Long Island Press : 2016 Power List by Morey Publishing

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

A Message from the Publisher

Welcome to the POWER LIST I’ll leave you with this…

2016

The very first edition of the Long Island Press was the Power List, honoring 2016 the 50 most influential people on Long Island…in order. Hard to tell how many friends I lost over the years due to these rankings. At our very first event, we had Maem r teN rceer obaem RN Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Tom Hartman—known as the “God # Squad”—as our keynote speakers. Rabbi loeL . / Nuacmeero Jo Nsaem Marc Gellman, the more outspoken half of the duo, started off by announcing # his disdain for lists, and, well, the whole stinking idea of a Power List. . / And so began our troubled, amusing, fascinating peek into the halls of power there’s more than just a fun and interesting conversation on Long Island. to be had. The list itself tells a particular story about In this letter every year I remind our readers that Long Island. Each year has its own character and this list is a mirror and not a wish list. Our editorial nuance, like chapters in a book. But the larger narrative team genuinely measures the perceived influence is one that truly reflects our journey as Long Islanders. that those on the Power List had in a given year. It’s Each year there are a handful of people who capture the not about wealth, position or notoriety. Our meazeitgeist of the moment. For the most part, however, surement is the influence exerted over our daily lives the list remains stubbornly and painfully familiar. The as Long Islanders. Sometimes those on the list have power structure of the Island is frustratingly male and a national, even global reach. Robert Mercer, who white. Some of the names have been there every single took the #1 spot this year, is a prime example. Someyear. More than anything, it speaks to Long Island’s times, someone’s “power” might be derived from a underlying inertia. singular moment or event that had lasting conseChange is coming. Good, bad, or otherwise, the quences on our lives here on the Island. Joselo Luwinds are blowing and storm clouds are gathering. cero’s tragic and ongoing advocacy on behalf of his In order to be resilient in the face of strong headslain brother certainly comes to mind. winds and shifting currents, we will need to work The list is great fodder for conversation. I’ve heard together, accept a changing of the guard, and listen a U.S. Senator refer to a Congressman by his number to one another. Otherwise, we’re gambling with the on the list. We’ve been solicited by publicists and asoutcome. Hence, our theme this year. sistants pleading for their clients or bosses to move It’s been an honor to serve as publisher of the up on the list. And I’ve been personally berated by Long Island Press. It’s my great hope that we play our indignant individuals who thought they deserved cards right in the years to come. to appear on the list. (Hint: The more you insist, the Without further ado, I’m pleased to present the less likely you are to appear. True power doesn’t ask, 14th Annual Long Island Press Power List. it takes.) Jed Morey Yet as I stand back and review the past 14 years,

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

Any Long Island Press Power Listers who have graced the list at least five times are honored here on the elite Power List Hall of Fame.

2016 POWER LIST 2008

Michael Balboni

Redland Strategies President & Managing Director

2008

Bob Catell

2008

Alfonse D’Amato

2008

Gary Dela Raba

Retired National Grid USA Executive Chairman

Park Strategies Founder & Managing Director/Former U.S. Senator

Former President of the Nassau County PBA

2008

Arthur “Jerry” Kremer

Joseph Mondello

William Murphy

Empire Government Strategies Chairman

Nassau County Republican Committee Chairman

Retired Diocese of Rockville Centre Bishop

2008

Thomas Spota

Suffolk County District Attorney

Shirley Strum-Kenny

Former President of Stony Brook University

2016 Long Island Press Power List

Thomas Suozzi

U.S. Representative (D-Glen Cove)

2008

Thomas DiNapoli

New York State Comptroller 2008

Richard Schaffer

Dean Skelos

Suffolk County Democratic Committee Chairman/ Babylon Town Supervisor

Former New York State Senate Majority Leader (R-Rockville Centre)

2008

The Skolnick-Sky Family: Charlotte Sky, Vic (Deceased) & Dylan Skolnick Co-directors of Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre

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2016 POWER LIST HALL of FAME

HALL of FAME 2008

Charles Wang

2009

Laura Ahearn

2009

Jon Cooper

2009

Steve Levy

2009

Kate Murray

Former New York Islanders Majority Owner

Parents for Meganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Law and The Crime Victims Center Executive Director

Former Suffolk County Legislature Majority Leader (D-Lloyd Harbor)

Former Suffolk County Executive

Former Town of Hempstead Supervisor

2009

2010

Rev. Allan Ramirez

Evelyn Ain

Jeff Frayler

Steve Israel

Jay Jacobs

Retired Brookville Reformed Church Pastor

Autism United President, Spectrum Magazine Publisher

Former Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association President

LIU Global Institute Chairman/Former U.S. Representative (D-Dix Hills)

Nassau County Democratic Chairman

2010

2011

Robert Zimmerman

Rev. Calvin O. Butts, III

Richard Kessel

Former New York Power Authority President & CEO

Kevin Law

Long Island Association President

David Mejias

Former Nassau County Legislator (D-Farmingdale)

Zimmerman-Edelson, Inc. Co-founder and Partner

President of SUNY Old Westbury

Continued

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

Any Long Island Press Power Listers who have graced the list at least five times are honored here on the elite Power List Hall of Fame.

2016 POWER LIST Continued

2011

Sal Ferro

Peter King

2011

Jerry Laricchiuta

2011

Frank MacKay

Alure Home Improvements President

U.S. Representative (R-Seaford)

Nassau County Civil Service Employees Association Local 830 President

Independence Party of Suffolk County, New York State and the National Independence Party of America Chairman

2012

Nancy Rauch Douzinas

Bill Savino

Michael Dowling

Bill Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Reilly

Northwell Health President & CEO

Fox News Commentator

Rauch Foundation President

Managing Partner, Rivkin Radler, LLP

2013

Steve Bellone

Resi Cooper

The Madison Square Garden Company Executive Chairman

Suffolk County Executive

CooperHill LLC President

2016 Long Island Press Power List

James Dolan

Hubert Keen

Nassau Community College President

2011

Kathleen Rice

U.S. Representative (D-Garden City) 2012

James Simons

Renaissance Technologies, Inc. Founder and Board Chairman 2013

Kirk Kordeleski

Kordeleski Consulting Founder & President

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2016 POWER LIST HALL of FAME

HALL of FAME 2013

2013

Gary Melius

Stuart Rabinowitz Hofstra University President

RXR Realty Chairman & CEO

Former Association for a Better Long Island Executive Director

Late Nassau County Presiding Officer (R-Massapequa)

2014

2015

Oheka Castle Hotel & Estate Owner

James Carver

Charles Vigliotti

2013

Scott Rechler

John Cameron

2013

Desmond Ryan

Stanley Bergman

2013

Peter Schmitt

Patrick Foye

Retired Nassau County Police Benevolent Association President

American Organic Energy & Long Island Compost President & CEO

Cameron Engineering Founder & Managing Partner

Henry Schein Chairman of the Board & CEO

Port Authority of NY & NJ Executive Director

2015

Edward Mangano

Posillico Group Executive VP Strategic Business Development

Nassau County Executive

Michael Posillico

Jeffrey Reynolds

Family and Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Association President & CEO

Samuel Stanley

Stony Brook University President

Bruce Stillman

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory President & CEO

Caricatures by Norman Sonne, Faces by Norm - gardensidegraphics.com

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

Long Island Press Power Listers who have graced the list at least five times.

2016 POWER LIST HALL of FAME INDUCTEES 2016 Hall Of Fame Inductee

Frederick Brewington Attorney

Frederick Brewington is more than just a star local civil rights attorney. He’s also a force for good and an agent for change. Besides defending the wrongfully accused and police brutality victims, he has positively impacted entire communities. Take, for instance, when he sued the Village of Garden City for enacting a zoning ordinance that effectively kept affordable housing units—and by extension, minority residents—out. When he won, the village was ordered to allow such developments, enabling countless future generations of residents to enjoy all the perks of living in what’s billed as “America’s First Planned Community.” Now, multiply that significant victory by the hundreds upon hundreds of cases he’s tried, and you’ll begin to understand just how many lives Brewington has improved. When Fred fights the law, Fred wins, and so do everyday people. Attorney, champion of the people, purveyor of justice and beacon of hope—Frederick Brewington can now add yet another title to his long, commendable list: 2016 Power List Hall of Famer.

2016 Hall Of Fame Inductee

Tracey Edwards Town of Huntington Councilwoman

Tracey Edwards’ Long Island roots run very deep indeed, making her one of our most well-regarded and most-beloved public servants. Born in Huntington Station—her mom was a community leader and her dad was a Huntington policeman—she was raised in Elwood, where she later became vice president of the Elwood School Board. Currently a resident of Dix Hills, she’s been married for almost 40 years, and is a mother of three and a grandmother of two. In 1979 she got a job as a summer line operator for Verizon Communications and rose through the ranks to become region president, overseeing 3,800 employees with a $220 million annual budget and handling customers from Staten Island to the East End of Long Island. She finally retired from the corporate world in 2016, but she has never quit her civic engagement. After chairing the Town of Huntington Planning Board, she won her first term as a Huntington Town Councilwoman in 2014, building on her lifelong experience in business and community service, and she remains politically active today. A member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Edwards also serves as the Long Island Regional Director of the NAACP. Given her focus on growing the Island’s economy, she’s a member of the New York State Economic Development Council for Long Island. Formerly, she was on the board of directors of the Long Island Association, chairing the economic development committee. For the town she calls home, she spearheaded the creation of the Huntington Opportunity Resource Center to help unemployed and underemployed residents get job training and other vital services they need to prosper. She’s also credited with expanding affordable housing for millennials and first-time homebuyers. No doubt about it, Edwards has a made a difference in many people’s lives. Caricatures by Norman Sonne, Faces by Norm - gardensidegraphics.com

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

Long Island Press Power Listers who have graced the list at least five times.

2016 POWER LIST HALL of FAME INDUCTEES 2016 Hall Of Fame Inductee

Katherine Heaviside Epoch 5 Public Relations President

As the head of one of the most influential public relations companies on Long Island, Katherine Heaviside understands the challenges of this unique market inside and out—and how to come out on top. Her roster of clients reads like a who’s-who of the local business world, thanks to her hard work, savvy insight and strong connections that’s she created since she founded the firm more than 35 years ago. It’s no understatement to say that she knows all the movers and the shakers here on a first-name basis. And when outsiders want to accomplish something on the Island—from an out-of-state retailer seeking to open a new store or a developer seeking to bid on a big infrastructure project, she’s the one they turn to first, because her record of achievement is incomparable. Nobody else around can navigate the political landscape, work the media, and win over the community like her. In recognition of her outstanding record, Heaviside was given the Athena Leadership award by KPMG, one of the world’s leading professional services firms. She also serves on the Long Island Association and the United Way’s Boards of Directors. As a rule, Heaviside prefers to stay behind the scenes so the spotlight can shine on her clients, but she’s by their side when they need her the most, whether it’s promoting exciting new developments or doing some serious damage control to protect a reputation. She’s the one they call, because no one else can match her knowledge, experience and relationships. As Heaviside has proved time and time again, she knows how to get the job done and make good things happen.

2016 Hall Of Fame Inductee

Seymour Liebman Canon U.S.A., Inc. Executive VP, Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel

An unrelenting dedication to his company, coworkers, family and craft have defined the career of 2016 Power List Hall of Fame Honoree Seymour Liebman, whose many professional titles speak volumes about not just his business acumen, but his extraordinary commitment to excellence. Liebman, who joined Canon U.S.A. more than 40 years ago and moved up its ranks to become the global imaging institution’s guiding force, is more than an exceptional businessman. He is a visionary—an inspiration to his colleagues, as well as other executives across the business world. Charting a path for Canon’s future that’s characterized by innovation and imagination, Liebman, through the company’s development of cutting-edge technologies and products within biotech and biomed, will literally improve the lives of countless people along the way. That’s true power, and among a litany of reasons why he ranks upon this prestigious list year after year. Fueled by his solid track record of exemplary distinction, he deservingly joins this hallowed and esteemed Hall of Fame. Caricatures by Norman Sonne, Faces by Norm - gardensidegraphics.com

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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“Katherine, you’re tops on our list! Congratulations to you and the other Power List honorees.” — Your fans at Epoch 5 Public Relations

From social media and e-marketing to issues management and corporate PR programs, Epoch 5 is Long Island’s #1 Public Relations Agency.

755 New York Ave., Suite 400 Huntington, NY 11743

631.427.1713 www.epoch5.com

Voted Best PR Firm & Best PR Professional

Katherine Heaviside, President Epoch 5 Public Relations

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

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This is the alternative cover for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Power List, symbolizing the extraordinary influence wielded by the Long Islander topping it. Never before has our annual rundown of the most significant movers and shakers throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties featured someone who has quite literally changed the course of history, and who continues to shape the course of our country far into the future. Hint: He put Donald Trump in the White House. Read on.

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST first time on the list

Robert Mercer Renaissance Technologies Co-CEO

The co-chief executive of East Setauket-based investment management firm Renaissance Technologies (RenTec) ranks atop this list for many reasons, the vast majority of which remain largely unknown to the general public. RenTec is widely recognized as the most lucrative, and secretive, hedge fund in existence, currently overseeing a reported $36 billion in assets, and historically its portfolio of funds has enjoyed returns far exceeding the industry. Its enigmatic Medallion Fund— closed to outside investors since 1993 and available only to current and former employees—averaged an unimaginable 71.8 percent annual return, before fees, from 1994 through mid-2014, according to Bloomberg, and has garnered roughly $55 billion in profits. But sheer wealth is not a prerequisite for this annual Power List. More importantly, it’s what honorees do with that wealth, and the reclusive Mercer, who shuns the spotlight and rarely makes public statements, has sealed this top spot with how he’s utilized his fortune. Mercer’s influence is not just national, but global. A mathematical genius and former IBM computational linguistics pioneer, he has emerged as the deep-pocketed Svengali who is literally shaping U.S. domestic and foreign policies to his ideological vision via President Donald Trump, whose ascension to the White House Mercer near-single-handedly spearheaded. Facilitated by the controversial U.S. Supreme Court ruling Citizens United, which opened the floodgates for billionaires such as he to pour unlimited funds into advertising and broadcasting campaigns targeting political candidates and causes—largely behind the veil of super PACs—Mercer has doled out more than $36 million to GOP candidates and super PACs since then, financing a vast array of conservative initiatives. The largest outside benefactor of former Republican presidential hopeful Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, he switched allegiances to Trump and had his close associates installed to run his campaign: former Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen Bannon, pollster Kellyanne Conway, and conservative advocacy

group Citizens United President David Bossie. Mercer invested heavily in Breitbart News, the alt-right mouthpiece, early on, and is still a co-owner. His data-analytics firm Cambridge Analytica helped Trump secure the presidency the same way RenTec generates billions—through cutting-edge technology and computer-driven algorithms that identify opportunities and execute with laser-guided precision to reap otherwise-unattainable strategic advantages. Mercer wields enormous influence through Bannon, Conway—Trump’s chief strategist, and the president’s “counselor,” respectively—and his daughter, Rebekah, aka “Bekah,” who served on Trump’s transition team, ran her father’s multi-million dollar super PACs, and directs The Mercer Family Foundation, which has invested tens of millions of dollars into conservative causes. From promoting climate change skepticism and tax cuts for the ultra-rich to closing our borders and dismantling the so-called “welfare state,” Mercer impacts us all, and his ideologies are charting America’s course far into the future.

Hall Of Fame class of 2013

Michael Dowling Northwell Health President & CEO

He’s come a long way indeed from his humble roots in County Limerick to have been the grand marshal of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City. When this Northport resident is not leading a march, he heads the 14th largest health system in the nation and the largest private employer in New York State, with some 61,000 employees (15,000 nurses alone), 21 hospitals, and more than 550 outpatient facilities. Under his reign, the reach of Northwell Health, formerly North Shore-LIJ Health System, extends from Long Island to Westchester, from Connecticut to New Jersey. Thanks to his guidance, Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine continues training the next generation of medical professionals and the renowned Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is making breakthroughs in the fight against disease with innovations in bioelectronics medicine and medical 3D printing technology, to name a few developments that would have been just as believable in a science fiction novel a few years ago. But with Dowling’s leadership, nothing is out of reach at Northwell Health.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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Photo courtesy of World Poker Tour

Congratulations to Northwell Health President and CEO

Michael Dowling and CareConnect CEO

Alan Murray on being named to this year’s Long Island Press Power List. We’re so proud of all you’ve accomplished. Northwell Health family

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST first time on the list

Patrick Dolan

Newsday Media Group & News 12 Networks President

Many wondered aloud what would become of News 12 and Newsday when the story broke that the Dolan family was selling the news outlets’ parent company, Bethpagebased Cablevision Systems Corp., to Altice, the Europeanbased global telecommunication conglomerate. Then last year came word that Pat Dolan, the longtime president of News 12 Networks—who’s occasionally seen reporting a story himself—would not only remain in that post, but had also bought a majority stake in Newsday Media Group, ascending to president of both news agencies. In effect, Pat kept the biggest local media outlets on Long Island in local hands, even if their new parent company was based overseas. Even critics of the virtual local news monopoly cheered the move, which made Pat LI’s most powerful media mogul.

Hall Of Fame class of 2013

Scott Rechler RXR Realty CEO & Chairman

For years, Scott Rechler has eschewed the limelight despite his involvement in some of the most high-profile real estate developments in New York and Long Island. Rechler is CEO and chairman of RXR Realty, LLC, which controls 25 million square feet of real estate in the Tri-State area worth more than $15 billion. Rechler’s properties are jewels in the world of real estate, and he is widely seen as the architect of some of the most successful deals in the region. Part of what makes him unique in the ego-driven world of New York real estate is his low-key demeanor and genuine desire to improve the quality of life of the residents in the communities where he owns property. Rechler is not only on the short list of people whom Gov. Andrew Cuomo trusts, but he even had the gravitas to broker a recent meeting between then-President-elect Trump and Martin Luther King III to promote voting rights on behalf of the Drum Major Institute, a progressive policy think tank the civil rights icon’s son heads. It’s this type of finesse that embodies Rechler’s political acumen and is likely the reason why his next act—developing Garvies Point in Glen Cove—is bound to be even more impressive, considering the rampant NIMBY mentality on Long Island that scorches large-scale development of any kind.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST 2016 Hall of Fame Inductee

Seymour Liebman

Canon U.S.A., Inc. Executive VP, Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel

Since he first joined the company in 1974, Seymour Liebman has proved he has the vision to take Canon U.S.A., Inc. from one century into the next. He’s overseen a key expansion of products and services that has kept this innovative corporation on the cutting edge of not just the imaging industry, but biotech and biomed as well. From its 700,000-square-foot headquarters in Melville—which he supervised the construction of—the workforce has grown to more than 1,600 employees. Along the way, Liebman became Canon, Inc.’s first non-Japanese employee to be named a managing executive officer. Fortune Magazine ranked Canon as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies in 2016, undoubtedly in no small part due to his masterful stewardship. Among Liebman’s many achievements, he’s vice chairman of Canon Solutions America, Inc., and serves on the Board of Directors of Canon Biomedical, which is devoted to revolutionizing biomedical research through technological breakthroughs. He’s on the Board of Governors of the Touro Law Center, Information Technology Industry Council, and along with fellow Power Lister Bruce Stillman, co-chairs LI Bio, a committee of the Long Island Association serving as a platform to help expand Long Island’s burgeoning sector of companies focused on biotechnology, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and life sciences. With Liebman guiding the way, Canon U.S.A. continues its legacy of innovation, creating products that not only touch countless lives, but make this world a better place in the process.

Hall Of Fame class of 2013

Stuart Rabinowitz Hofstra University President

2016 Long Island Press Power List

It was another good year for Stuart Rabinowitz and the Hofstra family. On short notice, the university, the largest private higher learning institution on the Island, played host to a U.S. presidential debate. In the process, Hofstra earned the designation as being the only university to host three such debates in consecutive elections. Rabinowitz, the university’s shepherd for nearly two decades, continues to raise Hofstra’s public image, even as his role on the Island has evolved. Rabinowitz is a member of the board of directors for the Long Island Association, Accelerate Long Island, and the Long Island Regional Advisory Council on Higher Education. He also serves as co-chair of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, with fellow Long Island Power Lister Kevin Law. In this role, Rabinowitz identifies opportunities and projects best positioned to create jobs, now, and ensures these are advanced as quickly as possible to yield shortterm gains, while also laying the groundwork for growth in the long-term. Through his endeavors both in and out of academia, Rabinowitz strengthens Long Island, shaping our youth, and inspiring our future.

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Congratulations to SEYMOUR LIEBMAN on being inducted into the Long Island Press Power List Hall of Fame.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions, and is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2016, its parent company, Canon Inc., ranked third overall in patent holdings in the U.S. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEEDÂŽ Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings.

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Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel, Canon U.S.A., Inc.; Senior Executive Officer, Canon Inc.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST

Hall Of Fame class of 2008

Tom DiNapoli New York State Comptroller

As the sole trustee, overseer and manager of New York State’s $179 billion pension fund, Tom DiNapoli has direct impact on the lives of more than 1 million members, retirees and beneficiaries. He’s responsible for ensuring the fund not only meets annual performance benchmarks and for mitigating security risks, but also that investment practices and policies adhere to the highest levels of ethical conduct and transparency. On the latter note, DiNapoli has made it one of the most transparent and accountable public pension funds in the country, by instituting a series of policies and regulatory reforms that bolster its fundamental integrity, strengthen its oversight, and further safeguard its assets and investments. DiNapoli takes ethics and transparency so seriously, in fact, that he’s extended these tenets to agencies and municipalities throughout the state, conducting audits that forensically analyze their fiscal protocols, actions, and, through a wide range of publicly accessible databases online, enable taxpayers to probe how their hard-earned funds are being put to use. From a “Fiscal Stress Monitoring System” assessing the financial health of school districts, to “Open Book New York” providing useful insights about local government spending, state contracts, and state expenditures, to an “Unclaimed Funds” portal to check if residents are owed “lost” monies, DiNapoli informs—and empowers—everyday citizens to hold local and state officials and agencies accountable. That’s true power.

First time on the list

Madeline Singas Nassau County District Attorney

This was Singas’ first full year on the job after upsetting former Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray in a closely watched election. Singas at the outset promised to be tough on corruption following the high-profile conviction of ex-New York State Sen. Dean Skelos, whose case focused heavily on Nassau’s beleaguered contracting system. Seven months into her tenure, Singas released a damning report in which she characterized the county’s broken contracting process as “the product of no one administration or political party, but instead the result of years of neglect, ineffectual, surface-level reforms, and a regrettable failure to learn from past failings.” She also provided a list of eight recommendations, including the establishment of an independent County Inspector General who would have broad investigative authority. In the meantime, Singas, a career prosecutor, continues to take on criminals of all forms, and ensure that no Long Islander, no matter their title or connections, is above the law.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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We proudly join with the

Long Island Press in saluting the

Most InďŹ&#x201A;uential Long Islanders of 2016 including our president,

Stuart Rabinowitz Educator, Innovator, Leader

hofstra.edu

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2 0 1 6 L o n g I s l a n d P r e s s P o w e r L i3/31/17 st 12:35 23PM

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST Hall Of Fame class of 2015

Stanley Bergman Henry Schein Chairman of the Board & CEO

Since joining the medical products wholesaler in 1980, Stanley Bergman, a Certified Public Accountant born in South Africa, has worn many hats for this widely acclaimed Fortune 500 company, which now boasts nearly 20,000 employees, and operates—either directly or through affiliates—in more than 33 countries, from Canada to New Zealand. The Melville-based healthcare giant has become a worldwide leader in providing lifesaving products and services, whether supplying the gloves dentists wear or developing the software veterinarians use to remind pet owners it’s time for their dogs’ checkup. Schein’s stock shares have risen 22 percent annually, on average, since 2000—a phenomenal rate of return. No doubt when Bergman signed a three-year contract extending his tenure as CEO last April, the stockholders all smiled with relief. They know Henry Schein is in good hands. Bergman remains active in the American Dental Association and the Forsyth Institute, a highly regarded oral health research institution. He also serves on the Board of Trustees at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, New York University College of Dentistry, the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, Tel Aviv University, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, and the Long Island Association. With his wife Marion, a pulmonologist, and their family, Bergman is an active supporter of programs that promote the arts, higher education and grassroots healthcare in the United States. He’s a firm believer in giving back to the community, and Long Island is fortunate to have him on board.

Hall Of Fame class of 2011

Peter King U.S. Representative

A member and former chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and currently the chairman of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, Peter King has earned his reputation as an outspoken and unapologetic voice on Capitol Hill, especially when it comes to national security issues. In 2011, the now-13-term Republican congressman led a series of controversial hearings into Muslim radicalization. Failed 2008 GOP presidential hopeful former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani recently credited King with co-authoring President Trump’s polarizing so-called “Muslim Ban” blocking Syrian immigrants and travelers from six other Muslim-majority countries to the United States. (Although he’s refuted that claim.) King’s also been a visible champion of the president’s recent bombing of Syria. He’s not afraid to go against his party’s wishes, however, when he disagrees on certain issues—and when policies will negatively affect his constituents. King publicly voiced concerns about the cost and coverage of the GOP’s ill-fated attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare prior to the collapse of an actual vote. Most recently, he’s called for the president and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer to broker political peace in order to further the commander-in-chief ’s legislative agenda with bipartisan support, reasoning that most Americans fall somewhere in the middle of the political spectrum as opposed to its fringes, and would therefore benefit the most from such a collaboration. King’s resounding victories at the ballot box, year after year, prove Long Islanders value him as an independent voice who will stick up for their values and support initiatives he believes are in their best interest.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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Congratulates the distinguished inductees to the

LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST HALL OF FAME It is with great pride that Team Schein celebrates the naming of

Stanley M. Bergman Chairman of the Board and Ceo of henry SChein, inC. as one of the top 50 moSt influential people on long iSland

Team Schein honors Long Island Pressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; outstanding contributions to informing, entertaining, inspiring, and sparking positive change for Long Island and beyond through your award-winning on-line news.

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST Hall Of Fame class of 2015

Samuel Stanley

Stony Brook University President

As leader of Long Island’s largest single-site employer and the region’s only public research university, Dr. Samuel Stanley’s influence is on the local economy, science, and of course, the academic achievements of the more the 25,000 students enrolled there. During his tenure, this distinguished biomedical researcher spearheaded the university’s most successful year of fundraising to help advance the institution’s mission. He was appointed to the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, working to improve the region’s economy with green technology and other initiatives. That’s in addition to serving on the boards of the SUNY Research Foundation, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Goodwill Industries of Greater NY and NJ, and the Long Island Association, plus chairing the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity. Most recently, in addition to collaborating with Brookhaven National Laboratory, he also inked a partnership with Mount Sinai Health System to collaborate on research projects, medical education and clinical trials. There’s no question: Stanley is relentless in his pursuit of excellence when it comes to Long Island.

Hall Of Fame class of 2015

Bruce Stillman Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory President & CEO

12 26

2016 Long Island Press Power List

From a bucolic setting overlooking Cold Spring Harbor, Dr. Bruce Stillman heads one of the most important research labs in the country, if not the world, in pursuing advances in molecular biology, neuroscience, genetics, autism and cancer treatment. To Stillman, science matters profoundly in the survival of humanity. With the economic development initiative Accelerate Long Island, he’s partnered with Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University to promote high-tech development here in a range of fields. He also helped found the New York Genome Center, an international consortium of academic, medical and industry leaders based in Manhattan. A native of Melbourne, Australia, Stillman started at the Laboratory as a post-doctoral fellow in 1979. Somehow he still finds time to keep his hand in the lab. He’s been studying how DNA is copied within cells before they divide, hoping to shed light on how rare genetic disorders occur, and may eventually be prevented. Under his guidance, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has become an incubator for more than 25 biotechnology startups and a key player in the biomedical sector of the Long Island economy. Last spring, Stillman launched the $75 million Center for Therapeutics Research to develop drugs to fight genetic diseases. The new facility involved renovating the Demerec Laboratory, built in 1953, where four of Cold Spring Harbor Lab’s eight Nobel Prize winners did their groundbreaking research. Once it’s completed next year, the center should be home to 30 new scientific staff and 25 world-class scientists. With Stillman leading the way, another Nobel Prize could be coming to Cold Spring Harbor in the near future.

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WE PROUDLY SALUTE POWER LIST HONOREE

Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD President, Stony Brook University

for his bold leadership on issues that impact the lives of those at Stony Brook, on Long Island and in the global community

AND CONGRATULATE ALL THE

2016 Long Island Press Power List Honorees

Stony Brook University/SUNY is an aï¬&#x192;rmative action, equal opportunity educator and employer. 17031484 longislandpress.com / powerlist

2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST first time on the list

Wayne Grossé Bethpage Federal Credit Union President & CEO

After serving Bethpage Federal Credit Union in senior executive management roles for almost two decades, Wayne Grossé was officially named president and CEO in 2015 after Kirk Kordeleski stepped down. The largest credit union in New York State and the Northeast, Bethpage boasts 250,000 members and almost $7 billion in assets. It employs more than 600 people and runs 33 branches in Nassau and Suffolk. Does Grossé have the magic touch? The credit union reported that it had record net income in 2016 of $61 million, adding that deposits grew 9 percent, proving that this Bayport resident is serving Long Islanders well. In honor of his outstanding contribution to improving the quality of life here, he was awarded the Family Service League’s Community Leadership Award. He serves on the Board of Directors of CO-OP Financial Services, a financial technology company supporting 3,500 credit unions, with 60 million members nationwide, and the Long Island Association. As another sign of his leadership and the supportive culture he’s helped create, Bethpage was named among the Best Companies to Work for in New York State, ranking 8th on the list. There’s another reason we can all look up to his credit union: The annual Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach, which will host the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds again this Memorial Day Weekend to kick off summer.

Hall Of Fame class of 2014

Charles Vigliotti 14

2016 Long Island Press Power List

American Organic Energy President

He made a fortune with what others threw away. Long Island Compost, the brainchild of Charles Vigliotti and his brother Arnold, became one of the largest and most successful producers of high-quality compost and engineered soils in the nation. Their product was pure and highly sought after by landscapers and consumers, who purchased tons of bagged mulch and compost throughout the region. Last year, the Vigliotti brothers inked a deal with Scotts Miracle-Gro to be the exclusive provider of their mulch and soil products on Long Island and the surrounding area. Most people who achieve Charles Vigliotti’s level of success are fairly content. Instead, Vigliotti spotted an opportunity to change the waste disposal game once again, and construct the most sophisticated anaerobic digester in the United States. His new company, American Organic Energy, has the support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, environmental organizations throughout New York, Brookhaven Town and its residents, and countless other stakeholders. Now that the permitting process is complete, Vigliotti is set to begin construction on a facility that will remove 180,000 tons from the waste stream and 40,000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere. It’s why he was the subject of the main New York Times Magazine feature on February 15 this year titled “The Compost King of New York.” Somehow, with more than 30 years in the waste management business, Charles Vigliotti is just getting started.

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

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Ritz Carlton Baltimore

TONH Community Center

FDNY

Morrelly Homeland Security

Congratulations To My Fellow Members of The 2016 Power List!

St. Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College Athletic Complex

Nassau Coliseum

Smithtown Solar Photovoltaics

Glen Oaks Campus

Garvies Point

John D. Cameron, Jr., P.E. Managing Partner

Sacred Heart Academy

Cameron engineering Hofstra/NSLIJ School of Medicine

Celebrating over 30 Years of exCellenCe in Planning & engineering

Bergen Point

Rubie Corporate Plaza

leed aCCredited Professionals

Floral Park Pool Complex

WoodburY, nY

neW York, nY

White Plains, nY

www.cameronengineering.com South Nassau Communities Hospital

Molloy College longislandpress.com / powerlist

Bookspan/Doubleday

Suffolk County Minor League Stadium

Museum of American Armor

North Shore Hebrew Academy

2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST on the list in 2015

Kimberly Cline Long Island University (LIU) President

As the tenth president—and the first woman—in Long Island University’s history, Kimberly Cline has strived to make this institution of higher learning one of the shining lights on the Island. She’s overseen its strongest operating results since it began more than 90 years ago, earning high ratings from Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, and putting the campus on the cultural map by offering a position to former Long Island Congressman Steve Israel. As distinguished writer-in-residence and chairman of the new Global Institute, he hosted Gen. Colin Powell at its inaugural event at LIU Post’s Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. Since 1949, LIU has been presenting the internationally acclaimed George Polk Awards, one of the most coveted journalistic honors the Fourth Estate can achieve, and a real credit to LIU’s dedication to free expression. At LIU, Cline has to oversee many moving parts simultaneously, with its facilities in Brooklyn and Brookville educating more than 20,000 students and offering 500 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs. Under her leadership, the university has remained focused on providing a high-quality education at an affordable price, keeping tuition rate increases at 2 percent or less through 2020. Forbes’ Investor’s Guide to College Admissions recognized LIU as one of 10 “hot colleges in the making” in 2016, crediting Cline’s “innovative management.” She continues to inspire her students to reach higher and dream bigger.

Hall Of Fame class of 2015

John Cameron Cameron Engineering & Associates Founder & Managing Partner

2016 Long Island Press Power List

Now in his 33rd year in business, John Cameron has led his firm to become our area’s premier leader in consulting engineering and planning, serving the public and private sectors throughout Long Island and the New York metropolitan area with state-of-the-art technical solutions to the most pressing problems of the day. In recognition of his expertise and insight, he chairs the Long Island Regional Planning Council, where he weighs in on important policy matters affecting our area, and he represents the Island on the New York Works Task Force, a 15-member group that seeks to improve infrastructure in the Empire State. An engineering graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, Cameron was named “Kings Pointer of the Year” last year, the highest alumni recognition awarded by his alma mater. He also holds a master’s degree in environmental science from Long Island University, and has an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Molloy College. He serves on the boards of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, the Hofstra University and Stony Brook University Engineering Schools, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association. A lifelong surfer, Cameron grew up in Long Beach, where he caught his first waves. Now he and his wife Loretta reside in Rockville Centre, as do their married children, and grandsons. For his philanthropic efforts and his dedication to improving the Island’s quality of life, Cameron and his firm have received many local, state and national awards over the years, but nothing can compare to his winning WNBC’s “Yankee Bat Boy for a Day” contest and getting to sit in the dugout with his childhood heroes, such as Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Whitey Ford. A dream come true, it still puts a smile on his face. His extraordinary ability to improve the lives of countless Long Islanders through Cameron Engineering & Associates’ many projects puts a smile across their faces, too.

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Long Island University is proud to congratulate

DR. KIMBERLY R. CLINE, President of LIU and all of the honorees of “Long Island’s 50 Most Influential People” on successfully improving our communities through their dedication, leadership, and achievements.

ONE OF 10 HOT COLLEGES IN THE MAKING UNDER INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT -Forbes

AACSB-accredited School of Business

The Princeton Review “Best Business Schools”

Ranked a College of Distinction

U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges in 2017

#1 in the East Ranked Best Collegiate Athletic Teams

liu.edu/post liupost longislandpress.com / powerlist

@liupost

@liupost 2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST Hall Of Fame class of 2008

Alfonse D’Amato

Park Strategies Founder & Managing Director / Former U.S. Senator

With a long history of public service in Nassau County and a distinguished, 18-year career under his belt as a member of the U.S. Senate, Alfonse D’Amato has built a vast network of local, state, national and international movers and shakers to call upon, who represent a wide and diverse range of industries and interests. As founder and managing director of powerhouse lobbying firm Park Strategies, the lifelong Republican utilizes these relationships to get things done for a wealth of clients spanning the telecommunications, transportation, healthcare, finance, defense, energy, real estate and tech sectors, among many others. He’s not afraid to cross party lines, or stand up for what he believes in, either—whether with cameo appearances at Nassau GOP election night galas to rail against the local media, or his headline-grabbing attempt this January to lead passengers in a walkout on a long-delayed JetBlue flight. (He was unceremoniously escorted off.) Respected, sought after, and in some circles, revered—D’Amato, through Park Strategies, continues to wield significant influence, in both politics and business, and always speaks his mind.

on the list in 2013, 2014 & 2015

Doon Gibbs

Brookhaven National Laboratory Director

Under the inspired leadership of Doon Gibbs, Brookhaven National Laboratory continues to be on the forefront of discovering the mysterious forces at work in our universe and expanding our understanding of the vast unknown. With an annual budget of more than $600 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (pre-President Trump) and some 3,000 talented scientists, engineers and support staff, he oversees some of the most advanced technology in America, including the National Synchrotron Light Source II, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Hard X-Ray Nanoprobe Beamline. And to think that those amazing devices are all just a few miles off Exit 68 on the Long Island Expressway. What’s just as amazing is that Gibbs can explain what all those contraptions actually do, a worthy achievement in itself. The Northeast Solar Energy Research Center at BNL is looking brighter by the day, and so is its Center for Functional Nanomaterials. A fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society, Gibbs is spearheading a veritable scientific revolution for all of mankind, right here on Long Island.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST

Hall Of Fame class of 2008

Richard Schaffer

Babylon Town Supervisor & Suffolk County Democratic Committee Chairman

Despite reports that he’s butted heads with his top-elected candidate, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, the Babylon Town Supervisor is simultaneously a kingmaker as head of the Suffolk Democratic Party. That’s also evident by the fact that Democrats have the majority in the county legislature. The steady drum beat of public corruption investigations, indictments and convictions may have made political waves across Long Island, but Schaffer, ever the dealmaker, is poised to keep a Democrat in the district attorney’s seat, one way or another. Will a voter backlash against last year’s election of President Donald Trump help Schaffer by replacing a few local Republican elected officials with Democrats this fall, adding to the chairman’s power base? Stay tuned. With Schaffer calling the shots, anything’s possible.

on the list in 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2015

Theresa Regnante

United Way of Long Island President & CEO

Theresa Regnante understands the plight of Long Island’s most vulnerable population, and uses her remarkable abilities to raise vast amounts of funding to offer relief to those who need it most. Under her leadership, United Way of Long Island has not only become a well-funded machine, it has transformed the way community problem-solving has traditionally been handled. The result is that United Way of Long Island has raised more than $15 million in government, corporate, and private foundation grants while entering into 125 partnerships with financial institutions, nonprofit organizations, the faith-based community, corporations, unions and other stakeholders, in an effort to coordinate more effective public initiatives covering a wide range of vital issues. Her goal is to ensure that every Long Island child has a quality education, every family has a stable income, and every individual has access to healthcare. In 2016, Regnante was honored for her contribution to the people of Long Island by L.I. Against Domestic Violence with an award recognizing her outstanding support, presented with the David S. Taub Award by the Safe Center L.I., earned the Grand Winner U.S. DOE National Housing Innovation Award, and was honored with a Brava Award from SmartCEOs as a top female business leader on Long Island. Regnante’s relentless pursuit of support for those in need is an inspiration to us all.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST Hall Of Fame class of 2013

Steve Bellone

Suffolk County Executive

Not often do you associate Democrats with policies intended to reduce the size of government to save already overburdened taxpayers from waste. Perhaps that’s why Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone cruised to victory two years ago. Or it could be his measures to improve water quality in Suffolk County by championing programs to reduce nitrogen pollution caused by its countless antiquated and leaky septic tanks, and replacing them with onsite wastewater treatment systems. Long Island’s precious waterways and vulnerable aquifers present constant challenges to elected officials, which makes such initiatives that much more important. Bellone has remained committed to adhering to the state’s tax cap and increasing economic development and community revitalization programs throughout the county to keep young people on Long Island.

first time on the list

Alan Guerci Catholic Health Services of Long Island President & CEO

2016 Long Island Press Power List

Alan D. Guerci, M.D., nationally known cardiologist and distinguished researcher, has been president and chief executive officer of Catholic Health Services of Long Island (CHS) since July 1, 2013. Previously, he was executive vice president for CHS and president and CEO of St. Francis Hospital, Mercy Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital. A highly respected physician with a commitment to excellence and keen financial stewardship, Dr. Guerci is well versed in hospital administration. From the board room to the operating room, he is fully dedicated to CHS’s mission of healing and providing the highest level of quality health care. In 1999, he assumed executive leadership for The Heart Center at St. Francis Hospital after serving as St. Francis’s executive vice president for medical affairs and director of research. Through his guidance, The Heart Center has combined top-notch expertise in cardiovascular medicine and unrivalled nursing and diagnostic imaging services. Before joining CHS, Dr. Guerci had been the director of the Coronary Care Unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital, as well as chairman of the Clinical Trials Review Committee of the Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. A longtime resident of Sea Cliff with his wife Leslie, Dr. Guerci makes sure that the physicians at Catholic Health Services have access to the most advanced medical tools available to provide the best in-patient care. He’s the reason why St. Francis Hospital is not only New York State’s sole specialty designated cardiac center, but also one of the leading cardiac care programs in the country. His heart’s in the right place, and his many talents keep countless Long Islanders’ ticking, too.

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For your total commitment to Catholic health care on Long Island. We salute our CEO, Dr. Alan Guerci.

CHS Suffolk Facility Logos V2

With warm congratulations to all of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s honorees.

St. Francis Diagnostic Catholic Health Services

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST

on the list in 2015

Alan Murray CareConnect Insurance Company, Inc. President & CEO / Northwell Health Office of Population Health Management Senior VP

As president and CEO of CareConnect, Alan Murray is the man steering one of the largest health insurance companies in the New York State exchange. Created by Northwell Health, the state’s largest private employer, CareConnect was ranked among the top five state marketplace insurers with the most enrollees. Murray oversees CareConnect’s strategic direction, as well as the insurer’s Medicare and Medicaid lines. If that’s not enough, Murray also serves as senior vice president of Northwell’s Office of Population Health Management, which is charged with coordinating cross-organizational activities. CareConnect members have access to the leading hospitals and doctors in the region, plus 100 urgent care centers across the state. Murray previously worked for UnitedHealthcare, where he was vice president of the New York market. During his time there, he was responsible for cultivating a network of 200-plus hospitals and tens of thousands of physicians. Long Island’s prognosis is always thumbs-up with Murray.

first time on the list

Joseph Ficalora New York Community Bancorp President, CEO & Director

2016 Long Island Press Power List

As the CEO and president of New York Community Bancorp, Joseph Ficalora heads the 22nd largest bank holding company in the country, with assets of $48.9 billion. He’s been the president of the Asset Management Fund-Large Cap Equity Fund since 2004, and president of New York Commercial Bank since 2005. He currently serves as a member of the American Bankers Council of the American Bankers Association and a director of the New York Bankers Association. He serves on the Boards of Directors of RSI Retirement Trust and Peter B. Cannel & Col, Inc., an investment advisory firm. Since 1990, he’s also been on the Board of Directors of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, the Foreign Policy Association, New York-Presbyterian/Queens and the Flushing Cemetery. Under his leadership, Bancorp evolved from a mutual savings bank with seven branches in Queens and Nassau into a publicly traded multi-bank holding company, with 255 branch offices serving consumers and businesses throughout the New York metropolitan area, as well as in New Jersey, Florida, Ohio and Arizona—and that also includes 225 branches of the Community Bank, the largest U.S. thrift. Ficalora has promoted the growth of his bank through a series of acquisitions that has made it one of the leading producers of multi-family loans on non-luxury, rent-regulated buildings in one of the largest cities in the world. Banking runs in Ficalora’s blood, and Long Islanders’ fiscal futures are more secure because of it.

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CareConnect proudly congratulates Alan Murray and Michael Dowling on being named to the 14th Annual Long Island Press Power List and salutes all the 2016 honorees.

CareConnect.com â&#x20AC;˘ 855-706-7545

CareConnect Insurance Company, Inc.

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST first time on the list

Steven Mendelsohn Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology CEO

Dr. Steven Mendelsohn first joined Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology in 1983 as a staff radiologist. Less than a decade later, he became the managing partner. But even now, as the CEO, his philosophy toward the medical industry has remained the same: He believes there is always room for tremendous improvement. Through his leadership along with his wife Dr. Susan Zwanger-Mendelsohn, ZwangerPesiri has grown to more than 20 locations. Along the way, it has pursued vigorous partnerships and inspiring collaborations with a wide range of providers in the healthcare field. From its founding in 1953, Zwanger-Pesiri has been regarded as one of the pioneers in the practice of radiology, with its emphasis on providing modern medical diagnostics in a caring and compassionate environment. Today, in virtually every facet of radiology, it has surpassed other hospital systems in the area. Dr. Mendelsohn ensures that a commitment to providing the highest quality services to patients never wavers, from their first appointment to the last. His team of knowledgeable, caring professionals is the top in their field. Thanks to his insight, Zwanger-Pesiri was a national show site for Siemens’ advanced MRI and CT systems, demonstrating this state-of-the-art technology to medical professionals around the country. As he once put it, these PET/MRI devices are “radiology’s answer to cancer.” In 2008, after the market crashed, he helped to set up Zwanger’s “Give Back Sundays” program, which offered completely free imaging for the uninsured and the indigent, and ended up uncovering at least 60 breast cancer cases in the grateful patients screened. Among Dr. Mendelsohn’s many varied interests are snowboarding, scuba diving and kayaking, but he says he considers his real accomplishments to be his family of six kids. He’s certainly contributed to the health and well-being of countless Long Islanders, who would not be alive today without the skills that Zwanger-Pesiri provides—and that’s no small credit to the dedication of Dr. Mendelsohn and his colleagues.

first time on the list

Christine Riordan

Adelphi University President

By any objective measure, Dr. Christine Riordan’s first year and a half as president of Adelphi University in Garden City was a resounding success. After taking over the private university in July 2015, Riordan personally led an effort to identify new opportunities for the university, and that pursuit of new and exciting ideas helped foster a resurgence resulting in a 40-percent increase in its freshman population. In the fall of 2016, Adelphi consequently welcomed its largest freshman class in its long history. Additionally, the college has created new academic programs and has made diversification a priority. Under Riordan’s leadership, Adelphi University has embraced innovation with open arms. And perhaps no greater example of this is Adelphi’s acclaimed Nexis Building, a 100,000-squarefoot facility housing the College of Nursing and Public Health. Riordan previously found success at the University of Kentucky, where she served as provost. During her time there, it boasted a student population of more than 30,000 and a budget of $3 billion. With Riordan at the helm, Adelphi’s future—and all of Long Island’s—grows brighter by the day.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST first time on the list

David Daly PSEG Long Island President & COO

Few people on this list wield power in both the literal and figurative sense as much as David Daly. Just three years into his utility’s 12-year contract running the region’s electric transmission and distribution system for the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), and Daly’s reputation as a productive, dependable, and trustworthy force working in the public’s best interest is already solidified. That’s no small feat. Tasked with fixing a system highly criticized in the wake of widespread blackouts and power outages wrought by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, Daly has not only risen to the occasion, but exceeded even perhaps some of the most-lofty expectations for his company. In the process, Daly has proven himself dedicated to Long Island’s residents, time and time again. He has the power over how long it takes to get the lights back on after a storm, and consequently, the ability to restore not just electricity, but hope. Now that’s true power.

first time on the list

Drew Bogner

Molloy College President

Since becoming president in 2000, Dr. Drew Bogner has taken great strides in transforming Molloy College in Rockville Centre—increasing its enrollment from 2,200 to almost 5,000 students today—and his worthwhile work has drawn national recognition. Recently, Money magazine named this Long Island academic institution the “#1 Value All-Star” in the country. Under Bogner’s leadership, Molloy College has expanded exponentially from its roots in nursing and education. It now offers programs in health-related fields, business and the arts, as well as many master‘s degree programs, and three doctoral programs. Aside from the completion of two new residence halls, he’s overseen the recent opening of the Barbara H. Hagan Center for Nursing and the Public Square student center, which houses the Madison Theatre, a 550-seat performance art venue that has hosted appearances by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as well as other state and national figures. Dr. Bogner, who holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and History of Education from the University of Kansas, is also active in the classroom at Molloy, teaching Japanese history and the history of the modern presidency. Before coming to Long Island, he was executive vice president for academic affairs at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas. He and his wife Karen and their two children reside in Rockville Centre. Among his many accomplishments, Bogner serves on the boards of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, the Dominican Higher Education Consortium, The Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation, and the Long Island Association. Bogner also supports Molloy’s Energeia Partnership, which brings together a diverse group from the Island’s public, private and nonprofit sectors to tackle our region’s most complex issues.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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PSEG Long Island congratulates our President and COO,

David M. Daly on being named one of

Long Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 50 Most Influential People. We sincerely thank the Long Island Press for this prestigious honor.

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

the law of possibilities Dorsey & Whitney LLP Congratulates Our Friend and Colleague

Seymour Liebman, Esq. Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel, Canon U.S.A., Inc. Dorsey lawyers across North America, Europe and Asia are always focused on whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible to help clients thrive. We provide local clients a global reach and global clients with local resources and relationshipsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; delivering the law of unlimited possibilities.

51 W. 52nd Street New York, New York 10019 (212) 415-9217

2016 Long Island Press Power List

d o r s e y. c o m

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Molloy College and Dr. Drew Bogner, President Congratulate

Long Island’s 50 Most Influential People at the

14th Annual #1 VALUE ALL-STAR IN THE NATION*

Long Island Press Powerlist Celebration Molloy College, an independent Catholic college based in Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York, was founded in 1955. The College serves a student population of approximately 4,900 undergraduate and graduate students. Molloy students can earn degrees in a variety of outstanding academic programs, including nursing, business, education, social work, music therapy and many more.

Founded by the Dominican Sisters of Amityville.

1-888-4-MOLLOY www.molloy.edu 1000 Hempstead Ave., PO Box 5002 Rockville Centre, NY 11571-5002 *From MONEY® Magazine, August 2016 © 2016 Time Inc. Used under license. MONEY and TIME Inc. are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, Molloy College.

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST 2016 Hall of Fame Inductee

Frederick Brewington Attorney

We feel sorry for anyone who’s named a defendant in a headline-grabbing civil rights lawsuit filed by Frederick Brewington. Just in the past year alone, the Hempstead-based lawyer won a $295,000 settlement from Nassau County for a politically motivated arrest that resulted in the firing of the former police commissioner, accused Valley Stream South High School administrators of failing to prevent a white student from attacking a black classmate in a racially motivated assault, and filed suit against white Garden City village police officers that allegedly beat a black former corrections officer they mistook for a suspect. But it’s not always just about winning money for his clients. Brewington’s cases sometimes also improve public policy. Look no further than the $7.7 million settlement he won for the family of Jo’Anna Bird, who was tortured and killed by her ex-boyfriend after Nassau County police failed to protect the victim, who had an order of protection against her killer. The settlement sparked police reforms intended to prevent such fatal failures from happening again in the future. Considering Brewington’s long-winning track record, his legal opponents would be well advised by their attorneys to warm up their settlement check-writing pens.

on the list in 2013, 2014 & 2015

Robert & James Coughlan

TRITEC Real Estate Company Co-Founders & Principals

With offices in East Setauket and Washington, D.C., this enterprising pair of brothers has come a long way since founding their company in 1986. They’ve certainly left their mark on Long Island as the principals of one of the most successful companies developing, constructing and managing real estate assets. Their New Village at Patchogue is an exemplary model of what a mixed-used development should be, with 291 residential units nesting above commercial space, and 18,000 square feet of office space above retail in a fully renovated 120-year-old building, all designed to make the downtown area come alive. Retail leasing has been heating up, with nearly 70 percent leased, and new openings and ribbon-cuttings there almost weekly. Thanks to their leadership at TRITEC, the Ronkonkoma Hub is not just on the drawing boards, it’s taking shape as a transit-oriented, mixed-use sustainable community development that will create jobs, add tax revenue, and become a destination for the region. And now they’ve got their got their sights focused on the Village of Lindenhurst, so we can expect more signs of progress coming soon. These extraordinary brothers are revitalizing and revolutionizing Long Island, one project and neighborhood at a time.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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CONSTRUCTION

DEVELOPMENT

www.tritecre.com

Congratulations to our fellow nominees on being named to the 2017 long island Press Power list www.tritecre.com longislandpress.com / powerlist

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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A T T O R N E Y S

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L O C A T I O N S

W O R L D W I D E˚

Congratulations Richard A. Rosenbaum and Greenberg Traurig proudly congratulate our friend Seymour Liebman for being recognized by Long Island Press as one of the 50 most influential Long Islanders. We admire your commitment to Long Island and the positive impact you have made on the business community. Congratulations to all of the influential Long Islanders.

Greenberg Traurig, LLP | MetLife Building | 200 Park Avenue | New York, NY 10166 | 212.801.9200

G R E E N B E RG T R A U R I G , L L P | AT TO R N E YS AT L AW | W W W.GT L AW.CO M Greenberg Traurig is a service mark and trade name of Greenberg Traurig, LLP and Greenberg Traurig, P.A. ©2015 Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Attorneys at Law. All rights reserved. Contact: Richard A. Rosenbaum in New York at 212.801.9200. °These numbers are subject to fluctuation. 26953

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST

on the list in 2015

John Flanagan New York State Senate Majority Leader

As New York State Senate majority leader, John Flanagan has ascended from chairman of the education committee to one of the powerful so-called “Three Men in the Room,” replacing his fellow Republican predecessor, the scandal-ridden Dean Skelos. Flanagan is in charge of setting the legislative agenda, wielding an enormous amount of influence on New Yorkers’ daily lives in the process. He succeeded in maintaining a GOP majority despite Democrats picking up a few seats in the 2016 election, including one more for Long Island. The namesake of his late father, who was an esteemed lawmaker, Flanagan has inherited a legacy he is working to honor—from protecting our drinking water to steering us toward more equitable distribution of state school aid for our districts. No matter the decision or piece of legislation before him, Long Islanders can rest assured this hometown hero has constituents’ best interests in mind.

first time on the list

Timothy Sini

Suffolk County Police Commissioner

Some questioned Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone’s decision to appoint a police commissioner that was a former federal prosecutor, not a police officer, who, at age 36, was the youngest to lead the department in its history. Sini’s loss as a first-time candidate to the county legislature’s GOP minority leader shortly before his nomination to the post smacked of politics as usual at a time when the department was reeling from scandal. But the new commish made quick work of cleaning up the mess left by James Burke, the former police chief serving federal prison time for beating a suspect and covering it up. Sini repaired federal investigative partnerships that Burke soured. Embodying his commitment to transparency, the new top cop regularly holds news conferences touting his department’s work. And along the way, he’s more than convinced critics that he’s more than up for the job.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST first time on the list

John Barres Diocese of Rockville Centre Bishop

Bishop John O. Barres is no stranger to New York’s faithful. Pope Francis’ pick to lead the sixth-largest diocese in the nation was born in upstate Larchmont, and has fond memories of visiting Long Island throughout his childhood. Whether on Long Island or in Allentown, Pa., where he served prior to replacing Bishop William Murphy, who led the Rockville Centre Diocese for 15 years, Barres shares his devotion to Christ and the Catholic Church’s teachings through love and understanding. At his introduction to Long Islanders in December, Barres spoke passionately about parish life and the power of people to make a difference in the world. A Princeton University graduate, he was ordained in 1989. The fifth bishop to lead the Diocese of Rockville Centre, this extraordinary holy man is now shepherding a congregation encompassing 1.4 million Catholics and 56 schools. He does so guided by the Holy Spirit, with our utmost faith in his mission.

Hall Of Fame class of 2013

Resi Cooper CooperHill LLC President

2016 Long Island Press Power List

Quiet, unassuming, ever-present, but never heavy-handed—Resi Cooper has a way of being in the middle of some really important things without drawing much attention to herself. When the Long Island Association wanted to get a collaborative program off the ground with the region’s major research organizations in order to give a boost to Long Island’s tech sector, it was Cooper who was tasked with organizing Accelerate Long Island. She appeared on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council, working alongside many of the Island’s top CEOs and powerbrokers to determine projects of regional significance. And when Hillary Clinton made her most recent presidential bid, she tapped Cooper—her Long Island aide when she was senator—to run the New York operation. Some viewed this as an obvious move, when in fact it was anything but. It had been a full decade since Cooper worked with then-Sen. Clinton, having struck out on her own to form CooperHill, LLC, a boutique political consulting firm that has flourished under her tenure. Politics and conspiracy theories aside, the Democratic former U.S. Secretary of State did win the popular vote by an impressive margin of nearly 3 million votes. So regardless of who currently occupies the White House, Cooper has proven, once again, that she delivers for her clients, every single time, no matter the odds stacked against them.

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST Hall Of Fame class of 2010

Kevin Law

Long Island Association President & CEO

Kevin Law has to be one of luckiest Long Islanders ever. He gets to host entertaining discussions on stage with the likes of Eli and Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Mitt Romney and Gen. Colin Powell, and the Long Island business community obviously like what they hear, because they keep coming back for more. As the leading advocate for this vital sector, Law is committed to making our economic climate amenable to job growth, private investment and social progress. Under his tutelage, the LIA works tirelessly to make the Island a great place to live, work and visit. And Law doesn’t sugarcoat our problems. He focuses his attention on them like a laser beam. Whether it’s stiflingly high property taxes or too many families falling below the federal poverty line, he’s not afraid to tell it like it is, drawing federal, state and local government attention on these issues. Recently, he helped form the Right Track for Long Island Coalition with major organizations, institutions, businesses and individuals to support Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s LIRR Enhancement Project, which involves adding a third track on the main line between Floral Park and Hicksville, because Law knows how important it is to make the Island competitive in the 21st century. After all, the two existing tracks were laid down in 1844. So, Law believes that it’s way past time for moving this project forward. After helping to found LI-BIO, he’s now leading the efforts to create a research corridor on LI to help innovative companies to take root here and flourish. No doubt about it, when it comes to moving the Island forward, he’s the man.

on the list in 2015

Isma Chaudhry islamic Center of Long Island President

Dr. Isma Chaudhry has made quite the imprint on Long Island. As the first-ever female president of the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury, Chaudhry is the leading voice for Long Island’s diverse MuslimAmerican community, which includes immigrants from various Middle Eastern countries and Africa. Born in Pakistan, Chaudhry’s grassroots efforts began when she developed a program for educators to help them better understand Islamic culture and religious practices. She took control over the ICLI’s interfaith efforts years ago, and has only bolstered the mosque’s credentials ever since. When other religious denominations express interest in having a Muslim voice on panels, it’s Chaudhry who takes on the responsibility of educating people about her religion and echoing the concerns of many other Muslims on Long Island about heightened Islamophobia in the United States. To address anti-Islam rhetoric and antiimmigrant fervor, Chaudhry has spearheaded efforts to hold public events in which various stakeholders address these concerns and offer solutions. Nowadays, Chaudhry’s mission is more important than ever.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST on the list in 2012

John F. Collins Winthrop-University Hospital President & CEO

Under the guidance of John F. Collins, Winthrop-University Hospital has become nationally recognized for the high quality of its healthcare professionals and the sophistication of its medical technology. Now affiliated with NYU Langone Health System, NYU Winthrop Hospital, its new name, has nurtured a culture of caring and a sense of community epitomized by their motto: “Your health means everything.” Collins embodies his institution’s commitment to the integrity, comfort and well-being of every patient and the conviction that advancing medical education and research are vital to providing the highest quality of care. U.S. News & World Report named Winthrop as one of the best hospitals in the New York metropolitan area for 2016-17, citing eight high-performing specialties, including gastroenterology and neurosurgery, and five conditions of exceptional common care, including colon cancer and heart bypass. Its distinguished record of clinical excellence is a tribute to its leadership, and that starts with Collins at the top, who first joined the institution in 1997. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater New York Hospital Association, and is an active member of the Region 2 Planning Council of the American Hospital Association.

on the list in 2015

Linda Armyn Bethpage Federal Credit Union Senior VP of Corporate Affairs

Throughout our history, great American communities have thrived in no small part because local companies gave back. They sponsored ballfields, schools and the arts. They filled in the spaces local government couldn’t reach, and understood that a community was only as strong as the health and welfare of its residents. Today, many corporations talk about community involvement and charitable initiatives. Some even have year-end philanthropy and sustainability reports. Bethpage Federal Credit Union, on the other hand, has a living, breathing, walking and talking community outreach initiative in the human form of Linda Armyn. Since 2001, Armyn has been a constant at BFCU and a change agent for good on Long Island. Considering her affiliations and number of responsibilities in her purview, 2001 is also the last year Armyn slept. The Bethpage Federal Credit Union Air Show at Jones Beach has become the seminal event on Long Island. The ballpark that the Long Island Ducks call home is also named after BFCU. Countless festivals, local art shows, mentoring programs and more have been fueled by BFCU, and its employees have helped feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and care for the needy. At the center of it all is Armyn, and Long Island is beyond lucky to have her.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST Hall Of Fame class of 2011

Sal Ferro Alure Home Improvements President & CEO

Over the years we’ve ignored Sal Ferro’s requests to minimize his philanthropic activities. We’re not supposed to talk about how easy it is to pull his heartstrings or how many people have come to rely on his generosity of spirit. We’ve decided to finally honor his request and only talk about his business, Alure Home Improvements. We won’t mention how he still stays in touch with several of the families Alure Home Improvements helped during the days of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. We certainly won’t talk about his involvement in The Townwide Fund of Huntington, Fight for Charity, Clark Gillies Foundation, or the Interfaith Nutrition Network (INN). And you can bet we’re not even touching the cult-like atmosphere of his company, where employees are considered family members and often volunteer their time and expertise in support of Alure’s many charitable initiatives. Instead, we’re simply going to leave you with this: According to Remodeling Magazine, Alure Home Improvements is the second-largest full-service home remodeling company in the United States.

Hall Of Fame class of 2015

Jeffrey Reynolds

Family and Children’s Association President & CEO

Anyone who even casually pays attention to the Long Island heroin and opioid addiction crisis has likely seen or heard Reynolds discussing the issue in any of the hundreds of news stories in which he’s been quoted on the subject. Last year, he formed a strategic alliance between Family and Children’s Association (FCA)—one of the largest health and human services organizations on Long Island—and the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD), the nonprofit he used to lead. Since taking over FCA, he’s expanded his reach and responsibilities into helping people with vulnerabilities besides the disease of addiction, adding to his clout as an advocate for downtrodden locals. And despite the new job, he’s still very much leading the charge in fighting Long Island’s war on drugs. Reynolds has used his positions to help countless people in need—and that’s the mark of true power.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST on the list in 2014 & 2015

Jeanette Deutermann Long Island Opt-Out Founder

The queen of the Opt-Out Movement on Long Island, Jeanette Deutermann has proven fearless, determined, and smart. In her endless quest to topple the state-run education nightmare that is threatening public education, Deutermann has not only created the templates for state test refusals, but has become more and more political behind the scenes, unleashing a task force of advocates who work tirelessly to fill seats on local school boards, in the New York Assembly, Senate and—someday—in the governor’s mansion. She has fielded calls from Gov. Andrew Cuomo personally to her cell phone on the soccer field, asking her how he should address education in his State of the State address, and is still the main lightning rod for the movement. With education a hot-button topic and the most publicly contested U.S. Secretary of Education now dictating national policy, Long Island’s parents are looking to Deutermann more than ever before to push the people in charge to right the ship and ensure the brightest educational future possible for not just local students, but all those throughout the state.

first time on the list

Michael White Temple Sinai of Roslyn Senior Rabbi

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

Rabbi Michael White has long been at the forefront of interfaith outreach on Long Island, and continues to pursue unity between people of different faiths. The senior rabbi at Temple Sinai of Roslyn, White previously served in California before coming to Long Island. While leading his congregation is chief among his duties, White takes his role as a spiritual vessel for the greater Long Island community seriously: He is the vice-chair of the National Joint Commission on Social Action, chair of the Central Conference of the American Rabbis Justice and Peace Committee, and is a member of the President’s Advisory Board of the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the State University of New York-College at Old Westbury Foundation. White has a finger on the pulse of the community, and is especially gifted at identifying when it’s important to intervene and become involved in issues affecting Long Islanders. After last year’s hotly contested presidential election, White convened a meeting with his counterparts in the Muslim community and helped organize a forum focusing on religious tolerance, in which elected officials, law enforcement, and religious leaders gathered to learn from each other and show solidarity. As a result, community leaders plan to hold similar meetings going forward.

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CONGRATULATIONS to

SEYMOUR LIEBMAN for being named to the Long Island Press Hall of Fame from your friends at Fitzpatrick

    

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST first time on the list

Kevin O’Connor Bridgehampton National Bank President & CEO

As president and chief executive officer of Bridge Bancorp and its wholly owned subsidiary Bridgehampton National Bank, Kevin O’Connor has shown how important community banking can be. With its commitment to the East End of Long Island and total assets of $4.1 billion (including $2.9 billion in deposits), the bank has become a bulwark for fostering stability and growth in this region. It figures that O’Connor got his banking chops working for North Fork Bank, starting in 1987, and rising through the ranks to become executive vice president and treasury before coming on board in 2007. He’s always been a hands-on manager, whether he’s talking with Bridgehampton’s customers about their businesses or his senior management team and the Board of Directors about lending strategy. O’Connor is involved with both the bank’s investment portfolio and its wholesale funding activities, including mergers and acquisitions. A resident of Rocky Point, he’s also been a sports coach (he and his wife Mary have three sons) and past president of the Suffolk County Council of the Boy Scouts. He’s currently on the American Red Cross on Long Island Board of Directors, as well as the board of the New York State Bankers Association. An alumnus of Adelphi University’s School of Business, O’Connor tells students: “You have to wake up on Monday morning and be happy to go to work. If you wake up on Monday and you just can’t wait for Friday to come, you are in the wrong line of business— whatever business that is.” Obviously, with another year of record earnings on the books, O’Connor enjoys his work immensely.

on the list in 2013, 2014 & 2015

Andrew Stepanian

Balestra Media Creative Director / The Sparrow Project Co-Founder

Andrew Stepanian, co-founder of Sparrow Media Project, a grassroots publicity and creative direction forum with a subversive touch, is the creative mind galvanizing myriad progressive causes and working tirelessly to amplify messaging for local, regional, and national activist groups. The indefatigable Stepanian serves as a much-needed megaphone for those without a voice, and dedicates his time to helping rally people around important issues, whether it’s the environment, animal rights, Islamophobia, criminal justice, youth imprisonment, government secrecy, whistleblowers, or any number of others that require immediate attention. As the creative director for Balestra Media, Stepanian melds the realms of art and activism, weaponizing his passions and contempt for the unjust to champion such causes as justice for U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning, for example, who was sentenced to 35 years for leaking hundreds of thousands of U.S. military and State Department records that exposed, among other revelations, the massacres of unarmed civilians and journalists. (President Obama commuted Manning’s sentence before leaving office.) Stepanian has a gift for spreading marginalized groups’ messages across social media akin to igniting a type of digital wildfire, and since President Donald Trump’s election victory, has lent these talents to a number of “resistance” organizations, raising awareness and mobilizing the populace to action against a number of the new commander-in-chief ’s controversial policies. Stepanian illuminates the power of the people, and in our book, that’s the most important role someone can play.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST on the list in 2014 & 2015

DuWayne Gregory Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer

DuWayne Gregory, a U.S. Army veteran who’s served as a county lawmaker representing the southwestern corner of Suffolk since 2008, is the first African American to lead the county legislature. In addition to overseeing his famously independent panel, last fall he proved yet again he’s a fighter, when he unsuccessfully tried to unseat pugilistic 13-term U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), the dean of Long Island’s congressional delegation. Yet Gregory is not one to play politics simply to play politics. He remains commited to attaining the very best for his constituents—evidenced by the fact that even the legislature’s Republican minority leader has complimented Gregory on his even-handedness. Since he clearly has ambitions for higher office, even though he’s nearing his term limit, don’t expect this extraordinary lawmaker to retreat from public service anytime soon. He cares too much about improving the lives of everyday Long Islanders.

Hall Of Fame class of 2013

Gary Melius Oheka Castle Owner

For a man in the high castle, Gary Melius is a remarkably low-key guy. He lovingly oversees the legendary home of Otto Kahn in Huntington, where he’s lived for years since saving the faux French chateau from the wrecker’s ball in 1984. With a Midas touch, Melius has turned the majestic digs into the premier first-class destination for weddings and glamorous events on Long Island. It’s also been the setting for TV shows and movies over the years, too, including the exterior of Charles Foster Kane’s Xanadu in Orson Welles’ classic Citizen Kane. Although that occurred long before Melius took charge, he knows how to put Oheka in the cultural spotlight. In 2014 Taylor Swift shot her wildly popular “Blank Space” music video at the castle. Thanks to Melius, this grand venue has become the nexus of an impressive network of connections with the rich and powerful in our region, some of whom have been known to show their hands at a regular weekly poker game in what’s affectionately known as “The Dungeon.” More recently, Melius has opened a popular bar and restaurant at the castle that is routinely packed. Whatever the future holds for Oheka, it’s a sure bet that Gary Melius’s contribution to the cultural legacy of Long Island will always be remembered.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST on the list in 2010 & 2011

John Jay LaValle Suffolk County Republican Committee Chairman

Don’t call it a comeback—he’s been here for years. Despite his youthful looks and high-octane personality, John Jay LaValle has been a fixture in Suffolk County politics for two decades. With his signature smile and bare-knuckle management style, LaValle is the formidable chairman of the Suffolk County GOP and a former Brookhaven Town Councilman and Supervisor. He’s crafted a standout career in political circles with an impressive winning streak in recent years, taking back several local and state seats, as well as the first congressional district. In the presidential election, when most GOP leaders were either running for the hills, or, at a minimum, distancing themselves from the national slate, LaValle bet long on Donald Trump. True to his outspoken demeanor, he supported now-President Trump loudly and effectively from the early days of the campaign, becoming a stalwart on national television in support of his candidate. A few months later, Chairman LaValle would see the fruits of his prescient labor firsthand, with an early ride up the famed Trump Tower elevator during the presidential transition. Suffolk County Republicans know they’ve got a leader who shares their values and strives tirelessly to maximize their legislative implementation and reach.

first time on the list

Joselo Lucero Hagedorn Foundation Outreach Coordinator

This local advocate is all the more vocal in the face of President Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric that many perceived as xenophobic, the president’s promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the new administration’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. Last year, when then-candidate Trump stopped to give a speech to Republican faithful in Patchogue just blocks from where Joselo’s brother, Marcelo Lucero, was slain by a group of teenagers, Joselo was among those on the frontlines rallying against Trump’s immigration policy positions. Considering such policies have the side effect of driving undocumented immigrants underground and inhibiting them from reporting when they’re victims of crimes for fear of being deported—making the job of police harder and the public less safe as a result—Lucero’s efforts to call for peace in his brother’s name is needed now more than ever.

2016 Long Island Press Power List

longislandpress.com / powerlist

2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST

Hall Of Fame class of 2008

Thomas Spota Suffolk County District Attorney

Sure, his office is reportedly under federal investigation for helping cover up crimes for politically connected friends—the ultimate irony for a prosecutor who made headlines for convicting crooked lawmakers after he was first elected. True, his former protégé, James Burke, the disgraced ex-Suffolk police chief, is serving federal prison time for beating a suspect for unsuspectedly stealing his duffel bag loaded with porn and sex toys, then covering it up. And yes, numerous Suffolk County lawmakers have called for Spota to resign. But since Spota has refused, he remains the top-elected law enforcement official in Suffolk, clinging to his waning days of power. Will he run for re-election this fall? He hasn’t said as of press time, but it’s doubtful, considering the dark cloud over him. So don’t be surprised if his fall from the top of this list to the bottom turns out to be a harbinger of his unceremonious retirement.

first time on the list

Jim Condron 50

2016 Long Island Press Power List

Connoisseur Media Long Island Senior VP Regional Strategy & Long Island Market Manager

Perhaps the best part of notifying Jim Condron of his appointment to the Power List this year was his repeated attempts to downplay his many roles and responsibilities. As senior vice president, Regional Strategies of Connoisseur Media, Condron is the face of the largest and most successful radio broadcasting group on the Island. Prior to this role, he served as general manager of WALK radio, which was one of the most successful radio stations in the region. Condron is widely regarded as a fun and unassuming team player, a reputation he solidified with the Press writers, as he seemed almost embarrassed to be singled out. While his radio career is certainly impressive, he is also one of the partners at The Paramount, which has quickly become a beloved venue on Long Island (unless you’re trying to park in Huntington Village during one of their shows) and regionally. Condron has managed to bring a little bit of cool back into an old medium, with the construction of a radio broadcast booth overlooking the street in front of the venue. What Condron may or may not realize is that by bringing back a little bit of cool to radio and incredible rock shows at The Paramount, he has helped Long Island salvage a little bit of rock and roll “street-cred,” as well.

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2016 Long Island Press Power List

2016 LONG ISLAND PRESS POWER LIST

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