a boutique talent management agency representing social media in uencers. Her husband, who grew up in Italy, worked as a chef

and then as chief operating o cer of a luxury jewelry brand.

e two started making pizza cupcakes—Meggiato’s invention—in their home kitchen and were soon catering parties for friends and family. ey applied for a Smorgasburg slot in hopes of going big.

“We just knew that was just where all the foodies went,” Jimenez-Meggiato says. “We felt like if we could make an impact at Smorgasburg, it would give us the visibility, and we could see if we actually had a business.” e treats were a hit at the market. ey sold out the rst day, and folks lined up at the kiosk week after week. e success was due in part to the product’s clever name, Jimenez-Meggiato says. Folks were eager to try a snack that combined their two favorite foods and curious whether it would be sweet or savory.

Meggiato worked at the Smorgasburg stall baking pizza cupcakes while Jimenez-Meggiato manned the register and chatted with customers. “I interacted with every single customer that we sold to and got real-life, real-time feedback on what they liked,” she says. While they initially o ered a half-dozen options, including soppressata and zucchini, for example, they learned to keep things simple and pared down their selection to the margherita and pepperoni options, which accounted for the most sales.

e Smorgasburg exposure opened doors. In 2019 they were invited to sell their treats at Citi Field and began catering corporate events. ey sold 148,000 pizza cupcakes their rst full year in operation.

en the pandemic hit. No more parties, no more stadium events, no more Smorgasburg.

Moving fast, they redeveloped their snack as a frozen item for customers to bake in an oven or air fryer. ey launched online ordering through their website, o ering local delivery to households in the city and shipping to customers throughout the Northeast in boxes lled with dry ice.

“Andrea and I hand-packed everything,” Jimenez-Meggiato says.

At the end of 2020, they gave up their rented commercial kitchen in Queens and outsourced manufacturing to a co-packing plant in Brooklyn. is increased production from

less than 400 to more than 6,000 cupcakes per hour. It also reduced the per-piece cost from 95 cents to 48 cents—without the need to raise funds to build a plant of their own.

e Pizza Cupcake’s big break came with a February 2021 appearance on  Shark Tank (the founders made a deal with Lori Grenier). After the show aired, the couple sold more than $1 million worth of pizza cupcakes online, boosting its cupcake sales count that year to 1.45 million.

ere was a problem with selling online, however; it’s expensive to ship a frozen product. Customers were paying $38 for a 12-pack, which limited the appeal. It was time to go retail.

anks to their sales data, the founders could approach supermarket buyers with proof that their product was already popular with locals. e Pizza Cupcake launched at Wegmans in the fall of 2021; Walmart began carrying the rm’s product nationwide a year later.

e company expects to nearly double its store count this year, and the founders are looking into expanding the product line with new toppings—perhaps moving beyond pizza entirely.

The next challenge

e Pizza Cupcake is now returning to its roots in food service, supplying stadium concessions and schools, including 81 private and charter schools in the city. It has developed a new whole grain crust variety to meet National School Lunch Program standards.

Among its food service partners is Butter Beans Kitchen in Long Island City, which provides meals to schools and summer camps throughout the tristate area.

Flora McKay, the company’s director of community and nutrition, says Butter Beans chose e Pizza Cupcake because the high-quality ingredients and portion size align with its own food standards.

“When they are on the menu, there is a tangible buzz in our schools,” she says. “We often hear the students e usively say, ‘Yay, yay—it’s pizza cupcake day!’ ” ■

Anne Kadet is the creator of Café Anne, a weekly newsletter with a New York City focus.

ANNE KADET

MEGGIATO AND JIMENEZ-MEGGIATO (right) have grown The Pizza Cupcake from a single stand at Smorgasburg to a frozen item sold in stores nationwide.

A DJ and a designer profit big on a Cobble Hill row house

The deal for Athena and Victor Calderone’s townhouse is one of Brooklyn’s largest residential transactions in months

BY C. J. HUGHES

ABrooklyn couple—she’s an interior designer and author; he’s a housemusic disc jockey who’s worked with Madonna—have shown they have a knack for real estate.

Athena and Victor Calderone have sold their two-family row house at 128 Pacific St. in Cobble Hill for $11.8 million, according to public records. The deal, which closed March 10, appears to be one of the largest residential transac-

$11.8M

York attorney, Janice E. Levine, sign the deed, according to records.

Midas touch

It’s not the first dwelling to benefit from the couple’s Midas touch. Indeed, 128 Pacific St. is at least the eighth property that they have purchased, restyled and resold, ac cording to an interview that appeared in Architectural Digest magazine in 2018. Others were in Bensonhurst and Dumbo.

THE CAlDERONES pAID ABOUT $4 MIllION FOR THE STOOP-FRONTED, 25-FOOTWIDE PROPERTY IN 2015

tions in Brooklyn in months.

It’s also one that seems to have allowed the Calderones to almost triple their investment. They paid about $4 million for the stoop-fronted, 25-foot-wide property in 2015, then a four-unit rental, records show. But the couple had to undertake a top-to-bottom renovation of the Greek Revival landmark before selling it.

In addition to combining four residences into two, the makeover refurbished the home with darktoned and bookcase-lined rooms, minimalist baths and a marble-clad kitchen, along with a recording studio.

The buyer was Almostca, a limited liability company that had a New

For years pictures of the Cobble Hill address have regularly turned up on social media and on other sites. In 2020, 128 Pacific St., outfitted with an extra-long dining table, enjoyed a star turn as the setting for a celebrity-studded book party for Athena Calderone’s Live Beautiful, a coffee-table-type compendium of attractive homes, including her own.

The buzzy coverage perhaps gave the Calderones the confidence to eschew traditional marketing in order to sell their home; 128 Pacific St. found a buyer without ever being publicly listed, said Karen Heyman, the Sotheby’s agent in charge of the below-the-radar approach who otherwise had no comment. A spokeswoman for Athena Calderone had no comment.

Athena Calderone, a former model who in 2012 launched EyeSwoon, a furnishings company that sells flatware, rugs and robes, was reportedly working as a bar-

Historic Jacob Riis Park bathhouse lands financing for renovations

BY EDDIE SMALL

The development team behind renovations planned for the historic Jacob Riis Park bathhouse, following the extensive damages it suffered during Superstorm Sandy, has landed $47.5 million in financing to move ahead with the project.

cida and a $15 million historic tax credit equity investment from Foss & Co. Work on the Rockaway Beach project began in February, and the developers expect to complete it by the summer of 2024.

The bathhouse dates back to 1932 but had been underutilized for almost 50 years. It was hit hard during Superstorm Sandy, which destroyed its doors and window coverings and knocked down its courtyard wall.

lease for the bathhouse with the National Park Service in October.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be $65 million, and the developers will put up the remaining $17.5 million themselves.

Structural additions

tender at the club Limelight in 1996 when she met Victor Calderone, a DJ who helped Madonna produce her club-music-inflected hit album Ray of Light

Today Victor Calderone, who has also remixed songs by Beyoncé, Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson, regularly spins in Tokyo, Tel Aviv and New York. ■

CBSK Developers, Brooklyn Bazaar and Aulder Capital closed on the money, split between a $32.5 million construction loan from Pro-

Jacob Riis Park became part of the National Park Service in 1972. The federal agency selected events and concession company Brooklyn Bazaar to renovate the bathhouse following an RFP process. Brooklyn Bazaar and development partner CBSK inked a 60-year

The overhaul is starting with a renovation of the building’s facade, windows and turrets. The developers will also add a rooftop restaurant, a beachfront bar, ground-floor eateries and retailers selling beach supplies to the structure.

The project will bring 28 hotel rooms to the bathhouse, along with a catering hall, event spaces, and a new pool as well as lounge areas to its outdoor courtyard. The renovations will preserve the famous Byz-

antine, Moorish and Moderne influences in the bathhouse’s architecture.

“The building has been an iconic landmark on the Queens waterfront for decades, and our resto-

ration plan for the bathhouse will transform it into a modern beachfront hub complete with a full range of amenities for the public,” CBSK Principal Scott Shnay said in a statement. ■

SALE PRICE for 128 Pacific St. in Cobble Hill

THE COBBLE HILL TOWNHOUSE at 128 Pacific St. includes a kitchen featuring an enclosed terrace.

“OUR RESTORATION plAN FOR THE BATHHOUSE WILL TRANSFORM IT INTO A MODERN BEACHFRONT HUB”

THE JACOB RIIS PARK BATHHOUSE

As SVB failed, M&T Bank kept its head and played the jump in rates exactly right

Afundamental part of any banker’s job is being careful with customer money.

Silicon Valley Bank failed after investing deposits in longterm government bonds that lost value when interest rates rose. The hunt is on to figure out which other banks misplayed the market.

Happily, one that seems to have kept its head when others were losing theirs is M&T Bank.

Buffalo-based M&T is a major regional bank in the Northeast and a big commercial real estate lender in the city.

Throughout the financial crisis, M&T never posted a quarterly loss or cut its dividend and now appears to have sidestepped the land mines that blew up SVB.

M&T and SVB began 2022 facing the same issue: Their vaults were overflowing with cash, thanks to government stimulus and a strong economy. Banks routinely invest their excess funds in government bonds, but judgment enters the equation when banks decide how much risk they’re comfortable taking. Longer-term bonds deliver higher yields, but they carry some

ON POLITICS

risk because their market value falls when interest rates rise, as SVB discovered to its sorrow.

M&T didn’t reach for the additional yield offered by long-term bonds, Chairman Rene Jones explained in a letter to shareholders last month.

“We chose to be patient in investing the cash until rates offered a better return and there was less risk to our shareholders’ equity,” he wrote.

“The timing of these actions allowed us to benefit from rising rates over the course of the year, simultaneously reducing the potential negative impacts of future rate declines.”

This means M&T chose to wait for bond yields to rise before investing excess cash, a strategy that would have been evident to any banker listening to Chairman Jerome Powell’s declarations that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates to tame inflation. By being patient, not only did M&T capture higher returns on its investments, but it also avoided the markdowns that blew a $1.8 billion hole in SVB’s balance sheet.

In a report last week, Odeon Cap-

ital analyst Dick Bove reported which banks are vulnerable to the balance-sheet mismanagement that sank SVB. He examined the balance sheets of 150 banks with at least $1 billion in assets and calculated which would report the biggest and smallest declines in equity if they marked all their securities to market value.

His research shows that SVB was

a true outlier. The bank had reported $12 billion in common equity, but that figure was negative $5 billion when adjusted for market conditions, a difference of 143%. No other bank’s discrepancy was nearly as large.

JPMorgan reported $265 billion in common equity and $218 billion in adjusted equity, Bove found, an 18% difference. The difference was

17% at Citigroup and 46% at Bank of America. At M&T, the difference was only 7%.

Outperforming

M&T isn’t out of the woods entirely.

Chief Financial Officer Darren King said at a recent investor conference that since last year customers with deposit balances of $250,000 or more have been “more aggressively” seeking out higher-yielding products and moving their money accordingly. Still, Bove’s analysis indicates that if M&T had to sell securities to meet depositor demand for cash, the exercise wouldn’t stress the bank.

That helps explain why M&T Bank’s stock has modestly outperformed its peers’ since the banking panic took hold. Heading into last Monday, it had lost 21% of its value in the previous three weeks, compared with a 28% drop in the KBW Bank Index. ■

Fuss over windowless housing could open a door

Mayor Eric Adams, once more, riled up a significant number of New Yorkers when he made an unusual and startling public remark. This time, the flamboyant mayor declared that apartments needn’t have windows at all. “Why can’t we do a real examination of the rules that state every bedroom must have a window?” Adams asked during a housing panel last week. “You don’t need no window where you’re sleeping, it should be dark!”

Indeed, though some people do enjoy sunlight and fresh air, which is especially relevant given that the city just endured a deadly airborne pandemic. Windows have been mandated for New York City bedrooms since at least the 19th century—plenty of illegal basements apartments don’t have them—and taking them away would encourage developers to overcharge for dystopian living quarters.

declaring a bedroom window was now optional, he would’ve dodged all the derision. Few younger New Yorkers realize that one cause of the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis was the destruction of the SROs in the latter half of the twentieth century.

ROSS BARKAN

Anyone who has read a novel depicting old New York or seen a film portraying any period before the 1980s knows, intuitively, what an SRO was like. Sometimes known as “flophouses” or referred to as “renting a room,” they were single-room, dormitory-style living quarters in larger buildings, typically in Manhattan. SROs were very cheap and offered weekly or monthly rates that didn’t require the commitment of a year-long lease.

tered by economic crises, street homelessness was never an inordinate challenge.

torn down or converted into market-rate housing.

teaming with the state government to advocate for the funding needed to subsidize new SRO construction. These apartments should have windows, just as college dormitories have windows. Small bathrooms and kitchenettes should be included too. In essence, these would be modern, smaller-than-normal studio apartments, and they should be priced for affordability. The goal is an apartment any single person could afford without a great deal of effort. Let Adams evangelize for that.

Quick takes

● It’s fine that Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrats in the state legislature are planning for a budget that drags beyond the April 1 deadline. Andrew Cuomo’s obsession with on-time budgets led to rushed, shoddy policy decisions.

Unfortunately, Adams missed a crucial opportunity to advocate for the revival of the SRO, or single-room occupancy unit. Had Adams simply called for this without

For the poor, the young, the disabled, military veterans, or anyone trying to get a foothold in the big city without much money or credit, SROs were a crucial lifeline. New arrivals hoping to find work or jumpstart careers in the arts often crowded into SROs, enjoying proximity to Manhattan for a negligible amount of money. For much of the last century, even when New York was bat-

That began to change in the 1990s. By then, a decades-long war against SROs had been utterly successful. First, politicians banned the construction of new units. Then, aggrieved politicians and locals concerned about the crime and drug use that happened in housing for the poor led aggressive campaigns to close down those that still existed. Most SRO buildings were either

It must be stated that the mid-century SRO unit was anything but ideal. Conditions were substandard. Rather than reform the SRO, however, city leaders made the disastrous decision to abandon the system altogether. Like the push, in earlier years, to rip up the city’s trolley car network, New Yorkers were deprived of a crucial means to make their city more livable.

Now what? Adams should be

● This state budget, arguably, is the most consequential to come in at least several years. In 2020 and 2021, lawmakers largely abandoned policymaking, and in 2022, Hochul was worried about her re-election. It’s plausible this budget could be legacy-defining for her ■

Ross Barkan is a journalist and author in New York City.

HEXT/FLICKR

THE WHITE HOUSE, pictured in 2007, was a famed SRO in the Bowery.

BLOOMBERG

AARON ELSTEIN

ANDREW L. ROSENBERG

Cassin & Cassin

INTERVIEW BY C. J. HUGHES

Andrew L. Rosenberg, a real estatefocused partner at Cassin & Cassin, is a big believer in balance. Though many of the tenant-protection reforms of the past few years are well-intentioned, he says, some lawmakers risk taking things too far by over-regulating the housing industry. After all, some landlords are in a precarious nancial spot because they missed many months of rent payments during the pandemic but still had to keep the lights on, he says. Policies like “good cause” eviction, which put limits on rent increases among other restrictions, could produce more hardship, he says. Admitted to the New York bar in 1992 and with his current rm since 2005, Rosenberg spends 85% of his time on transactions, such as sales, leasings and nancings. Today, it can often seem like political leaders and the real estate community will never get on the same page. But he’s been around long enough to have seen several real estate cycles come and go, and he’s learned that sometimes lawmakers need to come back down to earth.

The elephant in the room in the past couple of weeks has been the “bank-demic,” which among other things could chill lending for development. What’s your take on the bank failures?

I think it’s interesting that when New York Community Bancorp bought Signature Bank’s assets, it didn’t take on its real estate loans. [NYCB] already lends a lot to rent-regulated residential buildings, which have become less attractive since the 2019 reforms that capped what landlords could charge for empty units. A lot of banks go on a lending binge when times are good but invest themselves too heavily in real estate. Add in the last two years, when interest rates have been creeping up, and are still going up, and it really affects the pricing on the loan. It also affects the pricing on the property, so an

TRANSPORTATION

DOSSIER

WHO HE IS Partner, Cassin & Cassin

AGE 56

CHILDHOOD HOME Tena y, New Jersey RESIDES Haworth, New Jersey

EDUCATION Bachelor’s in nance, George Washington University; J.D., Brooklyn Law School

FAMILY LIFE His wife, Melissa, is an executive recruiter. The couple have a son, Scott, and a daughter, Danielle, who are both students.

CAREER HIGHLIGHT Rosenberg has been a member of New York State Association for Affordable Housing, the largest such trade group in the country, since its 1998 creation. “It’s been gratifying to have been part of the creation of thousands of affordable apartments.”

HOBBY When he’s not drawing up contracts, Rosenberg is a shutterbug, especially when it comes to travel and food. Recent highlights on his Instagram page include a frolicking humpback whale from a boat trip in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; a bacon Bloody Mary from Ted’s Bulletin bistro in Washington, D.C.; and the family dog, a golden doodle named Buddy, enjoying candles in a special birthday dessert.

asset is now worth less. Deals are still getting done, but only with the bettercapitalized guys.

Of ces are vacant, and the housing supply is tight. Would of ce conversions solve both problems?

I agree, it would give landlords some exibility and be a big help to commercial landlords. Take all those monolithic glass

New 25-cent tax on online orders could fund repairs to the BQE

BY CAROLINE SPIVACK

Online shoppers in the city would have to pay an extra 25 cents per online order under a new state proposal. e plan seeks to raise funds for repairs to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and other strained local transportation infrastructure.

Legislation introduced by state Sen. Andrew Gounardes  seeks to leverage the explosion of package deliveries by requiring online retailers to charge the additional tax to raise an estimated $226 million annually for city infrastructure. More than 2.3 million packages are delivered in the ve boroughs each day—up from 1.5 million packages before the pandemic.

Nearly 90% of those packages are delivered by truck, the city’s Department of Transportation said.

e surge of package delivery trucks on the city’s roads has in turn increased polluting truck emissions

and wear and tear on heavily trafcked routes.

“Our streets are clogged, our highways are weakened, and our neighborhoods are polluted because of the volume of online deliveries made each day in New York City,” Gounardes said in a statement. “ is bill is a common-sense solution to our city’s infrastructure problem as e-commerce retailers struggle to keep pace with our demand for overnight deliveries.”

e funds raised through the tax would go to a “dedicated New York City capital fund” that could be bonded to provide as much as $1 billion per year for city infrastructure projects, according to the bill’s text.

ose funds could also pay for alternatives to roadway freight, Gounardes said, and would be used for repairs to the crumbling BQE, which needs $1.5 billion worth of work to rehabilitate stretches of the expressway damaged by illegally

overweight trucks.

Gounardes said a new city capital fund could also help address the environmental hazards of increased truck tra c on the city’s streets due to the growth of lastmile delivery facilities, which are plentiful in parts of Brooklyn and Queens and in the south Bronx.

Gounardes’ bill comes amid a urry of proposals from state lawmakers seeking to create new revenues for the city’s transportation infrastructure amid budget negotiations.

e state Legislature opposes much of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget bailout for the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority, including raising the payroll mobility tax on downstate businesses, increasing fares from $2.75 and boosting the city’s annual contribution to the authority by $500 million.

Lawmakers have suggested alternatives, such as creating a residential parking permit program for the

towers in the Sixth Avenue corridor. Could these be made into affordable housing? Like what happened in the Financial District? We have also seen it happen at the Woolworth Building, but that was at the high end, and we need affordable housing this time around. But I also do think some of these neighborhoods will have to get more desirable to be residential areas. Do people want to live at 52nd Street and Sixth Avenue? I’m not sure. The real industry is made up of a lot of smart people in the city, and they will nd a way to make incentive programs work. But the programs can’t skew too far into an area where you can’t make any money. Without a doubt, when the state and city get together on this, I think that will unleash a lot of activity.

It seems like developers and lawmakers are at each other’s throats over housing regulations. Is that typical? There’s always been a love-hate relationship between the public and the people who build buildings. The developers need to make a living, and the agencies are interested in squeezing the most amount of affordability out of every square foot of space. There needs to be a balance. The City Council wants to lower the eligibility for projects to 40% [of the area median income], which means charging less rent. But landlords are already strapped coming out of the pandemic. Sometimes lawmakers can’t see the forest for the trees and need to be reined in. And “good cause” eviction laws seem to impinge on property rights, so will probably all be challenged. It is going to be an interesting couple years.

How will the rest of 2023 play out?

I think it will be slow. I think there will be projects for people who already have the land. But what will the incentives be? I have one client looking for land in Lower Manhattan for a condo. He’s now negotiating the contract to buy the land. But he’s also a long way from ling the condo plan. He wants to see what kind of tax breaks Albany comes up with.

So I think it will remain slow. We went through many years when there was a condo on every corner. But I don’t think those days are coming back anytime soon.” ■

city and adding a transit surcharge on Uber and Lyft rides in Manhattan’s central business district.

Gounardes’ bill purposefully limits its reach to city taxpayers in an attempt to make the new charge more palatable to state lawmakers, rather than imposing the fee regionally or statewide. If green-lighted, the 25-cent tax would be listed on customers’ online shopping orders so they are aware that the state

is charging the fee, not retailers. “ is bill represents a creative solution to New York City’s seemingly intractable last-mile warehousing and infrastructure problem,” the text of the bill reads. “By imposing a negligible 25-cent surcharge on the online delivery packages … we can begin to truly invest in alternative modes of freight transportation while securing needed repairs for the BQE.” ■

AMAZON workers unload packages for delivery. More than 2.3 million packages are delivered in the city each day—up from 1.5 million before the pandemic.

Now isn’t the right time for the city to impose a police residency requirement

ACity Hall schism over whether police o cers should be required to live in the ve boroughs has gone public in recent weeks.

Mayor Eric Adams, a former New York Police Department captain, and his police commissioner, Keechant Sewell, have taken opposite sides. He is for a residency requirement; she is against it.

Given the department’s struggles with recruiting and resignations, Sewell’s argument wins our endorsement. For now, it would be wise not to implement a New York City residency requirement for police o cers.

e commissioner told a Crain’s audience in March that she opposes a city residency requirement for police o cers, emphasizing that “as long as they’re connected to the community” where they work, that’s more than adequate.

In response, the mayor reiterated a stance he took in his rst month on the job, saying that the city gets more value when o cers live in the neighborhood. When o cers leave the city after a shift for one of the ve neighboring counties where they’re allowed to live, the city loses the o cers’

OP-ED

protection in those o -hours, his argument goes.

“You are paying for other counties to be safe,” Adams has said.

Requiring police o cers to live in the city can indeed increase accountability and improve community relations.

e debate isn’t likely to end soon. An Adams ally in the Legislature, state Sen. Kevin Parker from Brooklyn, plans to continue introducing a bill— rst considered in 2020 after the George Floyd murder—that would require new recruits to live within the ve boroughs.

It’s important, however, to weigh the potential impact on recruitment and retention. A residency requirement could limit the pool of recruits and make it more di cult to attract quali ed candidates. Police Department data indicates that 69% of recent recruit classes have consisted of city residents, who receive extra points on entrance exams. at seems like a good carrot-versusstick incentive.

Instead of geographic diversity, Sewell said she’s focused on ensuring a greater gender and racial mix of New Yorkers on the police force through recruitment.

It’s important to consider the potential drawbacks and unintended consequences of a residency requirement. e city required o cers to live within its borders until the 1960s, when the rule was lifted because of corruption concerns. Local politicians were using their in uence to get their friends and family members jobs with the Police Department, fostering corruption and incompetence. Broadening residency was seen as a way to professional-

ize the force.

e mayor’s side of the residency argument is worth revisiting in the future. e city should never take its eyes o the goals of better safety and improved police–community relations.

For now, it’s essential for the city to build and maintain a diverse police force with adequate numbers.

ose objectives are equally essential to strengthening public safety, police–community relations and Police Department morale. ■

Medical cannabis access is disproportionately white; here’s how to make it more equitable

BY DR. TORIAN EASTERLING

New York is charting an innovative path forward that aims to create the most diverse cannabis market in the country. Although four adult-use dispensaries are open—an accomplishment to be recognized—we should also see more medical dispensaries supported and led by Black and brown social-equity applicants who understand the medical program.

In all of New York state, there are only 38 medical cannabis dispensaries; this represents a signi cant burden to many patients who must drive long distances to access their medicine. Unfortunately, adultuse dispensaries are not a replacement for the necessary care provided at their medical counterparts.

As our state continues to roll out the legal adult-use cannabis industry, it is imperative that providers and public health o cials advocate for patients and communities that have borne the brunt of disinvestment and unjust

policies, ensuring that lawmakers and statewide leaders are centering an equitable approach.

Medical cannabis access in the U.S. is disproportionately white, with a 2020 study reporting 87.5% of medical cannabis patients were Caucasian. We must make sure people of color have the same access to medical cannabis. Structural barriers, including dispensary locations, access to nancial resources for legacy providers and a failure to expand medical cannabis licensing to new applicants from Black and brown communities, have led to inequities.

Patients must have the same access, physically and nancially, to medical cannabis as any other medicine. Medical insurance does not cover medical cannabis. at means medical cannabis patients must pay out of pocket for their medicine, sometimes spending hundreds of dollars a month on care.

New York has proposed a bill, which passed in the state Senate, that would require cannabis to be

covered by medical insurance. If passed, the measure would provide a greater incentive for medical cannabis patients to remain in the program. If New York wants its full cannabis program, medical and recreational, to be equitable and progressive, turning this legislation into law should be a priority. We must also ensure New York’s physicians are duly educated about the health bene ts and spectrum of care surrounding providing medical cannabis to their patients. For instance, if a doctor is willing to prescribe opiates or narcotics to a patient—cannabis must also be considered for the long-term benet of the patient.

Federal, state investments

Increasing investments at the state and federal levels in cannabis research will have a huge impact. We watch closely as one proposed policy is being considered. e Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act would eliminate the red tape that hinders cannabis research and

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would create greater opportunity to derive innovative treatments from the plant.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Ofce of Cannabis Management should be applauded for the thoughtful way they are rolling out legalization in New York, but I also applaud the intent of Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes and state Sen. Liz Krueger, who understand that just opening adult-use dispensaries will not solve every problem and that we need to expand the state’s medical program.

Medical cannabis patients and their needs must remain a focus if we want to build an industry that embodies the essence of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act. ■

Dr. Torian Easterling is senior vice president for population and community health and chief strategic and innovation o cer at One Brooklyn Health and former rst deputy commissioner and chief equity o cer at the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

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Measuring urban vitality

How can we tell when cities are thriving?

BY THE EDITORS OF VITAL CITY

Vital City is a new venture founded by Elizabeth Glazer that advances practical solutions to public safety problems in New York City. Vital City asked a number of high-profile New Yorkers (and others who love it here) to say what they think defines a vibrant and safe city. Here are some of the responses.

The Rev. David Brawley, pastor at St. Paul Community Baptist Church, Brooklyn: Can children play safely on the sidewalks and streets of their blocks, and can adults take walks without worrying about crime or chaos? In Zechariah 8, the Lord of Hosts says, “Old men and old women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”

Jeanne Gang, founder and leader of Studio Gang: I always look for gardening, public plots where people are taking it over because they care about it. You don’t do that unless you feel some attachment to that place. Voting is so key to being engaged. If you could see by neighborhood block if people are voting, then that means they believe they have agency to change things.

Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition: I measure the health and vitality of New York City by the number and diversity of street vendors I see on my morning commute to my office in Midtown. The wellbeing of our immigrant street vendors is directly related to the health of our business districts, which is impacted by the number of workers back in their offices and the tourists in our city.

Julie Sandorf, president of the Charles H. Revson Foundation: How many block parties are there? Community gardens, Girl or Boy Scout troops, local business associations, homeowners associations, PTAs, active churches, neighborhood watch groups, hyperlocal or community news outlets? How many occupied storefronts?

Brian Lehrer, host of The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC: You asked about how to measure a “vibrant and safe” city. My answer begins with defining “safe” broadly. It’s not just safe from street crime but safe from food and housing insecurity, and finally safe from the hundreds of years of systemic inequality. Then vitality will bloom a thousand ways, along with safety as traditionally defined.

Amy Chester, managing director

of Rebuild by Design: You can measure the health and vitality of this city by looking to see who is riding the subways after 10 p.m. If trains are crowded and people are happy, they are seeing their friends, spending money and feeling safe—a clear indication if New Yorkers feel that the city is going in the right direction. If the trains are empty and most everyone is traveling solo, they are more likely to be going to or from work, and the others are staying in.

Robert Sampson, Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers university professor at Harvard University: How many times have people participated in their local school or in a community-based organization? How many times have they visited the park or the zoo? How many times have they gone out to eat in another neighborhood? How many times have they visited friends in another borough? How many times have they used public transportation?

Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City: A mayor’s favorability number is useful as a gauge of public sentiment about conditions in the city—not necessarily because it’s an accurate measure of his or her performance. Another favorite indicator is the number of Broadway tickets sold. It’s very hard to have a healthy Broadway without a healthy city and vice versa.

David Kramer, president of the Hudson Cos.: Hudson has had a lot of success over the years looking to build housing in overlooked neighborhoods. Usually the housing stock is old, and the neighborhood retail is tired and uninspired. We look for proximity to a subway line, proximity to a park that’s well used, clarity about where you can access a decent supermarket and pharmacy. And finally we look for “green shoots” in neighborhood retail. That typically means some signs of retail vibrancy—a coffee shop, a pizza place, a fun bar. This brings to mind our arrival in Prospect Lefferts Gardens 10 years ago, when we were building the first new rental project there in decades. On Flatbush Avenue, there was a brand-new, sweet toy store. That gave us hope that we were in the right place.

Eric Cumberbatch, senior vice president for policy and community engagement at the Center for Policing Equity: The signs that a New York City neighborhood is thriving: one, minimal police presence; two, people jogging or riding bikes; three, restaurants and businesses with ownership that reflects the neighborhood demographic; four, racial and economic diversity on each block; five, occupied houses; six, accessible and quality health care options; seven, high graduation rates and high rates of highschool graduates heading to college; eight, a low unemployment rate; nine, a high proportion of trash disposed of properly; and 10, an ample number of affordable, quality grocery stores.

Vishaan Chakrabarti, founder and creative director of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism: My barometer for the city’s wellbeing is the vibe on the subway. Beyond safety, does the energy feel positive? Is there music, chatter and life, or are there darting glances of anxiety? To me, right now there is a definite return to the New York I love— the lifeblood of the city is back.

Lately it has been standing room only, and to those once-empty seats, I say good riddance.

Peter Madonia, proprietor of Madonia Bakery, former adviser to New York mayors and former chief operating officer of the Rockefeller Foundation: For me, there are some intangibles that aren’t necessarily anecdotal but may not be scientifically measurable. How do people across all demographics feel about their city and neighborhood, and how is that reflected in how they talk about their city and neighborhood? I think about how people talked about their city after 9/11 and after the blackout in 2004, compared to now, in both my own reality but also through the media.

Bradley Tusk, venture capitalist, author and political consultant: The role of city government is to provide a safe, clean, well-managed template for people to then do something with—create businesses, make art, pursue ideas, raise families. So the metrics should be the basics: What’s the crime rate, and do people feel safe? Are the streets clean? How about the parks?

What’s the graduation and collegereadiness rate at public schools? Is the water coming through the faucet clean? If the mayor can ensure these things work, everything else falls into place.

Renita Francois, chief strategy officer, Tides Advocacy: The most telling indicators of neighborhood vitality: foot traffic during the day and night; clean, well-maintained streets; the utilization of public spaces and their shared stewardship; minimal police presence— I’ve never ever seen a beat cop in Valley Stream, Long Island; the presence of young people hanging out; successful small businesses, including new establishments and restaurants, bars and social clubs; street art; diversity of all sorts; and seniors moving around freely.

Ritchie Torres, member of the House of Representatives: I look to the outer boroughs, which were most resilient in the face of Covid-19, as the true measure of the city’s vitality. How many people are walking on Fordham Road? How many are dining and shopping on Arthur Avenue in Little Italy? ■

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Life science leaders say workforce incentives, lab space growth crucial to bolster industry

BY JACQUELINE NEBER

A$50 million preclinical drug discovery firm is coming to Midtown, said Hope Knight, Empire State Development’s chief executive and commissioner, speaking before an audience at Crain’s life science forum event last week.

The lab, supported by a $25 million grant from ESD, is one step in achieving one of the city’s major goals for its burgeoning life science industry: getting more lab space.

In addition to Knight, Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes, dean of City University of New York’s School of Public Health and Health Policy, and John Cahill, senior vice president of New York Metro at JLL’s Life Science Practice Group, spoke of the biggest goals and challenges facing the sector. They identified workforce development, keeping students and companies in the city, and creating more lab space as three pillars of New York’s ultimate goal, which is to become a dominant player in the industry.

emphasized the importance of prebuilt lab space; the most common question clients ask when they’re looking for lab space is whether it’s ready to go, he said.

He also pointed out that New York’s supply of lab space—which takes a longer time to develop than traditional office space—is finally catching up to firms’ demand. He added that while office spaces are empty, converting them into labs would be costly and time-consuming. Cahill expects the city’s lab space to double within the next five years–and once it hits 10 million square feet, to be comparable with the more established cities. New York has just under 3 million square feet of space.

El-Mohandes said wet labs have also become more flexible and easier to accommodate in recent years with the advent of artificial intelligence and pharmaceutical innovation powered by computers, not Bunsen burners. He added that these spaces will continue to be a draw for companies and talent who want to practice life sciences here.

ing to support students and attract top-notch faculty.

For years New York has been seen as playing second fiddle to Boston and San Francisco in the life sciences. But Knight countered that the city has made substantial progress, considering that it has only been in the game for about six years.

El-Mohandes and Cahill both spoke to the importance of real estate availability as the industry continues to grow in the city. New York’s life science leasing activity hit record highs last year, and Cahill

Demand for jobs in the life sciences is increasing; compared to several years ago, when talent and firms would leave to work with Harvard or Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the number of people applying to jobs at biotechnology firms in the city has grown substantially, Cahill said. The city’s public-private partnerships and investments have led to more of the workforce staying.

The city’s high cost of living and lack of affordable housing, however, present a barrier for the life science industry—particularly, El-Mohandes said, for schools try-

More housing is essential for growing the city’s life science footprint, he said, as is fixing other issues that prevent students from learning successfully. He mentioned that CUNY lent 50,000 laptops to students during the pandemic—but many students couldn’t use them in homes without stable internet connections.

Above-market wages

Knight said that life science companies receiving state funding should pay above-market wages and leverage community partnerships to recruit employees who identify as part of underserved groups. That requires a whole different negotiation strategy for incentives packages, she said, but it’s a necessity.

When asked how New York will measure the impact of its life science investments, Knight said funding is often allocated to projects or firms once they achieve milestones. Creating jobs is one such measure, she added. Cahill pointed out that impact can also be measured by lab space utilization over the years.

While biotech companies have high fail rates and are considered high risk, as long as the market is strong and demand for space exists, there will be a line of firms ready to invest, he said.

“It’s playing the long game,” he said. “There will always be people seeking that space.”

The panelists had different visions for what the city’s life science sector will look like 10 years from now.

Cahill expects lab space to double, at least, and for research and

development to grow. Furthermore, he said, commercialization in cell and gene therapy, customized medicine and translational medicine will pick up speed.

El-Mohandes oriented his vision of the future around the challenges New York must overcome: cultural, economic and geographic barriers to growth. However, New York is unique in “its diversity as part of our DNA,” he said. As long as the city continues to have talented people and useful buildings, life sciences will continue to gain momentum, he said.

Knight is looking to the growth of companies and research initiatives for cell and gene therapy, continued workforce development, and more labs.

“We’ll have a bigger share of the pie than places who got their start before we did,” she said. ■

Oscar CEO Schlosser to step down, focus on insurer’s tech

BY JACQUELINE NEBER

Mario Schlosser will transition out of his role as chief executive of insurance company Oscar Health effective April 3, the company reported last week. Mark Bertolini, previously the chief executive of Aetna and current co-chief executive of Bridgewater Associates, will assume Schlosser’s role at Oscar.

According to the company’s 8-K documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Schlosser and co-founder Joshua Kushner recommended to Oscar’s board that they give up their founders awards, which consisted of performance-based restricted stock units. Schlosser had almost 4,230,000, and Kushner, about 2,115,000. The founders awards were granted in 2021, and they were

eligible to vest based on Oscar achieving predetermined stock price goals over a seven-year period, according to filings.

The filings show that the shares were an incentive to retain Schlosser and Kushner so they could lead the company to a positive performance. Oscar has struggled, however, since going public in 2021, although it seemed to be slowly improving in the fourth quarter of 2022. The company did not directly address why Schlosser is stepping down at this time.

Oscar expects to incur a stock compensation noncash charge of about $46 million in the first quarter of this year as a result of Schlosser and Kushner canceling their founders agreement. Jackie Kahn, a spokesperson for Oscar, said the co-founders did not receive any compensation or equity grants in

exchange for the forfeiture of their founders grants.

According to the filing, canceling the founders agreement was an effort to reduce the dilutive effects of Bertolini’s sign-on equity awards and Oscar’s annual employee equity awards.

Transition plan

The filing shows that Oscar’s board of directors also adopted the first amendment to the company’s inducement plan, which increases the number of authorized shares of Class A common stock from 5 million to more than 18 million. The plan allows nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, time-based restricted stock units, performance-based restricted stock units, dividend equivalents and other stock or cash awards to be granted to prospective

employees.

Under the terms of Bertolini’s agreement with Oscar, he will receive a base salary of $600,000, a target annual bonus of 30% of his base, and 10,320,000 shares of Class A common stock. Nearly 3 million of those will be vested based on the passage of time, and more than 7 million will be based on his achieving certain performance goals.

Based on last week’s stock performance, Bertolini’s share grant would have a cost an estimated $37 million, a small noncash loss. Kahn said Oscar does not expect the founders’ cancellation to impact the company’s metrics or guidance for 2023.

If Bertolini is fired or leaves Oscar,

he will receive an amount equal to the sum of his base and bonus for that year, as well as 12 months of health coverage.

On a conference call last week to discuss the transition, Oscar leaders said Bertolini has been acting as a strategic adviser to the company for the past year. Bertolini said he’s returning to the industry because he believes there’s still work to be done in making health insurance affordable.

Schlosser, who will become president of technology, will focus on the engineering that aims to help Oscar grow and scale its products.

Oscar is based in SoHo. It will release its first-quarter results on May 9. ■

MODERATOR Amanda Glodowski, Cahill, Mohandes, Knight and moderator Cory Schouten

“THE CITY’S lIFE SCIENCE lEASING ACTIVITY HIT RECORD HIGHS lAST YEAR.”

BUCK ENNIS SCHLOSSER

Downturn in digital health funding presses tech founders to innovate on care delivery

BY AMANDA D’AMBROSIO

Amid a slowdown in digital health investments that set the tone for 2022, a potential recession, dwindling initial public offerings and, now, the banking crisis have put additional pressures on an already-strained industry.

After a booming year for health tech in 2021, funding declined last year by around 30%, according to a recent report from Deloitte. Digital health companies raised $39.3 billion in 2021, partly because of the increased interest in telehealth during the pandemic and the ne-

year, analysts say.

“The economy is rapidly sinking into a recession,” Barbara Ryan, senior adviser in life sciences at Ernst & Young. What this means is, money will be scarce, she said, and investors are going to be a lot more selective.

The instability of the economy has put tech founders up to the challenge of setting their companies apart—namely, by providing value to patients through integrated health platforms and holistic care models, experts say.

Investors have already shown an interest in funding late-stage companies, signaling that they want to invest in businesses with proven value propositions. Last year 75% of investments were in latestage companies, the Deloitte report found.

2022 HEALTH TECH FUNDING AND DEALS

While deals and funding dropped from last year, there is still an upward trend

one place may move the needle for this payment model.

Technology platforms that can integrate more patient data into electronic health records will allow providers to analyze medical services or therapies that contribute to health outcomes, Ryan explained. “Theoretically, we’re going to be able to evaluate what treatment algorithms actually were associated with best outcomes at the best price,” she said.

In the immediate future, Gotsch said, she expects to see continued interest in companies that provide holistic health care. She noted that KindBody, a women’s health tech company that offers fertility benefits to employers and provides gynecological care at its clinics, provides integrated care in a specific health area.

cessity to adopt virtual care models.

Last year, however, funding for digital health companies reached $27.5 billion, according to Deloitte’s data. The number of deals dropped from more than 1,100 in 2021 to 926.

The declines in health tech funding in 2022 have returned the industry to normal levels following an unprecedented skyrocket in capital. But macroeconomic factors such as inflation, rising interest rates and the banking crisis have created a volatile landscape for emerging digital health companies that will likely continue into this

As the digital health industry has become more crowded, investors have turned their focus to late-stage companies, said Maria Gotsch, president and chief executive officer of the Partnership Fund for New York City.

Six or seven years ago, there was an explosion of early-stage health tech startups. But now, the market has whittled down to companies that can successfully integrate their technology with health systems and electronic health records, as well as provide a platform that works for patients, Gotsch explained.

“There were a lot of horses in the race,” Gotsch said. “Now we are figuring out who the leaders are.”

Mixed signals

While funding for digital health companies was down in 2022, it doesn’t necessarily spell doom for the industry. The Deloitte report noted that investments in 2022 were still 30% higher than those in 2020, and more than double the investments in 2019.

In addition, the median health tech deal valuation increased to $57 million in 2022 from $33.9 million in 2021.

The uptick in funding over time

outside of 2021’s tech boom shows that there is still a lot of growth opportunity for the industry. As more health care providers and payers merge, it suggests that health care needs to become a lot more efficient, Ryan said. Companies such as CVS Health or Amazon, for example, have displayed acquisition models of providers and insurers.

More companies are attempting to implement value-based care— tying health care payments to improving patient outcomes. While value-based care has been on the horizon for years, technology that has the ability to put patient data in

Opportunities for growth exist, but it will still be a tough environment for health tech companies in the coming year. While companies that are generating technology platforms that provide value to patients and health systems will succeed, some businesses will still struggle for capital, pushing them to restructure or merge, Ryan said.

“There’s clearly been a reduction in new capital formation,” said Peter Micca, a life sciences and health care partner at Deloitte.

But even with economic challenges, there’s a need for digital tools and innovations in the health sector, Micca said, emphasizing that “the demand for innovation still far exceeds the supply.” ■

FDNY proposes largest price hike for ambulance services in decades

BY AMANDA D’AMBROSIO

The New York City Fire Department has proposed to increase how much it charges patients and insurers for ambulance transportation, a bid that has raised concerns among health care advocates about high costs for medical care and a history of surprise billing practices.

The Fire Department proposed to charge nearly $1,400 for ambulance

increases of 10% and 4%, respectively. Advanced life support ambulance services currently cost around $1,500 to $1,600, according to the proposal.

rides that provide basic life support to patients—an increase of 54% over the current rate. It has charged $900 for ambulance transportation that provides basic life support since 2021, the agency said.

Its proposal included price increases on ambulance services providing advanced life support at two different levels but at smaller

Both basic life support and advanced life support services are designed to keep patients alive before they get to the hospital. But advanced life support requires the presence of Fire Department paramedics, who can perform more complex procedures, as opposed to the emergency technicians who staff basic life support rides. Though it is customary for the Fire Department to increase what it bills for ambulance services, the 54% increase for basic life support is the largest proportional price increase in the past two decades.

Since 2002, the agency has increased billing rates for basic life support services between 10% and 35% every few years, according to a City Council Fire Department budget document released in 2021.

Ambulance prices were last increased in January 2021, the department said in its proposal, add-

ing the increases are necessary to cover the higher cost of labor and other services.

The department held a public hearing March 24, but there were no oral comments on the plan. Some members of the public have commented against the proposal on the department’s website, however, expressing concerns about the additional medical costs that New Yorkers will pay on top of taxes that

already cover ambulance services.

The price increases could go into effect later in the spring, a department representative told Crain’s Surprise bills

Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of health initiatives at the Community Service Society of New York, a nonprofit that advocates for the economic wellbeing of New Yorkers, said in written testimony

that ambulance rides can often result in surprise, out-of-network hospital bills, leaving patients stuck with high expenses.

“New York City should find another way to ensure that the Fire Department has the resources it needs,” Benjamin said. “Patients cannot afford this increase, and CSS respectfully asks that the Fire Department maintain its existing rates.” ■

THE FIRE DEpARTMENT SAYS THE INCREASE IS NECESSARY TO COVER HIGHER LABOR COSTS

“THERE WERE A LOT OF HORSES IN THE RACE. NOW WE’RE SEEING THE lEADERS.”

Note: Data only includes deals valued at $2M and above.

PitchBook, Deloitte

Our infrastructure. Your imagination. Infinite possibilities.

We’re creating a world where “what if” can become “what is.” Our infrastructure is behind the revolutionary technologies that are transforming the way we live, work and experience the world. With more than 25 years of experience and an unparalleled national portfolio of towers, small cells and fiber, we’re bringing the world’s biggest ideas and innovations to the people and businesses that need them.

Crain’s has a long history of celebrating New York’s leading women, and it’s heartening that in 2023 there are so many to spotlight. Women are setting the direction across industries, including government, law enforcement and health care.

Accordingly, Crain’s is evolving. Instead of a ranked list of the 50 Most Powerful Women, this year we looked through a different lens: in uence. We also invited nominations from peers and colleagues in three categories: Rising Stars, Mentors and Women-forward Workplaces.

Rising Stars are emerging leaders who have promoted programs advancing women. Mentors have successfully lifted up multiple other women in their careers and in the wider community. Women-forward Workplaces are committed to women having a voice in planning and operations, and these workplaces have programs, initiatives and policies in place that advance women.

Please join us in recognizing the individuals and organizations that are leading by example.

—Anne Michaud, Assistant Managing Editor

PAGE 18

Mentors

PAGE 23

METHODOLOGY: The honorees did not pay to be included. Crain's newsroom selected the 10 most in uential women, and other honorees were drawn from submitted nominations. Their pro les are based on those submitted materials. This list is not comprehensive. It includes only executives and organizations for whom nominations were submitted and accepted after an editorial review. To qualify for this list, honorees had to work within the New York City metro area (the ve boroughs of the city or Westchester, Rockland, Nassau and Bergen counties) and had to have demonstrated the ability or power to effect change in their role, in their area of practice or as an organization.

WORKPLACE

Pandemic-era workplace updates make it easier for women to return to labor force

Women have gained more jobs than men each month since November

BY SHELBY ROSENBERG

Remote work policies and other workplace changes brought on by the pandemic are helping women get back to work at a faster rate than men.

An analysis of federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data by e Washington Post found that the percentage of working-age women in the workforce has increased by 3.4% over the pandemic’s low point in April 2020, while men’s participation is up by 2.1%. Federal data shows that women have gained more jobs than men each month between November and February.

More women are likely coming back to the workforce because more left in the rst place, said Lindsay Kaplan, co-founder and chief brand o cer of Chief, a membership network for women executives. From March 2020 to March 2022, a million women left their job, and women have accounted for 68.5% of the net job loss since February 2020, according to a March 2022 report from the National Women’s Law Center.

“It was a time when the multiple roles women play in their households were exposed like never before,” Kaplan said.

Economists feared widespread unemployment would stall women’s earnings and career advancement overall. During the pandemic, nearly 12 million women and 10 million men left the workforce. Now it appears that some pandemic-era changes to the workplace are making it easier for

women to return.

Remote work has allowed many women to regain their professional footing while juggling home and child care responsibilities, Kaplan said.

But it isn’t just women snagging remote roles who are heading back to work; women in frontline industries such as hospitality, manufacturing and retail are coming back too. ough the nature of frontline positions means companies can’t entice employees with work-from-home options, companies are o ering other forms of exibility, said Lorraine Hariton, president and CEO of Manhattan-based nonpro t Catalyst, which seeks to advance women in the workplace.

“[Companies are starting to o er] their frontline employees more consistent schedules, so they’re not having to wait to nd out the days and hours they’re working every week,” Hariton explained. “ at’s a really important bene t for women who may have multiple competing agendas, whether it’s juggling multiple jobs or caring for young children.”

How and when women work are clearly important factors attracting them back to the labor force, but they’re not the only ones.

Hariton and Kaplan said an increasing number of the companies they’ve talked with have launched employee

are lifting up women in their careers and communities

10 women who will shape New York in the coming year

HARITON calls a consistent schedule an important bene t for frontline workers.

who will shape New York this year

Crain’s newsroom chose 10 women who are leading by example and promoting ongoing change as honorees for the rst annual Women of In uence awards.

BY JUDITH MESSINA,

by Ashley Holt

EVA CHEN

THE WORLD OF FASHION has long been an enclave, the exclusive province of models, designers and celebrities. Now, Eva Chen is turning that formula on its head, working to democratize the industry. As she says, she is “taking down the velvet ropes that surround the fashion world and bringing a new generation of voices into the spotlight.”

REACH:: 2.2 million on social media

What’s next: Continue to

fashion industry

With 2.2 million social media followers, Chen is helping designers, stylists, makeup artists and others in the glamour world use Instagram to tell their stories, connect with their fans and extend their reach.

“It’s really important to help creators and people in general feel like they can participate,” she said. “ rough Instagram they are able to feel part of this world and that they can [have] careers in the industry.”

Indeed, with its in uencers, its shopping apps, fashion critics and streaming fashion shows, Instagram has become a destination for fans and designers alike, whether in Paris or Des Moines. Chen, a former editor-in-chief of fashion magazine Lucky, joined the platform in 2015. She has introduced features such as the Meta Virtual Fashion Store, where users can shop for clothing for their digital avatars from name designers such as Prada and Balenciaga.

eir participation is a testament to Instagram’s—and Chen’s—draw in the fashion world. Instagram has sponsored two Metropolitan Museum galas, and more tools to build connections between followers and fashion industry notables on her agenda.

Chen wants to help the fashion industry understand that it needs to break away from its insistence on picture-perfect images if it wants to connect and resonate with a new generation of fans and consumers.

at’s one reason she will focus more on video this year, she said.

“Video transports you,” she said. “You feel like you’re there. It’s one of the many ways to create connection.”

Commissioner, WNBA Secretary, Partnership for New York City

REACH: 412,000 average WNBA game viewership, according to WSN.com

WHAT’S NEXT: Position the WNBA for the next 50 years

30%, Englebert led a workforce of more than 100,000 professionals. Today, as the rst commis-

WHEN SHE WAS CEO OF nancial services rm Deloitte U.S.—the rst female CEO of a Big Four accounting rm—Catherine Englebert introduced a 16-week family leave, not just for new mothers and fathers but for anyone with a compelling family issue. When competitors heard about it, she said, they told her she had led the way and that it was time they stepped up too. at’s in uence. At Deloitte, where she boosted revenues by 30%, Englebert led a workforce of more than 100,000 professionals. Today, as the rst commissioner of the Women’s National Basketball Association, she oversees a smaller universe—12 teams and 144 players—but she is still scoring wins.

Since joining the WNBA in 2019, Engelbert has raised $75 million for the league, stepped up marketing—including a set of rst-ever marketing deals with 11 players to promote the league, even in the o season. In addition, the WNBA sealed a new collective bargaining agreement with the players. In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, which could have spelled the demise of some teams, she succeeded in putting on a season, albeit a short one. e 2021 and 2022 seasons that followed were the league’s most viewed in 13 and 14 years, respectively.

“We had built the trust,” Englebert said. “ e players stepped up.”

It was on her watch that WNBA player Brittney Griner was released from Russian detention after being imprisoned for nine months for carrying hashish oil into Russia in her luggage.

Now her focus is on globalizing the sport and setting the league up “for the next 50 years.” On her must-do list: expand the number of teams, grow the fan base, increase media coverage, and change the way corporate sponsors view women’s sports.

“We are positioning ourselves for the next media deal to drive revenue and pay players more,” said the former college basketball player and team captain.

Leaders, she said, need to be strategic—“one page with three things on it”—and authentic.

“Leadership is about making tough decisions and about seeing the future and being long term in your thinking,” she said. “[It’s] about spending chips, disrupting things, sensing the shifts forward—and listening.”

CATHERINE ENGLEBERT NANCY HAGANS

President, New York State Nurses Association

REACH: More than 42,000 NYSNA members

WHAT’S NEXT: Advocate higher salaries and bene ts for New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation nurses

ASK NANCY HAGANS which accomplishments she’s most proud of, and she talks not about herself, but about the more than 42,000 nurses in New York state whose needs and interests she ghts for.

state

“I am most proud of our members,” Hagans said. “At the height of the pandemic, they went to work every day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without personal protective equipment, without a vaccine. We decided to put everyone ahead of us, and we saved the city of New York.”

“I am most proud of our members,” Hagans said. “At the height of the pandemic, they went to work every day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without personal protective equipment, without a vaccine. We decided to put everyone ahead of us,

Hagans, president of the New York State Nurses Association, started her nursing career in 1990 in the surgical intensive care unit at Maimonides Medical Center. In 1993 she became president of the collective-bargaining unit for NYSNA nurses at the Brooklyn hospital. In 2021 she was elected president of NYSNA. In the past year she has achieved some important victories, including the passage of a statewide safe-sta ng law that mandates sta ng levels at all hospitals—and makes those numbers public. More than that, after strikes this year at Mount Sinai Health Network and Monte ore Medical Center and a potential strike at Northwell Health, NYSNA was able to forge agreements with the hospitals regarding sta ng and better wages and bene ts.

She is working on pay equity for nurses at the city’s public hospitals.

“For 2023, our priority is to make sure that when every nurse walks into a facility they have proper nurse-patient ratios, pay equity and great medical coverage,” Hagans said. “It is the most risky and dangerous job in the world. is is my journey, and I will continue to see it through.”

Director of Fashion Partnerships, Instagram

“ WE DECIDED TO PUT EVERYONE AHEAD OF US, AND WE SAVED THE CITY OF NEW YORK”

“ THROUGH INSTAGRAM PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO FEEL PART OF THIS WORLD ”

“ WE ARE POSITIONING OURSELVES FOR THE NEXT MEDIA DEAL TO DRIVE REVENUE AND PAY PLAYERS MORE ”

Illustrations

create closer connections between fans and followers in the

WOMEN BUILDERS COUNCIL

Women Builders Council is the leading association in the region, empowering women and promoting diversity throughout the construction industry.

LETITIA JAMES

REACH: More than 1,800 employees

WHAT’S NEXT: Has said her o ce will remain “very active”

KATHY HOCHUL

AFTER 14 MONTHS in the state capitol following Andrew Cuomo’s resignation, Gov. Kathy Hochul gained standing—and in uence—by defeating Republican contender Lee Zeldin in November 2022. Now on rmer ground, the governor has laid out her priorities.

REACH: $227 billion budget (proposed, scal 2024)

WHAT’S NEXT: Promote agenda on public safety, housing and mental health services

To be sure, before the election Hochul racked up wins, signing new laws that strengthen limits on access to rearms and that protect abortion access. She struck an agreement to build a new Bu alo Bills stadium that will create 10,000 construction jobs and keep the Bills in New York, although the price tag has raised some hackles. She appointed a number of women to senior positions in a Cabinet that she has called her “dream team” and “one of the most diverse in New York state history.”

“I’m proud of the big things we’ve accomplished so far,” Hochul told Crain’s in an email, citing investments in education, health care and child care, job opportunities and relief from rising costs.

For the coming term, she has laid out a panoply of initiatives, among them the passage of an Equal Rights Amendment to the state constitution, which is scheduled to go before voters in November. ere’s also her New York Housing Compact, which aims to build 800,000 homes in the next decade and a $1 billion budget proposal to overhaul mental health care in the state.

“Anyone who walks our streets or rides the subways knows there are too many people who aren’t getting the help they deserve,” the governor said. “My plan establishes new residential units and supportive housing, and funds outpatient services and crisis care for those in need.”

She faces challenges that will test her in uence, among them her desire to lift regional caps on charter schools—over the objections of the teachers union—and her proposal to change the state’s bail laws to give judges more discretion. Her plan to have New York City help ll the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s budget de cit is meeting with resistance from Mayor Eric Adams, and the Penn District redevelopment plan is up in the air. She has to nominate a candidate for chief judge of the state Court of Appeals after Democrats in Albany rejected her rst nominee.

As for being the rst female governor of the state, she recounts a story of a mother who approached her at the Erie County Fair, saying to her 5-year-old daughter, “Look, it’s our girl governor. at means girls can grow up to be whatever they want.”

AS THE FIRST WOMAN and the rst person of color to be elected attorney general of New York state, Letitia James is among the most active and audacious state attorneys general in the country, regularly taking on the powerful in politics and business.

James, rst elected as attorney general in 2018, won re-election in November 2022 after pursuing a string of successful lawsuits and investigations. ey included a probe of sexual harassment complaints against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo that led to his resignation and brought Kathy Hochul into the governor’s o ce.

In September of last year, James took on another high-pro le political actor, former President Donald Trump, bringing a civil lawsuit against him and members of his family that alleges fraudulent business activity. e action could potentially harm Trump’s planned run for president in 2024.

e attorney general’s battles continued last year against the National Ri e Association for allegednancial mismanagement and violation of state and federal laws, against pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid epidemic and against drug and gun tra cking organizations, taking down ve rings in 13 counties. She pursued allegations of fraud and neglect at some nursing homes and, leading a multistate e ort, sued the U.S. Postal Service, claiming it failed to consider the environmental impact of its new eet of gas-powered trucks.

Her e orts have paid o for New York and for localities and organizations. In 2022 the state collected $1.1 billion in civil recoveries, restitution, unpaid debts, negotiated recoveries and settlements and $1.5 billion in opioid settlements.

With public safety a growing concern, James recently expressed an openness to revisiting New York’s bail laws. When rst running for the job in 2018, she was a strong supporter of eliminating cash bail. James has vowed to work to increase funding for pretrial services and for the treatment of mentally ill people. She has said she will address the shortage of correctional, parole and probation o cers.

LAYLA LAW-GISIKO

REACH: 51,673 residents in the district

WHAT’S NEXT: Turn Penn Station into a world-class transit hub

LAYLA LAW-GISIKO may have lost her bid for an Assembly seat in November 2022, but she’s not given up the ght to overhaul Albany’s controversial plan for Penn Station.

As a member of Community Board 5 for the past 18 years and chair of its Land Use, Housing and Zoning committee , Law-Gisiko holds sway in a district that represents the country’s largest concentration of big businesses and a constellation of iconic neighborhoods, including Midtown, Times Square, the eater District, the Diamond District and Herald Square. More than that, it contains the city’s two crucial transportation hubs, Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station.

She notched a victory in 2017 with the Greater East Midtown Rezoning, helping to create a blueprint that allowed for taller buildings as a trade-o for improvements in transit and public spaces. Now, she’s determined to rework the current plan for Penn Station, which until recently would demolish six city blocks and put up 10 mostly o ce towers to raise money for transit improvements. Now Vornado Realty Trust, the largest landowner in the neighborhood around Penn Station, seems to have put the project on hold.

Law-Gisiko, a former journalist and documentary lm maker, opposed the Penn District plan in 2021 when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed it, and she continued to ght it after Gov. Kathy Hochul embraced Cuomo’s vision. Law-Gisiko applied for membership in Community Board 5 after testifying at a meeting where, she said, members seemed “apathetic.” en-Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer appointed her to the board in 2005.

She wants to focus on making the Penn District plan work for the community, to upgrade the station to serve public interests, she said. “Penn Station is grossly inadequate on so many levels, but we are not having the right conversation: how to create a transit system that is more equitable and that provides more connectivity for people in areas that don’t have access,” Law-Gisiko said.

Vornado’s recent hesitation, citing high interest rates and reduced demand for o ce space, does not change her stance, Law-Gisiko said.

In the end, she said, that even if you don’t win the battle, “what you get to do is move the needle.”

Governor, State of New York

Attorney general, State of New York

Executive Committee, Community Board 5, Manhattan

“JAMES’ EFFORTS HAVE PAID OFF FOR NEW YORK AND FOR LOCALITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS”

“WHAT YOU GET TO DO IS MOVE THE NEEDLE ”

“ LOOK, IT’S OUR GIRL GOVERNOR . THAT MEANS GIRLS CAN GROW UP TO BE WHATEVER THEY WANT.”

KATE LEVIN

Arts program lead, Bloomberg Philanthropies

Principal, Bloomberg Associates

WHEN KATE LEVIN WAS commissioner of the city’s Department of Cultural A airs during the Bloomberg administration, she tripled the number of arts organizations receiving capital funding and increased the participation of cultural institutions in the economy, tourism and education.

YESENIA SCHEKER IZQUIERDO

REACH: The program provides $119 million in funding and management training to more than 260 small and medium-size cultural institutions.

WHAT’S NEXT: To build on the momentum of the digital accelerator initiative, a $43 million program for institutions in the city and London for strategic improvements to their tech infrastructure

Today she heads up Bloomberg Philanthropies’ arts program, one of the largest art funders in the United States, providing money to more than 700 cultural organizations around the world. e program also o ers pro bono consulting on cultural matters to 19 cities globally. Levin oversees programs such as the Public Art Challenge, which gives up to $1 million to cities for public art projects that address critical civic issues. Projects included the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre of 1921 and a program that turned illegal dumping sites in Camden, New Jersey, into art installations.

More than any particular performance or object on display, Levin said, public art is a crucial component of life in the city.

“It’s a remarkably e ective way of creating community collaboration,” she said.

Other programs include the Bloomberg arts internship program, which provides paid internships at cultural organizations to rising public high school students, and the Art Asphalt Initiative, which makes grants for colorful, graphic drawings in public spaces, slowing tra c and making areas safer and friendlier to pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. e rst two rounds supported 42 projects in the United States and, in 2022, 19 cities in Europe. In 2019 Levin’s organization launched Bloomberg Connects, a free mobile app with guides to 168 museums, galleries and other cultural organizations. So far it has attracted 1.3 million users.

Among Levin’s priorities going forward are a digital accelerator to help cultural institutions make better use of technology and the opening this year of the Perelman Performing Arts Center at Ground Zero.

AS THE MANAGING PARTNER of KPMG’s New York City o ce, Yesenia Scheker Izquierdo is responsible for the rm’s strategy and business growth in the New York metropolitan region, its largest market. She is the rst woman and rst Latina in this role.

In addition, Scheker Izquierdo is the U.S. and global tax industry leader for KPMG’s building, construction and real estate practice and the partner in charge of its real estate tax practice.

She started her career serving real estate clients in the rm’s tax practice. It’s an industry, she said, for which she has a true passion. In fact, one of the rst things she did when she started in her current role in 2021—in the middle of the pandemic—had to do with real estate. Scheker Izquierdo helped select 2 Manhattan West, the 58- oor tower under construction in Hudson Yards, as KPMG’s new home starting in 2025, a decision that coincided with the company’s 125th anniversary.

REACH: Leads the largest revenuegenerating market for KPMG U.S., which had $11.4 billion in revenue in 2022

WHAT’S NEXT: Empowering KPMG employees to get involved in community service and to serve on boards of nonpro t organizations

“It’s a historic move for the rm and a nice way to show our recommitment to New York City at a time when the city is starting to thrive again,” she said.

Active in nonpro ts, Scheker Izquierdo is a member of the board of the United Way of New York City and a co-founder of the Women’s Executive Circle, which works to advance female executives and increase their representation on corporate boards of directors. At KPMG, she started and heads the women’s real estate steering committee. She is a member of the rm’s Accelerate 2025 Taskforce, which seeks to attract, retain and advance underrepresented talent.

“I had a lot of people along the way who believed in me and put a lot of opportunities in front of me,” Scheker Izquierdo said. “It’s important for me to use my in uence to lift others.”

Among her priorities are designing and building the workplace of the future at KPMG’s new digs at 2 Manhattan West—and doubling down on participation in civic life.

“We are a signi cant employer here,” she said, “and should be having all employees and partners looking for ways to give back to the community and the city.”

KEECHANT SEWELL

AFTER A YEAR ON THE JOB, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell can lay claim to a 5.6% drop in crime from February 2022 to February of this year. But she still has a way to go. Overall, crime is still outpacing pre-Covid levels from 2019.

larger community.”

“We’re always uncovering things that need attention,” Levin said. “ ere are all kinds of opportunities around connection, around communication, around community where we can make a di erence so that this robust resource operates for the larger community.”

REACH: $10.8 billion budget

WHAT’S NEXT: Promoting public safety and respect through the evolution of neighborhood policing

Sewell is the rst female police commissioner of the largest police force in the country and the third person of color in the role. She has a job that has always been challenging; it has become even more so since the lockdowns and other fallout from the pandemic unleashed a wave of mayhem in New York and in virtually every city in the country. Among other initiatives to combat crime, she has restored the New York Police Department’s controversial anti-gun unit, branding it as a band of “neighborhood safety teams,” with o cers wearing modi ed uniforms rather than plain clothes. She has reassigned o cers on desk duty to areas with high crime and deployed thousands of o cers into the subway system—the Subway Safety Task Force—to handle quality-of-life issues and work with homeless people and mentally ill individuals.

Internally, Sewell established an innovation steering committee with 600 members that made 250 recommendations for improving the department. As the rst woman to be the city’s top cop, she received the Person of the Year award from the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association in the fall of 2022, a signal of its support for the commissioner.

On her agenda are improving neighborhood policing and enhancing relationships with communities so that they see the police as partners, not enemies; increasing diversity on the force along with more attention to wellness; and making greater investment in and use of crime- ghting technology.

“I think in ve to 10 years the NYPD is going to be the most diverse police department in the world,” Sewell said. “I plan to make the NYPD the most public-facing, accessible police department in the world.” She and Mayor Eric Adams have said they want an overhaul of bail reform so that judges have discretion to hold recidivists and other lawbreakers if they are deemed a public safety risk. To become a reality, the overhaul requires Albany’s approval.

“WE’RE ALWAYS UNCOVERING THINGS THAT NEED ATTENTION“

Commissioner, New York Police Department

Managing partner, New York o ce, and New York market hub leader, KPMG

Emerging leaders

Rising Starawards recognize emerging leaders who have promoted programs or initiatives advancing women. Crain’s editors chose ve nalists to honor.

Carey Shu man UBS

Executive Director, head of Women's Segment

JESSICA TISCH Commissioner, New York City Department of Sanitation

WHEN JESSICA TISCH took over as commissioner of the Department of Sanitation last year, basic cleaning protocols such as street sweeping had been reduced during the pandemic, a development that only served to shame New York as a trashy city.

REACH: $1.9 billion budget

WHAT’S NEXT: Introducing citywide composting

One of her rst moves was to launch “restore and more,” reinstating the services cut due to the pandemic and enhancing and expanding them where possible. A force of 200 sanitation workers is designated to regularly clean “no-man’s lands.” ose are the parts of the city that were never cleaned before, such as underpasses. More than that, starting in April, trash set-out and pickup times will change for residential buildings to reduce the amount of time trash sits on the curb.

“Twenty-four million pounds of trash on the curb 14 hours a day is a big contributor to the griminess feeling in the city,” Tisch said. “If we make [the trash] disappear faster, it will make the city feel meaningfully di erent.”

Next up are a citywide composting program, which proved successful in a pilot program in Queens, that’s soon to be available to all residents; a commercial waste zone program that licenses carters to operate in one of 20 zones, rather than all over the city, polluting and tying up tra c; and a feasibility study of containerization, which, if implemented, would do away with the piles of bags on the curb.

Tisch has introduced the kind of tech savvy she used in previous jobs. As commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, she created a citywide Covid vaccination system. Before that, as deputy commissioner of information for the New York Police Department, she implemented a “domain awareness” system that transmits information from 911 calls directly to o cers’ phones and desktops along with any history of the department’s interaction with the location involved in the call.

Among her tech rsts at the Sanitation Department was the installation of cameras and license plate readers at vacant lots that have become illegal dumping grounds, creating eyesores and health hazards. All street sweepers now have GPS, and the department is using data, such as 311 calls, to make operations decisions.

For Tisch, leadership has been all about getting into the minutia.

“In government, I have really worked very much in the weeds, understanding where the bureaucratic logjam may be,” she said. “A lot of the success my teams and I have had is because we very much focus not on setting policy, but on the weeds and implementation.”

Carey Shuffman is changing the way women interact with money at investment bank and nancial services company UBS and throughout the industry. Shuffman, head of the company’s Women’s Segment, is regarded as a subject matter expert on women and economic well-being, and she was recently selected to serve on the UBS Americas Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council.

With a erce devotion to increasing women’s nancial engagement, Shuffman has built a team that furthers its impact through the training it has conducted, the events it has hosted and the innovative research it has published, including ve annual reports that led to the creation of a nancial education website that’s dedicated to women and free to the public.

Throughout Shuffman’s career, most of her mentors and sponsors have been women. That has played a role in her professional success and her understanding of the need to nurture a culture where women receive equal opportunities.

From pursuing partnerships with the Luminary Fellowship Program to help women-of- color business owners affected by the pandemic to teaming up with female founders’ network Fylí to address the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs, Shuffman and her team are making great strides to champion women.

Roxanne Petraeus

Ethena

Co-founder, CEO

Roxanne Petraeus is a U.S. Army combat veteran and former consultant whose experiences in elds where women were few and far between inspired her to “be the change” and co-found the compliance training platform Ethena.

As a female CEO in the human relations and compliance industry, Petraeus built Ethena to move companies beyond discussing diversity, equity and inclusion and drive action to break through the underlying roadblocks preventing underrepresented individuals from accelerating.

More than 70,000 active monthly users have completed training activities on the platform at a rate that’s two times faster than the industry standard, the company said.

With an awareness that prob-

lems cannot be solved if they're not talked about and understood, Petraeus says part of her mission as a company leader is to share her experiences and call out inequities. By being transparent and acknowledging these hurdles, she inspires more women to share their stories and nd solutions together.

Petraeus’ commitment to progressing diversity is re ected in the makeup of Ethena’s leadership team, which is 75% female and 25% Black. Women make up 75% of Ethena’s board of directors.

Danielle Cohen-Shohet GlossGenius Founder, CEO

With GlossGenius, Danielle Cohen-Shohet created a software- ntech platform that enables tens of thousands of female beauty and wellness entrepreneurs across the U.S. to do what they thought they couldn’t—run their own businesses.

Cohen-Shohet’s inspiration came from experiencing the pain points of working a full-time job while pursuing her passion for makeup artistry on the side. She knew this was a struggle many women could relate to, so she leveraged her nance skills, taught herself how to code, and developed an innovative solution that propels female business leaders.

As the business and technical founder of GlossGenius and its CEO, Cohen-Shohet has invented a powerful product that assists with many aspects of beauty and wellness entrepreneurship. One particular functionality was devised to help working women “do it all”: Through automated technology, business owners can spend less time handling administrative tasks and more time focusing on their personal lives.

Cohen-Shohet has built a leadership team that is more than 50% female.

The organization NYC FinTech Women named her to its list of Inspiring FinTech Females of 2022.

Claire Liu Yang

Silicon Harlem Chief of sta

Silicon Harlem’s Claire Liu Yang is an emerging leader who demonstrates that female leadership can transcend social stigmas and shatter barriers. With a passion for building infrastructure that’s blind to gender, age, income, race and disabilities, the chief of staff manages the broadband that provides internet service for affordable housing in underserved communities.

“When our partners and con-

BY LAUREN DEFAZIO

tractors ask for our broadband manager so they can talk to ‘him,’ I enjoy directing them to talk to her—Claire. I’m proud of the fact that a woman is running our broadband program in the telecommunication industry that is usually dominated by men,” said Clayton Banks, Silicon Harlem’s CEO.

As co-chair of the technology committee of the New York metropolitan chapter of the American Planning Association, Liu Yang has produced and moderated a series of APA panels focused on female leaders in equitable technologies.

Liu Yang has mentored special-needs interns from the Cooke School and encouraged girls to discover their passion for technology through the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program.

“Claire’s impactful leadership as a champion for women is laid down brick by brick in the infrastructure she builds and word by word in the youths she mentors,” colleague Anthony Seruwagi said.

Danyelle Simmons

Turner Construction Company

Estimating engineer

As a Black woman in a traditionally patriarchal industry, Danyelle Simmons recognizes challenges, such as unconscious bias, glass ceilings and a lack of mentors, and aims to diminish them.

She accomplishes this as a project engineer at Turner Construction and as a founder and board lead of Building Voices, an internal organization with a mission to host an encouraging culture and supply resources for African American employees who wish to advance in their careers.

Among her initiatives, Simmons piloted a Coffee Chat Mentorship Program where senior and junior-level staff are partnered for support, and she guided a General Manager Panel Series to facilitate open dialogue, including on how women are promoted within the industry.

Simmons looked at Turner’s employee bene ts through a gender-equity lens and recommended improvements for women’s reproductive health care.

Simmons developed a partnership with Turner and Women in Need NYC, the largest provider of shelter and supportive housing for the city’s homeless families. Working within the partnership, she organized a clothing drive and a résumé workshop for women.

“I HAVE REALLY WORKED VERY MUCH IN THE WEEDS “

Mentors showing the way

BY LAUREN DEFAZIO

Marianne

Monte Shawmut Design and Construction Chief people and administration officer

As chief people and administration officer, Marianne Monte has led Shawmut Design and Construction in promoting women and combating unconscious bias through the innovative talent development technology that enabled the firm to reach 100% pay equity.

Through the activation of Shawmut’s Diversity Leadership Council, Monte’s contributions to creating a diverse, equitable environment with a culture of belonging and inclusivity have helped generate the firm’s 33% female workforce in an industry that’s only 10% women. The levers her team has established put female representation on a trajectory to continue increasing.

Monte’s first mentor shaped her views on professional growth and her belief that “every good mentor had a mentor.”

With an understanding that using mentorship, sponsorship and development skills is as crucial to elevating mentees as hearing their perspectives and learning from each other, Monte has identified three key components to mentoring: two-way listening, opportunity identification and true advocacy. This formula is embedded in the sponsorship relationships program that Monte launched at Shawmut, which pairs high-potential, underrepresented employees with executive sponsors.

Monte’s work has been integral to Shawmut’s being named a Best Workplace for Women by Fortune magazine and one of America’s Best Employers by Forbes

Lorraine Hariton Catalyst President, CEO

Lorraine Hariton puts her advocacy skills to work at Catalyst, a global nonprofit with a female-majority staff that helps build workplaces that work for women.

Since her earliest days, Hariton has been an outspoken advocate for women individually and as a group, fighting tirelessly for their recognition, promotion and voice. Now, as Catalyst’s CEO and president, she is in charge of a robust research organization that issues metrics that are leveraged to further the achievements and visibility of women around the world.

When Hariton was at the State Department, under then-Secretary of State Hillar y Clinton, she started a global entrepreneurship program that brought female and male entrepreneurs to many countries to mentor and connect with other up-and-comers. Unafraid to go against the grain, Hariton strayed from the State Department’s norm by ensuring that women made up at least half of the cohort.

“As a woman who she arranged to join the delegations, I can tell you it was one of the best experiences of my life. It was innovative and supportive and powerful,” said Davia Temin, a longtime colleague. Mentoring, she added, is in Hariton’s DNA.

With her determination and knowledge of mentoring methods, Hariton has emboldened many women to excel in their careers.

Helen Arteaga Landaverde NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO

Helen Arteaga Landaverde is the first female CEO and the first Latina to lead NYC Health + Hospitals/ Elmhurst, one of the city’s largest hospitals.

In addition, Arteaga Landaverde is a mentor at the International High School at La Guardia Community College, a professor of public health at New York University and a trailblazer who is opening doors for the next generation of female leaders.

Thanks to her dedication, female representation in the C-suite has increased by 25% at the Elmhur st hospital in the past two years. Arteaga Landaverde has facilitated numerous female staff, nurse and doctor promotions.

As a mentor, Arteaga Landaverde empowers women through one-on-one sessions and shadowing opportunities. Through her involvement with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Latina Mentoring Initiative, Arteaga Landaverde helps young Latinas reach their full potential.

Motivated by challenges her own family experienced, Arteaga Landaverde has moved mountains for economically disadvantaged families by increasing their access to vital health care.

With the support of other community leaders, she established the Plaza del Sol Family Health Center in Corona, Queens, which was later dedicated in memory of her father. Last year the facility cared for more than 29,000 patients regardless of their ability to pay.

Women-forward workplaces (small)

SOMOS COMMUNITY CARE

Physician-led health care network

Somos Community Care is responsible for the care of almost 10% of New Yorkers. Increasing care quality and elevating outcomes for women's health are its top priorities.

Today more than half of the Somos leadership, administrative and community outreach staff are women. As the network continues to expand, Somos purposefully seeks out women in health care administration and providers led by female-owned medical practices to ensure that all patients, regardless of their ethnicity or native language, can receive the comfort and care they deserve.

Somos Community Care supports Somos Latina, a female leadership program that provides opportunities for Hispanic women to grow and thrive. The network aims to bring

more female leaders into the public eye as subject matter experts and community spokeswomen.

At the onset of the pandemic, Somos realized that its most significant strengths were the women providing the tools and resources to keep their communities healthy, from designing and implementing mass testing and vaccination sites to launching a free meal giveaway at the beginning of the quarantine period and successfully distributing more than 2 million meals to New Yorkers in need.

ELEKTRA HEALTH

Elektra Health, a next-generation women’s health care platform, believes in a future where the menopause taboo is dismantled and women have the support they need and deserve.

Dolly Martinez

CUNY

Chancellor’s chief of staff, associate vice chancellor for the executive office

In her dual roles at the City University of New York, Dolly Martinez has been helping women achieve their full potential.

“It would be challenging to meet another senior administrator with over three decades of public service who lives and embodies the ideals CUNY represents for the diverse metropolitan area we serve,” longtime supporter Glenda Grace said of Martinez, who doubles as the chancellor’s chief of staff and as associate vice chancellor for the executive office.

In Martinez’s view, effective mentors listen without judgment and frame a safe space where mentees speak freely, allow their vulnerabilities to show and know they have support. For her, good listening shows mentees that what they have to say is valuable.

Martinez’s mentoring style takes a simple and humble approach: Meet people where they are, and treat them with care and respect. The women Martinez has championed have grown exponentially in their respective careers.

In 2020 Martinez initiated the annual CUNY Career Compass Conference for Women Leaders to serve as a venue for informal mentorship and career development. Since the genesis of this vast networking platform, the conference has reached more than 6,000 women through peer mentorship, leadership development and mental health awareness.

Carrie H. Cohen Morrison Foerster Partner

Carrie Cohen began her career as a women’s rights lawyer.

Today, as a partner at Morrison Foerster, Cohen passionately mentors women lawyers at all levels and works tirelessly on issues that adversely affect gender equality and diversity in the legal profession. One of her core values is to consistently promote the importance of sponsorship, mentorship and allyship—using her leadership position to ensure that others receive the credit they deserve and are able to achieve their own goals and advance within the profession.

She works as a leader of the firm’s Women’s Strategy Committee, where she liaises with firm leadership to ensure that the advancement of women lawyers is a strategic priority and that women are obtaining the opportunities necessary to succeed and increase their economic power.

Cohen also founded the Women in the Profession Program for the New York City Bar’s Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, which provides professional development for women lawyers across 19 chapters throughout Central and Latin America.

Cohen was a co-author of two seminal reports on women in the courtroom, which motivated more than 200 federal and state court judges to adopt rules encouraging less experienced attorneys to take lead roles in court appearances. She recently created a scholarship program for women law students.

BY LAUREN DEFAZIO

Last year Elektra conducted a survey that found 20% of women have left or have considered leaving a job because of menopause symptoms, and 44% of women feel they don't receive enough menopause-related backing from their employers. Refusing to let women be negatively affected professionally because of the natural next steps of womanhood, Elektra expanded its offerings to health plans to offer world-class clinical care to women across every socioeconomic background. Co-founder and CEO Alessandra Henderson and her team initiated a partnership with EmblemHealth, which they said became New York’s first insurer to provide dedicated menopause services to 42,000 members in the tristate area. With an all-female executive team, Elektra leads the charge in ensuring that women stay well in

the workforce by educating employers on the widespread lack of menopause support and how they can provide continuing benefits to better meet the needs of their employees.

FACTORY360

Marketing agency Factory360 has worked to cultivate an inspiring atmosphere where kindness, empathy and respect are embraced, and where employees at every level support one another.

Since 2021 Factory360 has won 28 new accounts and more than a dozen marketing awards, and its all-female creative team has grown by 60%. Fueling the company’s success is the ethos it has created and the importance it places on individual growth.

Factory360 is committed to diversity. Since the pandemic began,

people of color make up 90% of the firm’s New York and Miami offices, and 53% of the agency’s employees speak multiple languages.

In regards to hiring, this womenforward agency is more interested in potential than résumé credentials. It is passionate about its intern program, where young creatives are given the opportunity to learn and shine.

Factory 360 outlines clear paths for the women on its teams to develop and direct their careers.

WOMEN BUILDERS COUNCIL

The Women Builders Council was formed by six women in 2004 to resolve the inequities disproportionately affecting female professionals in the construction and building industries.

This award recognizes women nominated by their peers who have lifted up other women in their careers and communities.

THIS AWARD honors organizations that give women a voice in planning and operations

What began with a vision to increase the representation of women and people of color has evolved into an organization run by a board of 44 women on behalf of major construction firms, minority- and women-owned business enterprises, and hundreds of corporate and individual members.

Through purposeful programs, the Women Builders Council has broken the concrete ceiling of its traditionally male-majority industry by bolstering women’s growth in the corporate sector, expanding opportunities for MWBEs and serving as a go-to resource for women at all levels.

To spotlight the growing number of female professionals, the organization launched its Outstanding Women Program for women over 40 and its Next Generation of Women Builders Program for women under 40. Another essential driver in leveling the playing field is the WBC Diversity Council, which empowers women and raises diversity throughout the construction industry.

“WBC gives all women a voice in the construction industry through its innovative programs that go beyond its members to reach hundreds of women,” said Christine Boccia, president of the council and owner of JD Traditional Industries.

NONTRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT FOR WOMEN

For 45 years, Nontraditional Employment for Women has been training and placing women in construction, utility and maintenance trades across the city. Through its programs and expanded employer base, more than 3,500 NEW graduates have found work in the past 10 years as electricians, carpenters, plumbers, painters, ironworkers, operating engineers and sheet metal workers.

Each year the agency strives to place at least 275 individuals annually and recruit 400 women and transgender and nonbinary individuals to join its training programs. It fuels a cycle of success and furthers leadership examples by recruiting instructors who are NEW graduates.

Reinforcing its commitment to create more opportunities for women, 93% of NEW’s full-time staff identify as female, and the majority of its student and graduate-facing team are Black or brown women.

In September 2022 NEW’s staff members attended the Equity in Focus Summit hosted by the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor. With federal agency representatives, they advocated prioritizing women in infrastructure projects.

President Joe Biden recognized NEW for its continued efforts in supporting tradeswomen.

THE LEVINSON GROUP

The Levinson Group is a femalefounded, -owned and -led communications firm. It executed the historic campaign that won equal pay for the U.S. women’s national soccer team and has led many successful strategies to resolve gender-based discrimination, press freedom and civil rights issues.

TLG served as a strategic commu-

nications adviser to high-profile #MeToo survivors and global human rights advocates.

The firm led efforts to combat viral misinformation and disinformation and functioned as a campaign planner in pivotal Supreme Court matters. With this work, TLG exemplifies its deep commitment to pursuing work that advances women and gender equity.

Women lead TLG’s three offices, and the firm has grown quickly, almost doubling in size each year since its founding. As a result of its investment in the career development of its talented female communications professionals and the supportive culture, its retention rate is well above the industry standard, TLG says.

Many of the firm’s leaders joined through a first or second job out of college. Today women directly manage about 70% of TLG’s accounts.

PEN AMERICA

With its predominantly female staff, PEN America is a global, nonpartisan nonprofit organization that’s been around for 100 years with an unwavering commitment to free speech and free expression.

On behalf of women who have been persecuted because of what they have written or said against repressive governments, PEN America seeks to lift their voices and make their plight known through its worldwide campaigning. The literary organization’s core campaigns and programs include the defense of female writers, activists and public intellectuals under threat around the world. Its 2019 Freedom to Write Award honorees were three Saudi women who had been targeted for their advocacy of women’s rights.

In the United Nations and other international settings, PEN America has defended Iranian women charged with “national security” or “propaganda” crimes for questioning gender-based restrictions or proposing reforms to the current theocratic system .

The organization aims to lift the voices of these influential women and lay out a path for others to follow.

PEN America’s literary awards have a history of recognizing and celebrating female writers early in their careers, before they achieve significant success.

VIBE THEATER EXPERIENCE

For more than 20 years, Brooklyn-based viBe Theater Experience has been championing creative expression and promoting the professional growth of young women of color in the performing arts.

As a Black women–led nonprofit, viBe is determined to have women of color see a direct reflection of themselves in leadership within their organization. This arises from a profound understanding of the universal benefit that comes with providing disenfranchised groups opportunities to succeed. The theater company carries out this commitment through the rigorous artistic training and professional development programs it has designed to equip the next generation of arts leaders with the skills they need.

To recruit administrative and artistic talent, viBe partners with the WP

Theater, a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater; the Teaching Artists Project; and the City University of New York Cultural Corps. It regularly attends job fairs .

To ensure the proper support is in place for women to flourish, viBe provides internal and external opportunities for lateral and vertical mentorship, sponsorship and professional development. The organization offers employees a variety of healing modalities, such as subsidized therapy and movement-based wellness courses in part- and full-time employee benefits packages.

Since 2019 viBe has seen 86% higher employee satisfaction in internal surveys. Throughout the pandemic, the organization retained 100% of its staff.

JBC

JBC is a boutique public relations agency that started as a two-woman team and has grown to a bicoastal, 50-person company.

The agency has helped launch disruptive, female-run brands collectively valued at nearly $1 billion. It has assisted these businesses in raising more than $500 million in venture capital.

JBC offers a range of benefits, including year-round office closures at 1 p.m. Fridays, four-day summer workweeks, a flexible remote-work policy, monthly mental health days and, in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned, a comprehensive reproductive-support package.

The firm provides an advanced reproductive care fertility benefit, which covers the spectrum of needs for family planning. That includes egg-sperm-embryo freezing, in-vitro fertilization, surrogacy and adoption agency access, and $5,000 for each employee to use toward fertility care every year for up to two uses.

Radical transparency regarding mental health is another reason JBC is getting noticed by job candidates. “I’ve never been part of a company that walks the walk this way when it comes to balance and prioritizing mental health and wellness,” said Emel Shaikh, a cultural media relations specialist.

JRT

JRT Realty Group, led by founder and CEO Jodi Pulice, is among the largest female-owned commercial real estate firms in the U.S. Numerous councils have certified it as a minority- and woman-owned business enterprise.

In 1996 Pulice set out to create a pathway for generational growth in the industry and give qualified women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community and other diverse groups a seat at the table.

Last year JRT formed MWBE Unite, a first-of-its-kind commercial real estate platform to bridge industrywide supplier diversity gaps.

Since its launch, MWBE Unite has more than 100 firms hired or in discussion in an array of areas, including affordable housing development, recruiting and executive coaching, sustainability reporting and event planning.

“My wish is that one day there is no longer a need for a woman-owned or a minority-owned business to become certified to compete for business in and outside of the industry,” Pulice said. ■

Women-forward workplaces (large)

THIS AWARD honors organizations with over 250 employees that give women a voice in planning and operations.

BY LAUREN DEFAZIO

NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL

Through its pioneering actions, the New York City Council is enhancing the way women in the city live and work.

Under the leadership of Speaker Adrienne Adams, the first Black woman to hold that title, the City Council has protected and expanded access to abortion and reproductive health care by enacting the historic Abortion Rights Act. In addition, the council initiated one of the largest municipal funding commitments made by any U.S. city to support abortion health care by providing $1 million for those in need of financial assistance.

With nearly two-thirds of its committees being led by women, the council has passed eight bills to increase access to child care for working families and to advance professional opportunities for women in the workforce. The council passed the Support Survivors legislative package to provide critical services to survivors of domestic and gender-based violence.

The City Council’s groundbreaking efforts to confront longstanding inequities in the city are underway internally as well, with improved Equal Employment Opportunity practices and policies, anti-discrimination training for every employee, and upgraded lactation rooms to meet the needs of working parents.

The council hosts diversity panel events to highlight and empower female leadership.

SOM

Architecture, engineering and construction firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has come a long way since its predominantly male-run beginning in 1936. In 2020 SOM marked a significant milestone by electing the third member of its all-female Executive Committee, and today 50% of new hires at all levels are women.

Not only is SOM responsible for significant architectural achievements, but through the founding of the SOM Women’s Initiative, the firm has managed to lead a female-driven movement that has reshaped its and the industry’s cultural landscape.

The SOMWI was ahead of the curve when it was co-founded in 2011 to advance the development and success of women at the firm. The initiative set the scene for advancing equity and inclusion for future affinity groups across the organization, including Pride, the Asian Alliance and Arquitectos.

Through surveys and roundtable discussions, the SOMWI allows the firm to keep its finger on the pulse of employees’ work-life challenges and aspirations. The firm listens with an open mind and a resolution to help women excel in their careers without compromising their personal lives.

CHIEF

Executive women’s network Chief is on a mission to drive more women into power and keep them there while it paves the way to bring others with them.

Since launching in 2019, this private network of female leaders has evolved into a $1.1 billion unicorn with 20,000 executive female members collectively managing $800 billion of the economy. Chief says that nearly half of its members have increased their compensation since joining the network.

Throughout the company’s business milestones, Chief has remained grounded in its mission—never prioritizing its growth over its purpose and always putting women's leadership progression at the forefront.

Internally, Chief focuses on cultivating a people-first culture with fully paid health insurance premiums, a remote-first workforce and a 4.5-day workweek. Externally, Chief partners with nonprofits to mentor the next generation of female business leaders and donates $1 million annually to nonprofits that align with its objectives.

Chief’s dedication to influence a future where women have the same opportunities and representation in leadership as men has earned it awards. Chief has won awards for gender

equity and innovation from Digiday and Fast Company.

SERVICES FOR THE UNDERSERVED

As a community-based, nonprofit health and human services organization, Services for the UnderServed plays a critical role in supporting the well-being of the city’s most vulnerable individuals and families each year. While its reason for being is to help those in need overcome complex and challenging life circumstances, this humanitarian organization is committed to fostering career opportunities for women.

With a 65% female staff and 76% of its leadership positions held by women, Services for the Underserved understands the universal value that gender equity brings to its staff, its organization and the people it serves. Bolstering a more diverse workplace is a key priority because more than half the 37,000 people that the organization serves are Black, indigenous and women of color.

By advancing a diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and accessibility initiative across the organization, Services for the Underserved raises the role models women and women of color need to advance in their careers.

Furthering its efforts to elevate women in the workforce, the organization looks to promote from within, then leans into the community to recruit talent. Employees with aspirations to transition into leadership roles are given access to programs designed to strengthen their capabilities.

SCHONFELD

New York City-based hedge fund Schonfeld prioritizes nurturing talent, and the firm’s retention metrics are a testament to its people-first

WORKPLACE

Taking baby steps toward help for working parents

BY CARA EISENPRESS

Child care in New York costs an average of $15,000 per child per year, according to the Economic Policy Institute, and the costs are only one stress to families. Finding the right fit, setting up backup care and coordinating drop-off and pickup times that do not match work hours puts a burden on parents—especially women.

“As someone who had to put their career on pause because of a lack of affordable child care options, I understand how important this lifeline is for families,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a speech about several proposed child care initiatives in this year’s budget.

Politicians and private companies are propping up the idea that more mothers in the workforce should be able to expect consistent help with their children, although it remains to be seen whether there is the will or the wallet to meet the full measure of their need.

Beyond parental leave

About 70% of working parents who took time out of the workforce did so from the child’s birth until age 5, according to a survey of 5,500 working parents, 90% of whom were mothers. Vivvi, a Hudson Square-based caregiving benefits company, conducted the survey.

The parents’ time out of the workforce dampens their lifetime earnings. As a result, “what employers and many people have been talking about is what happens beyond parental leave,” said Lauren Hobbs, chief marketing officer at Vivvi. The five-year-old firm sets up child care benefits, such as online tutoring and at-home backup care for other companies, and runs its own early-childhood centers.

“Generally,” Hobbs said, “the benefits drop off.”

In the private sector, companies that offer benefits have often included some child care help, including pre-tax flexible spending accounts that max out at $5,000 per family and backup child care.

Vivvi seeks to expand that, making various levels of financial and logistics help available as an employee benefit. The firm, founded in 2018, works with Horizon Media, theSkimm, Tend Dental, Avenues, Cerberus, Goodwin Procter and Barasch & McGarry, among other New York firms.

In Horizon’s New York office, 25 employees participate in Vivvi’s virtual tutoring offering and seven

children of employees have received tuition subsidies to attend the Vivvi child care center in the company’s building, said Nancy Galanty, the firm’s vice president of community and talent.

The idea behind Vivvi is to help employers recruit and retain parents, but there’s a benefit for companies too. “If you’re draining your PTO bank” as an employee, Hobbs said, referring to paid time off, “you’re not at work, which is not good for you or your employer.”

Hobbs said firms that have brought Vivvi in generally belong to one of two categories: industries such as education or health care, where staffing levels are crucial, and creative firms committed to retaining a diverse workforce.

Vivvi offers a true full-time solution for child care, should a company want to spring for the whole cost, she said.

But the perk might not be a must in every industry. Software engineers put child care services or reimbursement as their ninth priority for benefits, after perks such as flexible work schedules, retirement benefits, paid parental leave and additional compensation. Just 2% of engineers surveyed by job site Hired.com picked the benefit, according to its 2023 report on employees in the sector.

Elected officials have their own

HOBBS

reasons for talking about child care costs and coverage.

Economics

It’s partly economic. New York’s recovery lags the nation’s, in part because there are fewer people in the workforce. The city is still 0.6% short of its February 2020 jobs numbers, and the state is 1.2% below its numbers from that time. Nationally, the number of private-sector jobs is 2.4% above prepandemic levels.

In 2022 Hochul dedicated $7 billion to improving access and lowering costs in the next four years; in this year’s budget she has proposed expanding eligibility for assistance to families of four with an income of up to $93,200, which would cover 113,000 more children by her count—but hardly all of them. One of the biggest problems, she said in a press release announcing this season’s objectives, is that uptake is low even among families that would qualify for help.

The city received $4 billion of the money Hochul budgeted. Mayor Eric Adams said the money will go toward increasing the number of childcare seats and offering tax abatements to property owners who retrofit spaces.

practices. Schonfeld’s “talent is our strategy” principle drives its cultural success and ability to retain female employees.

The company has implemented a suburban strategy, opening locations outside of city centers to further the work-life balance and provide easier access for working women and parents.

To combat women’s leadership challenges, such as continuing to develop their talent, the firm launched Sapphire, an internal platform that delivers programs to help employees hone the skills they need for a successful career.

Schonfeld’s pledge to be a supportive place to work for women, parents, diverse talent, those well into their careers and those just starting out is evident in its comprehensive benefits package, which includes an enhanced paid family leave policy, and its recent partnership with Progyny, an innovative provider of cost-effective fertility and family- building services. ■

In late February, President Joe Biden added a twist: His Commerce Department announced that any semiconductor company seeking some of the $39 billion in federal subsidies would need to guarantee affordable child care for workers who construct or work in their plants. In New York that could play out upstate, as Micron works on a new facility near Syracuse, but the connection between business success and child care benefits for workers could catch on downstate.

The president’s 2024 budget proposal also includes funding for childcare and early childhood education by billions of dollars, but Congress must still weigh in.

“I hope it catches on,” Vivvi’s Galanty said. “In order to be competitive from a talent acquisition standpoint, organizations are going to have to expand benefit packages in a variety of ways, and child care is one of them. You want to support as many workers as you can, so it’s about where can you have an impact to really benefit the population.” ■

However, the day when the state or your employer pays for day care is still far off

Layoffs bring latest challenge in closing tech’s gender gap

a range of careers, according to Girls Who Code, which provides academic and career training from third grade to early career. In response to the fear and frustration the organization is hearing, Barrett said, Girls Who Code is reminding students of the range of careers a computer science degree can open up.

BY RYAN DEFFENBAUGH

More than 280,000 technology workers have lost their job since the start of 2022—and the data shows you’re more likely to have been laid o if you’re a woman. at fact is prompting concern that the current tech downturn will spoil e orts to create a more inclusive workforce in an industry where men hold almost 3 in every 4 jobs. New York–based organizations focused on closing the industry's gender gap say the layo s have sparked fear in recent graduates and job seekers but that opportunities are still out there—particularly at smaller companies and those outside of the big tech companies themselves.

An analysis of job cuts by Layo s. fyi shared with Fast Company in January found that about 45% of people who lost jobs in recent tech industry layo s were women. In the city, women hold about 29% of jobs in the technology workforce and 47% of jobs in the overall workforce, according to an October re-

port by state Comptroller omas P. DiNapoli. Human resources tech rm Eightfold AI found women were 65% more likely to be laid o than men in the tech industry. Experts have o ered a couple of reasons behind the disparities. Layo s have often targeted HR and marketing roles more likely to be held by women. Tech companies have been focused in recent years on hiring a more diverse workforce, but new hires are more likely

to be let go when companies cut back.

Judith Spitz, founder and director of Break rough Tech and a former chief information o cer at Verizon, said the report of disparities in layo s highlight a systemic problem in the industry: Technology companies have set targets around diversifying their workforces, but they have not always followed up with the necessary policies.

“If you really want to diversify your tech organization, you have to fundamentally rethink how you recruit talent,” Spitz said. "What pathways into your organization are there that are more innovative than the standard ones? And how do you support the people you hire?"

Outside tech

Founded in 2016 through Cornell Tech and CUNY, Break rough Tech has provided tech-focused programming for more than 4,600 women and nonbinary students across the U.S. Its

“sprinternships” are designed to put students on track for technology careers. Spitz noted that many of the organization’s partners are in industries outside of technology, including JPMorgan Chase, KPMG and Aetna.

“We're encouraging our students to think creatively about who they want to work with,” Barrett said. “Because every company is a tech company.”

Direct outreach

Gloria Salas, a rst-generation college graduate from New Jersey, started a full-time job in October as a technology architecture delivery analyst at Accenture.

Salas’ career path started when she was a sophomore in high school and saw an online ad for Girls Who Code. She attended the nonpro t’s summer immersion program. e next fall, she helped start a local Girls Who Code club at her former middle school, using a program where the organization provides a coding curriculum and other support. Salas eventually co-led another Girls Who Code initiative, called College Loops, at Rutgers.

bene ts that are more heavily used by women. ese include the expansion of traditional bene ts such as longer parental leave periods and less-conventional bene ts such as on-site child care, child care stipends and better access to abortion care.

How a company responds to social issues is becoming a game changer in the recruitment and retention of both male and female employees, Hariton said. e 500 employers in Catalyst’s network have expressed their views more freely on issues such as repro-

ductive choice following the overturn of Roe v. Wade and on racialized violence in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, she said.

ey still have a long way to go, however.

“Catalyst has done research among workers about their employers’ reactions to social unrest and policy changes, and people often feel that their companies’ responses are performative; they’re not seeing actual change within their organizations,” Hariton said. “We’ve been telling leadership that they need to do a better job of walking the talk and really communicating the actual causes they have.”

ough the latest numbers on

women returning to work are encouraging, simply having a hybrid or remote policy won’t be enough to keep the playing eld even, Kaplan said. Employers need to prioritize equity and inclusion policies, she said, to avoid the “Zoom ceiling”—employer bias in favor of in-person workers when doling out promotion and advancement opportunities.

is is especially relevant for women, who gravitate toward remote jobs more than men do. Career website FlexJobs found that 68% of the women (and 57% of the men) in its 2021 study preferred to work remotely, and 80% of the women (and 69% of the men) ranked remote work as a top bene t.

Companies from outside the technology industry and smaller startups have indicated they are still ready to scoop up tech talent. At the start of the year, tech industry unemployment was still under 2%, industry group CompTIA found.

“ e layo announcements that we are seeing don’t tell the complete story,” said Tarika Barrett, CEO of Girls Who Code, an international nonpro t headquartered in the Flatiron District.

A computer science degree o ers

Beyond the Zoom ceiling, some experts worry about where remote workers will fall in the pecking order during the toughest of times, when employers face decisions about workforce reductions.

“In my performance management research, one very troubling sign I’m seeing is that around onethird of tech companies are going back to forced ranking of employees by performance and letting go of people at the bottom of that ranking system,” said Dr. Anna Tavis, a human capital management expert who teaches at New York University. “Who’s going to nd themselves at the bottom? I’d watch out for all of the exible situations where remote

She majored in computer science and said she was able to hone her vision for what she wanted from her career by attending job fairs, mentorship programs and events on campus, where she met women working in tech. Salas described that type of direct outreach as crucial for companies that want to attract a more diverse workforce.

“You want to open up a space for women. If you want women to break into tech, you have to give them the visibility— what can they do with it?" Salas said, adding that early outreach can help “guide the next generation of women in tech [and allow] women a voice and [a] say in how tech de nes our future and standing in society.” ■

workers are not going to have the same opportunities as those who are in the o ce.”

Equal treatment

Even as employers make unprecedented e orts to recognize women’s needs in the workplace, one piece of the narrative still needs to be elevated, Kaplan said.

“[Flexible policies] enable women to participate in the workforce, not thrive or advance,” Kaplan said. For companies to retain women, she explained, women need to be treated equally.

“ e answer is quite simple,” she said. “Pay them, promote them, and support them.”■

BUCK ENNIS

BARRETT (center) is the CEO of Girls Who Code, a national nonpro t located in the Flatiron District that provides career training for young adults.

“THE LAYOFF ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT WE ARE SEEING DON’T TELL THE COMPLETE STORY”

But job seekers are nding roles at smaller companies and in other industries

Notice of Formation of Stella Henson LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 2/10/23. Office

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POSITIONS AVAILABLE

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Risk Manager (Citadel Americas Services LLC – New York, NY); Mult. pos. avail. Offering a salary of $121,400 - $255,000 per year.

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NICOLA ANTONAZZO

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Maintain the ownership & responsibility for risk framework of Citadel’s discretionary & systematic equities businesses. Reqs a Master’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in Finance, Math, Info Systems, Stats or a rel quantitative field & 2 yrs of exp in the job offered or in quantitative research/analysis identify’g key risk exposures & performance drivers; or a Bachelor’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in Finance, Math, Info Systems, Stats or a rel quantitative field & 5 yrs of exp in the job offered or in quantitative research/analysis identify’g key risk exposures & performance drivers. Must have at least 2 yrs of exp in combination w/ a Master’s degree or 5 yrs of exp in combination w/ a Bachelor’s degree in each of the follow’g: Equities products, markets, & the models used to price, hedge & evaluate equity risk; work’g as a senior member of a risk mgmt team at a hedge fund, asset mgmt or investment bank business unit in the area of equities; gather’g & analys’g data from financial markets & fund mgmt units through the use of analytical resources such as Factset, Axioma, or similar; portfolio construction & scenario analysis; systemiz’g risk measurements, processes, & reports; & monitor’g portfolio risks & present’g analyses on markets, portfolio risk, & performance drivers to mgmt. Exp may be gained concurrently. F/T. Apply w/ resume to citadelrecruitment@citadel.com.

Ref. JobID: 6701317.

Senior Project Manager positions (The Metropolitan Museum of Art; New York, NY). Responsibility for overall logistical planning, project mgmt. & implementation of various short & long-term special projects & initiatives. Salary range $140,000$145,000 per yr. Email resume: lara.fayyaz@metmuseum.org. Ref. 5609402.

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Notice is hereby given that license number 1348229 for Wine, beer and cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell wine, beer and cider at retail in a full service restaurant under the alcoholic beverage control law at 23 Pell Street, New York, NY 10013 for on-premises consumption. Three Roosters Chinatown LLC, 23 Pell Street, New York, NY 10013

Account Manager (Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (PIMCO) – [New York, NY]); Mult. pos. avail. Offr’ng salary of $162,000-225,000/yr. Rspnbl. for a portfolio of institutional clients w/n Latin America & the Caribbean, inclu. central banks, single family offices, corporates, insurance companies, pension plans & others. Deliver PIMCO’s full breadth of resources, inclu. invstmnt strategies, products, & services. F/T. Apply w/ resume to lupe.rubalcaba@pimco.com.

Ref. Job ID: 6773094.

Jamaica, Queens, native pulls the levers of economic development to stage an overhaul

Growing up in Jamaica, Queens, in the 1980s and 1990s, Justin Rodgers always enjoyed going downtown to buy sneakers, even as he was aware that the commercial district, around Sutphin Boulevard and Archer Avenue near John F. Kennedy International Airport, was a shell of its 1940s’ self.

“At one time, it was basically the shopping center for all of Queens,” Rodgers says.

Recapturing some of that glory is a priority for Rodgers, who last year

was made president of the Greater Jamaica Development Corp., a nonprofit that works to bring investment to the neighborhood by assembling parcels, coordinating deals and facilitating tax credits.

Although the streets may not bustle as they did around World War II, major chains have in recent years shown interest in the once-blighted area. Chipotle, Target and Shake Shack have opened outposts, and new mom-and-pop shops are expected to follow.

But other elements of a full-bore rebound are up and running in an area rezoned in 2008. Once-windswept car lots on Archer, for instance, now sport a parade of soaring high-rises, some packed with income-restricted units, which are a necessary hedge against gentrification, he says. In the past few years, developers have constructed 3,000 apartments, and 10,000 more units should open by 2026.

It’s a feather in the cap of the 43-year-old, who has spent almost

CONTRACT

FROM PAGE 1

the HIP VIP plan or opt out of coverage entirely.

Adams argues that the new plan will be an improvement, with a lower deductible and a cap on outof-pocket expenses.

“Our administration has never wavered in our commitment to provide retirees and their dependents with high-quality, sustainable coverage while allowing us to rein in the skyrocketing costs of health care and the strain it is placing on our city’s budget,” he said in a news release.

Adams announced the contract

his entire career with Greater Jamaica since joining in 2006, three years after receiving a master’s degree in business from Adelphi University. In

2021 Gov. Kathy Hochul tapped Rodgers’ predecessor, Hope Knight, to be CEO of Empire State Development.

Rodgers then beat out dozens of other applicants to become just the third president in Greater Jamaica’s 56-year history. Within weeks, he put the finishing touches on Greater Nexus, a 10,000-square-foot, $11 million co-working space in a former Parsons Boulevard courthouse.

“It feels really good to make a difference in my community,” Rodgers said. “That’s why I’m still here.”

What was Jamaica like when you joined Greater Jamaica?

We lacked major retailers and private investment in the downtown. It needed a lot. In the 1940s and 1950s, there used to be three department stores, but by 2006

Some retirees have been fighting the switch. They fear being unable to access their doctors on the new Medicare Advantage Plans and losing prior authorization for a range of conditions and illnesses.

Since 2018, the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, which has more than 17,000 members, has sued the city twice over retirees’ rights to supplemental plans. Marianne Pizzitola, president of the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, was disappointed by Thursday’s decision.

Exhausting all options

Pizzitola said she met with city officials to explain why retirees want to preserve supplemental plans and to suggest other avenues for the city to save money. The experience left her unsatisfied, however.

there were a lot of vacancies. We had the foot traffic, but rents were too high, like on Jamaica Avenue, where landlords wanted $50 a square foot. We’ve also worked to hang on to employers. One early win was Flying Food Group, which provides meals for airlines. The company was thinking about relocating to New Jersey, but we were able to coordinate some tax breaks to keep it here. You know, I was flying into JFK recently when I saw a lot of tall buildings and I thought, Where is that? And I realized, that’s Jamaica. Jamaica now has its own skyline, which makes me feel proud.

Are there any downsides to the growth?

I will say that 90% of the new units that come online have some sort of affordability component. That’s what you want to see. I definitely don’t want to see $1 million

decade, he said, and the mayor’s office is in the middle of a procurement process to create additional options

Harry Nespoli chairs the Municipal Labor Committee, an umbrella organization that represents city unions. He told Crain’s that the MLC and the city negotiated with Aetna to create a plan that mirrors retirees’ current supplemental coverages.

condos, because people in this community can’t afford them. When is the last time you’ve walked down Jamaica Avenue? I think developers have done a great job of providing workforce housing with great amenities. You have buildings that house the homeless, all the way up to those that house people making 165% of the area median income. Our housing is very diverse.

Jamaica was once troubled by crime and disinvestment. How do you pitch the neighborhood to developers?

Well, it’s taken years. We used to go to these conventions in Las Vegas armed with marketing materials. But around 2013 things changed. We were at the ICSC [International Council of Shopping Centers] conference, and instead of us chasing everybody around, everybody was calling us to set up meetings. That was definitely the tipping point. You know, southeastern Queens has some of the highest income Black households in the country. And it’s not just about incomes. We have the second- or third-highest rate of home ownership for Blacks in the country. So that’s helpful for marketing.

Tell me how the co-working space Nexus came to be.

Well, in 2018 we bought two floors of a commercial condo in a former courthouse at 89-14 Parsons Blvd. because we knew there was a need for spaces for smaller proprietors and entrepreneurs. And the WeWorks of the world were not here. Tax credits helped with the $11 million project, but we had to put in equity. And the project got shut down during Covid, which hurt us as an organization, too, because we had to cut people. We had 58 employees before the pandemic but 32 now.

Nexus finally opened last summer, and we have 20 members so far. We expected 40 in our first year, so we’re on track. A five-person enclosed office costs about $30,000 for the year, but we give you a 10% discount if you pay for the full year. We have real estate businesses, nonprofits and an environmental firm that’s doing work at JFK.

What’s next for you?

Our first ground-up residential project. We’re requesting proposals for a site we own, a parking garage at 90-15 Parsons Blvd., where you can build 600 units. Greater Jamaica would partner with a developer for the project. Forty developers showed up for our first information session, and at least three said they would definitely respond. I’m cautiously optimistic. ■

had been signed with Renee Campion, commissioner of the city’s Office of Labor Relations, eight days after officials said the city did not intend to choose a contract option that would preserve a supplemental plan. The city avoided choosing that option, Option C, which would have come at an additional cost of $20 per member per month.

“When you make a decision we’re supposed to look at everything every which way, kind of like a Rubik’s cube, right?” Pizzitola said. “Flip it around, look at all different options.”

Adams’ representative Jonah Allon said the administration has discussed the Medicare Advantage switch with retirees. Previous administrations implemented several cost-savings initiatives in the past

The city interviewed several insurers—Empire was originally supposed to administer the plan, but backed out during the summer of 2022—and landed on Aetna because of the company’s size and large presence of participating doctors throughout the country, Nespoli said.

CITY RETIREES have long voiced their disapproval of the new coverage option. The final decision did not preserve a supplemental plan, which would have cost the city an additional $20 per member per month on top of the costs of providing the plan.

According to comparison documents reviewed by Crain’s earlier this month, Aetna’s proposed Medicare Advantage Plan includes more zero-dollar co-pays and a smaller deductible than its current supplemental plans. Aetna agreed to eliminate prior authorization requirements for more than 70% of procedures that would typically require them for at least two years. In addition, Aetna said, about 96% of the doctors who retirees already see

are expected to accept the Medicare Advantage Plan.

“Try it before you just disregard it,” Nespoli said.

Legal action

Pizzitola said her organization would be pursuing legal and legislative action. She said she hopes the City Council will work on a proposed bill that would require the city to provide Medigap supplemental plans.

Jake Gardner of Walden Macht &

Haran, which represents the retirees organization, said the organization anticipates filing another lawsuit against the city.

Gardner said the Medicare Advantage plan provides retirees with “inferior” benefits and violates their rights.

“I can’t see how they would come to this conclusion that it’s OK, just to save money, it’s OK to hurt people,” Pizzitola said. “And that’s a problem for me. I don’t feel defeated. I’m disappointed.” ■

“WHEN YOU MAKE A DECISION, WE’RE SUPPOSED TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING, EVERY WHICH WAY.”

THE GREATER JAMAICA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

ROGERS

C. J. HUGHES

QUEMUEL ARROYO

GREW UP Spanish Harlem

RESIDES Arroyo moved back to Spanish Harlem four years ago.

EDUCATION Bachelor’s in urban design and architecture studies and master of public administration, New York University

CARIBBEAN ROOTS Arroyo was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the U.S. at a young age. Growing up he often spent his summers in the Dominican Republic.

SPORTSMAN Arroyo enjoys rock climbing, swimming and sailing. He particularly likes to sail at Dyckman Marina in Inwood, where there’s not as much traf c and jet skis. He’s on the board of Hudson River Community Sailing; this summer will be the third year the organization provides adaptive sailing for New Yorkers with disabilities.

INCLUSIVE ART In 2015 Arroyo started as a dancer with Heidi Latsky Dance, which features performers of all different abilities and walks of life, and now he chairs their board.

“Our humanity is such a bigger bridge than anything else that divides us,” Arroyo said. “And it just showcases the beautiful fabric that we are when we come together as one human race.”

Making mass transit for everyone

MTA’s chief accessibility of cer wants system to work for riders of all abilities

BY CAROLINE SPIVACK

It was during Quemel Arroyo’s senior year in high school that his perspective shifted. While downhill mountain biking in Vermont, Arroyo sustained a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. e longtime Manhattanite was air-vacced back to the city, where he spent the next 10 months at NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation.

At 18, Arroyo was the eldest pediatric patient. Most of his fellow patients were young children navigating a variety of conditions. “And I just learned that they were invisible,” Arroyo said. “ ey could never fathom a world in which they didn’t rely on someone else to live. And that just didn’t jive with me.”

ey were “silenced by design,” as Arroyo put it. at conviction was ever-present as he studied urban design and architecture at NYU. In 2014 he joined the city’s Department of Transportation and served as the rst chief accessibility specialist, where he helped broker a plan to ensure all city intersections are accessible—largely through curb cuts and pedestrian ramps—and increased the city’s accessible pedestrian signals for peo-

ple with low vision.

He moved on to Charge Enterprises in 2019, which was focused on e-scooter charging at the time, but after a year-plus stint as the company’s global head of community, Arroyo decided to return to government. In 2021 he became the rst chief accessibility o cer for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Arroyo’s responsibility at the MTA is formidable. He must wrangle a subway system that is more

“I really want to imagine a future where people can move around the city at all times whenever they want,” Arroyo said. “Whether that’s 3 in the morning [or] 3 in the afternoon, and be independent, have the autonomy to do so without requiring assistance from a third party.”

For Arroyo, the children he got to know while he was in the hospital as a teenager are never far from his mind, as are older New Yorkers, parents with strollers, riders with bikes or luggage and anyone else excluded by the stereotype of the prototypical mass transit rider.

MTA must dedicate about 15% of each of its ve-year capital plan budgets to station accessibility. If unexpected needs arise, that gure cannot drop below 8% of a total capital plan. “ at has already rede ned how the MTA invests its money,” Arroyo said.

ough there’s much work to be done, disability advocates and elected o cials are pushing the MTA for a commitment to build on elevator reliability.

than century old, the city’s bus eet, Access-a-Ride, Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road to be more accessible to a diverse mix of travelers. Much of that work started with the MTA’s $55 billion 2020-2024 capital plan, of which $5.2 billion is earmarked for accessibility.

He has had a busy couple of years working toward that vision. Chie y, he helped the MTA reach a landmark settlement last June that resolves two lawsuits led by disability rights advocates. Under the terms of the agreement, the MTA will add elevators and ramps to at least 95% of the subway’s more than 350 stations that lack accessible infrastructure by 2055.

As part of the settlement, the

ere is a lot on the horizon for the year. at includes installing the rst wide-aisle fare gate in the subway, expanding a pilot that dedicates space on buses so riders with children can board without folding their strollers, and rolling out some of the rst subway elevators erected and maintained through public-private partnership. Arroyo is particularly thrilled about those elevators, noting that “the private sector usually does a better job at running these types of assets.”

“I like to think of design and innovation as an answer to the calling of our customers with the highest needs,” Arroyo said. “Because I am a rm believer that when we design systems with those with the highest needs in mind, everybody’s needs will be addressed.” ■

QUEMUEL ARROYO became the MTA’s rst chief accessibility of cer in 2021.

“I REALLY WANT TO IMAGINE A FUTURE WHERE PEOPLE CAN MOVE AROUND THE CITY AT ALL TIMES WHENEVER THEY WANT.”