Leadership

• Raju Mann
• President & Chief Executive Officer
• Appointed in 2023

Raju Mann is an urban planner who has worked on planning, housing, parks, and infrastructure challenges for almost 20 years in New York City. He joins BPCA from design and engineering firm Arup, where he was an Associate Principal and the City Planning Leader for the East Coast working on transportation, housing policy, and climate adaptation projects. Prior to Arup, Raju was the Director of Land Use and Deputy Chief of Staff for the New York City Council, where he led a team of planners and lawyers working with Council Members, City agencies, and communities to develop planning strategies for neighborhoods across New York City.

Raju grew up in Morningside Heights and now lives in Brooklyn. He received his BA in Philosophy from Columbia University and his MA in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan. He is a board member of MoMA PS1 and on the advisory board of the New York Housing Conference.

• DONALD CAPOCCIA
• Chairman
• Confirmed June 15, 2011; Elected Chair October 25, 2023

Donald Capoccia is the managing principal and founder of BFC Partners, a real estate development company that has been involved in the planning, development and construction of some 12,500 units of housing in New York City with a combined value of $4.5B. His projects also include approximately 2,000,000SF of neighborhood retail and community facility uses. Mr. Capoccia began his development and construction activities in New York City in 1982, just prior to the completion of a Masters Degree Program in Urban Planning at Hunter College, and after completing a BA in Urban Studies from the University of Buffalo in 1979. Mr. Capoccia and BFC have focused predominately on the production of affordable housing, investing in a concentrated geographic strategy that has helped spur the resurgence of key New York City neighborhoods; the East Village, East Harlem, Williamsburg and Downtown Brooklyn. Mr. Capoccia has pioneered the production, and promoted the importance of affordable home ownership opportunities to these neighborhoods.

• Martha J. Gallo
• Vice Chair
• Confirmed June 19, 2018

Martha is a senior executive with over 30 years of experience at some of the world’s largest and most complex global financial institutions. She is a strategic leader, problem solver and collaborator.

In her latest role at AIG she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, leading technology strategy and operations worldwide. Martha joined AIG in 2015 as Chief Auditor, where she transformed the Audit operating model by promoting more active stakeholder engagement during global change initiatives, and set up an organization with a proven track record of delivering measurable, sustainable results that drive business performance.

Prior to AIG, Martha spent three decades at JPMorgan, where she drove the creation and execution of strategies to transform disparate teams and infrastructures to achieve simplified and high-performing outcomes in audit, compliance, credit risk, technology and operations. She also played a leadership role in all of the merger and integration efforts that are now part of the JPMorgan Chase operating platform.

Martha is a graduate of Cornell University, with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies and a M.B.A. in Accounting and Finance. Martha has a longstanding commitment, both personally and professionally, to the advancement of women and girls and serves as Board Co-Chair of the Women’s Refugee Commission. She believes passionately that women’s contributions play a critical role in the community, business and government.

• LESTER PETRACCA
• Member
• Confirmed June 20, 2013

As President of Triangle Equities, Lester Petracca has transformed a family owned business, which began in 1916 as a specialized construction firm, into a thriving, successful, full-service real estate company. Triangle Equities opened its doors in 1992, specializing in public/private partnerships developing real estate throughout New York. These successful projects include the recent development of Triangle Junction, a 300,000 square foot Target anchored center in the heart of Brooklyn, contributing to the revitalization of the Flatbush Avenue retail corridor. Additionally, Triangle had previously worked with the City and local community groups to bring both Triangle Plaza and Triangle Center to the Queens neighborhood of College Point, creating retail and entertainment projects that were also catalysts for revitalization.These are just a few of Triangle Equities’ projects which illustrate the success of working hand in hand with public entities and community groups. Triangle continues to create, own, manage and operate quality developments throughout the New York Metropolitan area. Mr. Petracca prides himself in working closely with the communities in which he invests and develops. He actively contributes to: Queens Chamber of Commerce, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, Flatbush Development Corporation, College Point Board of Trade, YMCA, American Cancer Society, MS Society, Queens Child Guidance, Queens Theater in the Park, Tuesdays Children, and Manhasset Police Athletic League. Mr. Petracca has successfully built a business based on sincerity, respect and loyalty. Triangle has consistently grown with Mr. Petracca’s leadership that initiates hard work and dedication.

• CATHERINE McVAY HUGHES
• Member
• Confirmed June 20, 2017

Catherine McVay Hughes served 20 years on Manhattan Community Board 1, more than half that time as Chair or Vice-Chair. She also chaired its World Trade Center Redevelopment Committee for seven years. She has been a leader in caring for the community by working with diverse community and labor groups, elected officials and governmental agencies at City, State and Federal levels. After Superstorm Sandy, she was appointed Co-Chair of New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program for Southern Manhattan and is a founding member of CB1’s “Manhattan Tip” Resiliency Task Force and a member of the NY/NJ Metropolitan Storm Surge Working Group. She was also appointed to the Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment External Advisory Council, Climate Coalition for Lower Manhattan: FiDi-Seaport Resilience Master Plan, CERES Presidents Council, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and South Street Seaport Museum Board. She also served on the Earth Institute at Columbia University Advisory Board, Downtown Alliance Board of Directors, The Trust for Governors Island, The Battery Conservancy Board of Trustees, Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board and US EPA WTC Expert Technical Panel.

McVay Hughes has a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1987) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Princeton University (1982).

• Anthony Kendall
• Member
• Confirmed June 20, 2018

Anthony “Tony” S. Kendall was elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mitchell & Titus, LLP, the nation’s largest minority controlled accounting and consulting firm in 2009. As Chief Executive Office he is responsible for the vision, leadership and strategic direction of the firm.

Tony has approximately 30 years’ experience providing professional services to Fortune 500 companies and various industries, including telecommunications, financial services, technology, hospitality, multimedia and entertainment. His clients also include emerging market entities, partnerships, private foundations and the Federal government. Tony has provided advisory services including investigative and dispute resolution services, wind-down accountings and expert witness testimony for a number of corporations and professional service firms.

Tony earned an MBA in Finance and Taxation and a B.S. in Accounting from Binghamton University, and he graduated from Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program. He is a Certified Public Accountant in New York, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee and in several other states. Tony is also a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Tony is the Audit Committee Chairperson for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and the National Urban Fellows. His civic and community involvement includes: past president of The Binghamton University Alumni Association and board member of the University’s Foundation and he served on the Honorable Scott M. Stringer, New York City Comptroller’s, Transition Committee. Recently, Tony served on the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s (PCAOB’s) Standing Advisory Group. Additionally, Tony formerly served as the Audit Committee Chairperson for Project Renewal, Inc.; the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone; and was a board member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants’ Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession program to name a few.

Tony has won numerous awards and recognition and has moderated and participated on many panels. In 2012, New York’s WPIX-TV featured Tony in a special segment on CEOs in honor of Black History Month.

• ANGELA PINSKY
• Member
• Confirmed June 6, 2024

Angela Pinsky is Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Google New York, where she manages public and government relations in the Tri-State area. Previously, Angela served as Executive Director for the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), Senior Vice President for Management Services and Government Affairs at the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), and as Deputy Chief of Staff at the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding during the Bloomberg administration.

In addition to BPCA, Angela currently serves as a board member for the Meatpacking BID, Building Skills New York and the Regional Plan Association. Angela received her Masters in Urban Planning from New York University and her Bachelors of Arts from Johns Hopkins University.

• CLINTON PLUMMER
• Member
• Confirmed June 6, 2024

Clint serves as Chief Executive Officer of Rise Light & Power in New York City, where he oversees the operations of the existing generation facility as well as the development of new projects, strategic partnerships, and the transition of the Ravenswood into a premier energy provider as part of New York’s CLCPA and other initiatives. Clint is the Project Executive and has developed and implemented strategies that secured revenue agreements and other key entitlements necessary for the construction of several ground-breaking projects. A 15-year veteran of New York’s clean energy industry, Plummer previously served as Head of Market Strategies and New Projects for Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind, a leading offshore wind developer. In this capacity, he secured customer agreements for more than 2GW of new offshore wind projects in New York and New Jersey. Previously, Plummer worked as Vice President of Development for Deepwater Wind, where he grew its United States market for offshore wind energy and positioned it as a respected and responsible market leader. From 2009 to 2011, Plummer led the pre-construction development of Deepwater Wind’s Block Island Wind Farm, the first of its kind in the United States. In 2013, he spearheaded the company’s successful efforts to acquire the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s first competitively leased offshore wind site, as well as to scope the project now known as Deepwater ONE. Additionally, Plummer drove the company’s successful efforts to secure a Power Purchase Agreement with the Long Island Power Authority for the South Fork Wind Farm, the first in New York.

• Allie Atlas
• Chief of Staff

Allie Skayne Atlas currently serves as the Chief of Staff of the Battery Park City Authority. Prior to joining the Authority, she served as the Chief of Staff of the New York City Department of Education’s Division of Teaching and Learning, overseeing five offices comprised of 600 staff members and a budget of more than $500M. In addition to supporting day-to-day operations, Ms. Atlas led high-priority work, including staff professional development, communications, new program design, and union negotiations. She also worked at the NYC Criminal Justice Coordinator’s Office where she was the program manager for an interagency task force on truancy, chronic absenteeism, and school engagement, and spent time at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in public affairs in the lead up to the Memorial’s opening in 2011 through its first year of operation.

Ms. Atlas has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a focus in policy analysis from NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a Bachelor of Arts in English and American Literature from NYU.

• Sharmila Baichu
• Chief Human Resources Officer

Sharmila Baichu is a Human Resources professional with over 20 years of experience in graduated roles. She has worked in both the public and private sectors including financial services, healthcare and most recently construction. She also held an HR Director role with Hudson River Park Trust. Teaching is Sharmila’s second passion. As such, she taught 2nd and 3rd grades in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and test preparation for the SAT and SHSAT. Sharmila holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Pace University and a Masters of Early Education from Long Island University. She is also certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR, SHRM-SCP).
Sharmila has a true passion for providing HR solutions for organizations by helping them build their HR infrastructure through technology, compliance and people. She enjoys coaching leaders to inspire and empower their teams and mentoring junior HR professionals to reach their full potential.

• Terence Cho
• Vice President of Real Estate

Terence Cho currently serves as Vice President of Real Estate for the Battery Park City Authority and is responsible for leading the development and implementation of strategies to protect the public interest in the Authority’s management of its approximately 45 ground leases and other agreements with the developers of residential, commercial, hotel, and not-for-profit sites across the neighborhood’s 92 acres. Prior to joining BPCA, Mr. Cho spent six years at Empire State Development, New York State’s economic development agency, where he led many public-private partnerships such as the Belmont Park Redevelopment Project, Penn Station Area Redevelopment Project, High-Line Moynihan Connector, Queens West Development Project, 42nd Street Development Project, and the Victoria Theater Redevelopment Project. Mr. Cho began his career in the private sector at Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. and various private real estate brokerage firms and developers.

At BPCA, Mr. Cho works with professionals across the Authority in driving efforts in pursuit of the Authority’s affordable housing goals, the City and State’s financial well-being, developing strategies to develop various assets in BPCA’s portfolio and managing obligations under BPCA’s agreements with building owners and occupants.

Mr. Cho received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

• Gwen Dawson
• Senior Vice President, Design & Construction

Gwen Dawson is the Battery Park City Authority’s Senior Vice President of Design & Construction and is responsible for planning and implementing the Authority’s capital program. During Dawson’s tenure, The Authority has overseen the completion of the buildout of Battery Park City’s development parcels and the restoration of historic Pier A, as well as the implementation of a broad capital program focused on the maintenance, restoration, and enhancement of Battery Park City infrastructure, public spaces, and related facilities and amenities throughout its 96 acres.

Central to the Authority’s current capital program are two major coastal resiliency projects designed to reduce the risk to Battery Park City from future flooding associated with severe storms and sea level rise. Incorporating a series of flood barriers and drainage elements sensitively woven into the existing urban mixed-use fabric of the vibrant Battery Park City neighborhood, these projects will collectively form the western edge of New York City’s Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency Program. Dawson also shepherded the formulation of the Authority’s cutting-edge sustainability plan and comprehensive green guidelines to support the Authority in its commitment to achieve a carbon-neutral Battery Park City by 2050.

Prior to joining Battery Park City Authority, Dawson resided in Colorado, where she was engaged in the management of public-private planning and development projects for prominent urban properties and facilities, including Denver Union Station and portions of the former Lowry Air Force Base. She is a graduate of Florida State University and Duke University School of Law.

• Pamela Frederick
• Chief Financial Officer

Ms. Frederick, joined the BPCA in November 2017. In her prior role as Director and Derivatives Specialist at Citi Private Bank, she focused on providing a range of hedging solutions and tactical investments to ultra high net worth clients with a focus on Commercial Real Estate and in the use of interest rate derivatives as a risk management tool.Prior to joining Citi in 2005, she worked with GE Capital in the Structured Finance Energy Group, focused on structured equity, lending and mezzanine investments. In addition, she worked at Fieldstone Private Capital Group and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, providing infrastructure project finance and M&A advice to corporate and public sector clients. She also worked for the Chase Manhattan Bank in Global Mergers & Acquisitions and in Restructuring.
 
She holds a B.A. in Economics and an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and attended Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Jouy en Josas, France. She is a FINRA Registered Securities Representative; her licenses include Series 7 and Series 63.
 
She resides in the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut where she was elected to serve on the town council (RTM), headed the Finance Committee and served as Chair of the Special Committee on Retirement Benefits. In 2016, she was named by The Network Journal as one of the 25 Influential Black Women in Business.

• Craig Hudon
• Vice President, Parks Programming

Craig Hudon, Director of Parks Programming, has been developing and implementing groundbreaking programming and events in Battery Park City for more than 16 years. He has overseen the expansion of cultural, educational and creative arts programming presented by Battery Park City Authority focusing on live music and theater series, and nature, art and wellness classes for all ages. Prior to joining Battery Park City Parks, Craig worked in marketing and events at Snowbird Ski Resort where he spearheaded bringing in a new era of world-class Freeriding competitions to the resort, as well as many concerts, festivals and competitions. He started his career as an environmental educator through his work in Shenandoah National Park and as Assistant Director at Bristol Regional Environmental Centers in Connecticut. Craig received a B.S. in Recreation Studies from Ithaca College.

• Eric Munson
• Chief Operating Officer

Eric Munson comes to BPCA with a decade of management experience in city government and mission-driven not-for-profit organizations, with a focus on change leadership; policy development and implementation; operations, project, personnel, and facilities management; government relations; and strategic communications.

Most recently, he served as Interim Chief Program Officer at New York Cares, the city’s largest volunteer network, managing the roll-out of their five-year strategic plan. During a two-year stint in Philadelphia, he managed the construction and infrastructure of the 2016 Democratic National Convention and served as Chief of Staff of the City of Philadelphia’s anti-poverty agency. Prior to leaving for Philadelphia, he served as Chief of Staff at the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty in New York City, helping to restructure that social services organization and their staff of 300.

Eric began his career serving in the Bloomberg Administration — as Chief of Staff as well as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the New York City Department of Finance, and before that as Senior Legislative Representative in the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, where he served as the Administration’s lead negotiator on more than 100 local laws. In the days immediately following Hurricane Sandy, Eric helped coordinate the City-FEMA joint effort to distribute food, water, and blankets to storm victims. He has a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University. Eric serves on the board of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

• Jahmeliah Nathan
• Vice President of Administration and Senior Advisor for Diversity Contracting

Jahmeliah Nathan joined the Battery Park City Authority with an extensive 15-year career in the public sector. Most recently, she served as the Chief Diversity Officer of the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR), where she cofounded and developed that agency’s Office of Diversity and Civil Rights, leading the Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE), Federal Section 3, and Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) programs for New York State’s $4.4 billion disaster recovery spend. Under Jahmeliah’s leadership, the agency surpassed NY State’s 30% goal for MWBE utilization all four years of her tenure.

Prior to GOSR, Jahmeliah held several policy and management positions in the Bloomberg Administration, including Executive Director for Intergovernmental Affairs for New York City’s Department of Education, Chief of Staff for the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, and Senior Legislative Analyst for the Mayor’s Office of Legislative Affairs.

Ms. Nathan has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Long Island University and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Law from Binghamton University. She has also served as an adjunct professor at CUNY’s Hostos Community College, where she lectured on Public Administration and Public Policy.

• Nicholas Sbordone
• Vice President, Communications & Public Affairs

Nick Sbordone came to the Battery Park City Authority after spending his career in New York City government across three mayoral administrations. At BPCA, Nick works closely and on a daily basis with the local community, media, elected officials, and partner organizations on the Authority’s full range of public-facing initiatives.
Beginning his career in 2001 at the Mayor’s Office of Operations as a policy analyst, Nick helped prepare the bi-annual Mayor’s Management Report. Moving to the Taxi & Limousine Commission he worked on a range of issues affecting the taxi and for-hire vehicle industry, including wheelchair accessibility and the sale of new taxicab medallions. Then, at the Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications he served as government affairs director and spokesman and for the 311 non-emergency information and services hotline, for 911 system modernization, cable television and broadband, cybersecurity, and the City’s open data and free WiFi initiatives.
Born and raised in Brooklyn – with a sojourn in central New Jersey – his passions include history, architecture, sports and U.S. presidential trivia, and all things New York City. His is a familiar face at community meetings and assorted public gatherings across downtown Manhattan, so please feel free to stop over and say hello.

• Ryan Torres
• Vice President , Parks Operations

Ryan Torres is an accomplished parks operations professional with more than two decades of progressive experience in horticulture, maintenance, sustainability, and safety. Ryan started her career as a fourth-generation horticulturist focusing on design and sales within all things landscape management. She consulted for municipalities in arboriculture and instructed adult classes at the New York Botanical Garden and other organizations on various horticulture topics.

Before starting at BPCA, Ryan work as the Horticulturist for the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, NY, where she oversaw the 12-acre botanic garden and assisted with over 100 acres of open spaces within the town. In 2014, Ryan started working at Battery Park City Authority as the Assistant Director of Horticulture, where she supervised staff and scheduled the day-to-day operations of the department, maintained budgets, and oversaw all purchases. Four years later Ryan was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Parks Operations where she shared the collaborative supervision of more than 60 employees, pioneered the Zero Waste Committee, Safety Advisory Committee and Dog Waste Composting Program, and created standard-operating procedures and policies for the department, as well as led and participated in all departmental and interdepartmental meetings.

• Alexis Torres Cid
• Director of Workplace Culture and Engagement

Alexis Torres Cid joined the Battery Park City Authority in 2014 after five years with the City of New York in various roles during the Bloomberg Administration. Beginning her career in 2009 as a Licensing Specialist at the NYC Business Integrity Commission (BIC), she worked to help eliminate organized crime and other forms of corruption from the public wholesale markets, trade waste, and shipboard gambling industries.
In 2011, she became BIC’s Complaints Coordinator, a role in which she drove more than 3,000 incoming complaints and inquiries to satisfactory resolution. For these efforts BIC earned a 100% success rate and multiple excellence in customer service citations. Alexis later became the Special Assistant to the BIC Commissioner, and then served as Special Advisor to the Battery Park City Authority to the President and Chief Operating Officer. In her current role at the Authority, Alexis oversees implementation of a variety of special projects and events, including the organization’s annual Earth Day programs with local schools.
Alexis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations and a Master’s Degree in International Communications from St. John’s University.