9/11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Strategy & Operations Officer for the 9 / 11 Memorial & Museum
- Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy & Operations Officer
Allison Blais is the chief strategy & operations officer for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. She is also coauthor of A Place of Remembrance, the official book of the organization. Her current role combines her past two leadership positions at the institution as chief strategy officer and chief operating officer. Blais is responsible for managing priority institution-wide initiatives and oversees a team focused on the 9/11 Memorial & Museum's ongoing sustainability and relevance as well as its daily operations, leading departments responsible for strategic and operational planning, events and business partnerships, visitor services and retail, buildings and grounds, and security and life safety.
Blais has worked on the World Trade Center rebuilding and operation since 2004. Before her COO and CSO roles, she served as the organization's chief of staff for eight years through the planning, design, building, operational ramp-up, and opening of both the Memorial and the Museum. Prior to her work at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, she worked in the chairman's and president's offices of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the agency charged with planning the rebuilding and revitalization of lower Manhattan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Before her work downtown, Blais managed capital projects for major cultural institutions and construction companies throughout New York City and worked at the Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival.
She graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University, where she serves on the President's Council of Cornell Women, and received a master's degree in American studies from Columbia University.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, Chief of Staff & Business Strategies
Billy Crystal has created one of the most versatile and prolific careers in the entertainment industry, finding success in front of the camera, as a stand-up comedian, an actor in film and television, and behind the scenes as a writer, director, and producer. After touring with such stars as Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, and Neil Sedaka, he became a regular on the popular sitcom Soap, playing the first openly gay character on a network television series. During the 1984-85 television seasons, Billy met with phenomenal national success on Saturday Night Live, earning his first Emmy nomination. He created, wrote, and produced the critically acclaimed HBO series Sessions and became the first comedian to perform in the then-Soviet Union with his special Midnight Train to Moscow, one of four one-man specials he has done for HBO. He has hosted the Grammy Awards three times and the Oscars eight times.
Caryn Seidman Becker‘s vision to build a safer, more secure world to live, work and play came to life in 2010 when she and co-founder Ken Cornick launched CLEAR. CLEAR, the secure identity platform, makes it simple to be you by using biometrics to create secure, connected and frictionless experiences, while obsessing over every aspect of the customer experience. Caryn leads over 2,000 passionate CLEAR team members across the country committed to bringing CLEAR's vision to life every day.
Job Titles:
- Special Advisor to President & CEO
- Special Advisor to President & CEO, 9 / 11 Memorial & Museum
Catherine Blaney, Esq., joined the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in the fall of 2006. Along with Chairman Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, she has helped spearhead fundraising for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum for both the capital campaign and for operational and program development.
Most recently, Blaney is continuing fundraising and developing partnerships with several different initiatives that are partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies.
She received her law degree from St. John's University and a BA in political science and sociology from Fordham University.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Family Member / Owner, Vidicom / Citybuzz
Christy Ferer leads Vidicom, which creates branded content and unique digital distribution. The company pioneered award-winning and game-changing interactive live programming for brands and their outlets. Its subsidiary, Citybuzz, is a travel channel that broadcasts on the web, in hotels, and in-flight. Ferer began her career as an Emmy Award-winning political news reporter and as a lifestyle contributor for the network morning news shows. She currently serves as a special assistant to former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on 9/11 issues. Ferer served as a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey for five years, and she currently serves on the boards of the Jacob Javits Center, the 92nd Street Y, American Corporate Partners, Global Green, and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in lower Manhattan. In 2010, she was awarded the French Legion of Honor.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Executive Vice President
- Executive Vice President & Director of the 9 / 11 Memorial Museum
- Executive Vice President & Museum Director
- Founder of the Legacy Project
Clifford Chanin is Executive Vice President & Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum, with responsibility for the growth of the museum's exhibitions, collections, education, and public programs.
He joined the initial planning team for the Museum in 2005 and has since served as vice-president for education and deputy director for museum programs.
He has curated several Museum exhibitions, including Revealed: The Hunt for Bin Laden, serving also as executive producer of the History Channel documentary of the same name; Memory Remains: 9/11 Artifacts at Hangar 17 by Francesc Torres; 9/11 and the American Landscape: The Photographs of Jonathan Hyman. He edited exhibition catalogs for the latter two exhibitions.
For ten years, Chanin was associate director of arts and humanities at the Rockefeller Foundation, where he developed programs on pluralism and development in the Muslim world.
Chanin is also founder of the Legacy Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to documenting how societies reckon with histories of conflict and mass violence. Based on this work, he curated a permanent art collection for the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor at Stone Point Capital
Craig R. Stapleton is a senior advisor at Stone Point Capital in Greenwich, Connecticut. He is a director of Tenax Aerospace and Vivino Inc. He is a co-owner of the St. Louis Cardinals. He was president of Marsh and McLennan Real Estate Advisors of New York from 1982 until 2001.
Stapleton was born in Kansas City, Missouri. His grandfather Benjamin F. Stapleton served five terms as mayor of Denver. He received his secondary school education at Phillips Exeter Academy. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School.
During the administration of former President George H. W. Bush, Stapleton served on the Board of the Peace Corps. From 2001-2003, he served under former President George W. Bush as ambassador to the Czech Republic, where he received the Jan Masaryk Medal. In June 2005, he was appointed ambassador to France, serving until January 2009. Stapleton was decorated as commandeurs de la Légion d'honneur.
Ambassador Stapleton serves on the boards of the Vaclav Havel Foundation, the American Friends of Compiegne, the United Way Tocqueville of France, the World War I Commission, and the Trust for the National Mall. He is a trustee of the American University in Paris and the Fishback Foundation. He has served on the visiting committee for Harvard College Athletics and the committee on university resources and athletics.
Stapleton and his wife, Debbie, reside in North Palm Beach, Florida, and Greenwich, Connecticut. They have two children and six grandchildren. His son Walker Stapleton was elected Colorado state treasurer in 2010 and 2014.
Job Titles:
- Chairman, Tishman Construction Corporation
- Principal Owner and Chairman of Tishman Realty
Dan Tishman is the Principal Owner and Chairman of Tishman Realty and Construction, a multi-platform privately held real estate company, and its affiliated companies. Mr. Tishman serves on numerous not-for-profit and corporate boards and, along with his wife Sheryl, is the Founder of The NorthLight Foundation, which focuses on environmental justice, land conservation, and climate-related issues. He is the Chairman of the Board of Montefiore Medicine, one of the largest healthcare systems in New York State, and most recently was named Chairman of The Conservation Fund Board of Directors. Mr. Tishman has also served on the board of AECOM since 2010 when the company merged with Tishman Construction, where he had served as Chairman and CEO since 1999, overseeing projects such as the MGM City Center in Las Vegas and, most notably, the redevelopment and construction of One World Trade Center. He has advised numerous Governors on urban renewal plans and was Chairman of the States Airport Master Planning Commission that created the master plan for the new LaGuardia and Kennedy airport terminals. A major force in propelling the green-building movement to the forefront of the construction industry, Mr. Tishman spent more than a decade as Chairman of the Board of the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the world's leading environmental advocacy organizations. He holds a BS degree in Ecology and Planning from Evergreen State College, and a MS degree in Environmental Studies from Lesley College.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the 9 / 11 Memorial & Museum
David Sheehan is the executive vice president and chief financial officer at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, where he leads the work of the Finance and Information Technology departments.
Before joining the Memorial, he was the deputy chief operating officer at 100 Resilient Cities, a global nonprofit, where he led their internal finance, IT, operations, and grant management functions. Sheehan served as managing director of administrative services and the director of fiscal operations at the New York City Mayor's Office for more than 10 years. He also held positions at various public and nonprofit organizations including the Guggenheim Museum, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Office of Management and Budget, and Metropolitan Transit Authority.
He received a M.P.A degree in public and nonprofit management from NYU's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and a B.A. from the State University of New York at Oswego.
Sheehan currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Karen, and their two children.
Debra Burlingame is the sister of Captain Charles F. "Chic" Burlingame, III, pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, which was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
Burlingame was formerly a producer at Court TV, where she covered dozens of civil and criminal legal proceedings ranging from the OJ Simpson trial and the Clinton impeachment hearings to the Microsoft anti-trust case. She wrote pieces for broadcast on constitutional appellate cases, consumer law, and legal news, and helped launch a documentary series involving cold criminal cases.
Before her career in television, she worked as an attorney in New York City.
Burlingame is a graduate of New York University, Cardozo School of Law, and serves on the board of the Medal of Honor Museum Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Chief Medical Officer, FDNY ( Ret. )
Dr. Kerry Kelly served as a Medical Officer with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) for 37 years, until her retirement in 2018. She held the position of Chief Medical Officer for the last 24 of those years. In that role, Dr. Kelly oversaw a staff of physicians, nurses, and civilians in the FDNY Bureau of Health Services. After 9/11, Dr. Kelly and her staff provided health screening and treatment for FDNY First Responders exposed through their efforts in rescue and recovery. She has co-authored numerous articles on the health consequences of the World Trade Center attacks on surviving first responders.
After retirement, Dr. Kelly has continued to work for the FDNY in the World Trade Center Health Program. Her work involves assisting active and retired members experiencing serious medical issues following 9/11.
In addition to her current work at the FDNY, Dr. Kelly maintains a family medicine practice on Staten Island with Northwell Health.
Dr. Kelly received her medical degree from Brown University after graduating from Vassar College.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Council
- Vice Chairman, JPMorgan Chase & Co
E. John Rosenwald Jr. was born in New York and is a graduate of Deerfield Academy, Dartmouth College, and the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth. He joined the Bear Stearns Companies Inc. in 1954. In 1962, he was elected a general partner and shortly thereafter was elected to the Bear Stearns Executive Committee. When Bear Stearns went public in 1985, Rosenwald was elected a member of the office of the president.
He was elected vice chairman of the Bear Stearns Companies Inc. in 1988 and vice chairman of J.P. Morgan in 2008.
Rosenwald serves as a member of the board of trustees of the following nonprofit organizations:
Brandeis University (trustee emeritus)
Central Park Conservancy (life trustee)
Dartmouth College (chairman of the board emeritus)
Environmental Defense Fund (advisory trustee)
Metropolitan Museum of Art (trustee emeritus, member of executive committee, and executive chair of the Fund for the Met)
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
National Organization on Disability
National 9/11 Memorial & Museum
New York University (life trustee)
New York University Langone Medical Center
Teachers College at Columbia University
Rosenwald is a member of the following clubs:
Century Country Club, Purchase, New York
Harmonie Club, New York City
Palm Beach Country Club, Palm Beach, Florida
Rosenwald is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In June 2002, he was awarded an honorary doctor of laws at Dartmouth College.
Rosenwald resides in New York City, Rye, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida. He and his late wife, Patricia, have five children and 10 grandchildren.
Beth Hillman is a nationally recognized leader in education, service, and military justice. Since 2022, Dr. Hillman has been president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, which has expanded museum visitation, educational outreach, and professional training programs. She began her career as a space operations officer in the U.S. Air Force and served on active duty for seven years, including two as an instructor of history at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Dr. Hillman chairs the independent, congressionally-chartered Military Justice Review Panel, which conducts comprehensive reviews of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the military justice system. Previously, she served on the study and leadership groups of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine's workplace sexual harassment initiatives; the Department of Defense's Response System Panel on Sexual Assault in the Military; as president of the National Institute of Military Justice; and as reporter for the first Cox Commission.
Before coming to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Hillman was the 14th president of Mills College, the first women's college west of the Rockies. At Mills, she reduced tuition in response to the rising cost of college, spearheaded a transformative merger with Northeastern University, and led the college through the COVID-19 crisis. Earlier, Hillman served as provost and academic dean at the University of California Hastings College of the Law (now UC Law San Francisco), where she was also a professor of law. Prior to joining Hastings, Hillman was a law professor at Rutgers Law School. She earned a BS in electrical engineering from Duke University, an MA in history from the University of Pennsylvania, a JD from Yale Law School, and a PhD in history from Yale University.
Dr. Hillman serves on the board of the Alliance of Downtown New York and is a member of both the American Law Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations. Hillman is the recipient of the U.S. Department of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, the CalVet Trailblazer Award from the California Department of Veteran Affairs, and the Pace University Changemaker Award. She lives with her wife Trish in Jersey City, where they spend time marveling at their five children's college exploits.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- President Emerita of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Served for 40 Years in a Progression of Leadership Roles at the Nation 's Largest Art Museum
- President Emerita, the Metropolitan Museum of Art / Principal, Emily K. Rafferty & Associates
Emily Kernan Rafferty, President Emerita of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, served for 40 years in a progression of leadership roles at the nation's largest art Museum: as Chief of Institutional Advancement, Senior Vice President of External Affairs, and as President of the Met from 2005 to 2015. As President, she was the Museum's chief administrative officer, supervising a staff of 2,000 full- and part-time employees and volunteers, and founding the Met's first multicultural outreach, diversity, and inclusion program. In addition to serving as a cultural leader in New York City, Ms. Rafferty's global responsibilities took her to more than 50 countries, where she worked with government and private sector officials on initiatives involving funding, marketing, international art loans, legislative affairs, patrimony, and cultural exchange. Currently, Ms. Rafferty is a Vice Chairman of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum (board member 2005-present); a Board member of Carnegie Hall (October 2018- ), the Asia Society, (2021-); Civitella Ranieri, an Artist Residency Program in Italy (2018- ); the Hispanic Society Museum and Library (2019- ); and the Association of Art Museum Curators (2019- ). She also serves on the corporate boards of PJT Partners (2015- ) and Koç Holdings, Istanbul (2018- ). A member of the eight Women, a bipartisan Congressional Commission to study the feasibility of an American Museum of Women's History in Washington, D.C. (2015-2016), she continues to serve as an advisor to the project, which has received Congressional approval to proceed as part of the Smithsonian Institution. She is also a member of the Advisory Council of the American University of Beirut.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fiserv, Inc
- President and Chief Operating Officer in 2019 As Part
Frank Bisignano is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a global leader in financial services and payments technology solutions. The company serves clients in more than 100 countries, and has been recognized as one of FORTUNE World's Most Admired Companies® for 11 of the past 14 years.
Bisignano joined Fiserv as President and Chief Operating Officer in 2019 as part of the company's transformative combination with First Data. He became Chief Executive Officer in July 2020 and Chairman of the Board in May 2022.
Bisignano previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Data Corporation where he led the world's largest traditional payment processor to become a technology innovator, industry collaborator and commerce enabler. He also led its $2.6 billion initial public offering in 2015, the largest U.S. IPO of the year.
With more than 30 years of executive leadership experience in banks and global financial institutions, Bisignano's background includes serving as Co-Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer of Mortgage Banking at JPMorgan Chase & Co., and multiple leadership positions at Citigroup, including Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Executive Officer of the company's Global Transaction Services unit.
Among a number of non-profit commitments, he serves on the boards of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, the Mount Sinai Health System, and The Battery Conservancy.
Job Titles:
- Honorary Trustee
- President
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Senior Chairman of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
- Trustee of New York Presbyterian Hospital
H. Rodgin Cohen is senior chairman of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, having served as chairman from 2000 to 2009. The primary focus of Cohen's practice is regulatory, enforcement, acquisition, and securities law matters for U.S. and non-U.S. financial institutions and their trade associations, and corporate governance matters for a wide variety of organizations.
Cohen advises the financial services industry on the full range of regulatory, merger and acquisition, governance, compliance, and enforcement matters, including multiagency investigations relating to compliance with anti-money laundering and sanctions issues. He frequently works with all the bank regulatory agencies as well as multiple other governmental agencies. Key recent matters include the Volcker Rule, numerous other provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, capital and liquidity standards, resolution, and resolution planning. He provides corporate governance advice to a large number of institutions, both regular clients and as special assignments, and is also a frequent advisor on the rise of strategic and corporate governance activism.
He has played a singular role in the market events that have changed the face of the financial services industry and economy, for which he has been recognized by organizations such as The American Lawyer, The Clearing House, and the Financial Times. He has received lifetime achievement awards from Who's Who Legal, Chambers, the New York Law Journal, and the M&A Advisor. Most recently, Cohen was inducted into Legal500's Hall of Fame and was the recipient of the Burton Awards inaugural Law Firm Leadership in Law Award. William Burton, founder and chair of the Burton Awards, said, "Rodgin Cohen is an icon in law and is known and respected widely. His qualities and attributes far exceed the highest standards which could ever be set for a law firm leader. He has established an impressive record of success for Sullivan & Cromwell, and is the finest example for every leader to follow."
Cohen is or has been a member of the FDIC Systemic Resolution Advisory Committee, the National Security Agency Cyber Awareness Panel, the Treasury Advisory Committee on the Auditing Profession, and the New York State Commission to Modernize the Regulation of Financial Services. He is or has also been vice chairman of the Economic Studies Council of the Brookings Institution and a member of the Bipartisan Policy Center Financial Regulatory Reform Initiative, the Pew Financial Reform Project, the IIF Special Committee for a Strategic Dialogue for Effective Regulation, and the Financial Services Roundtable's Blue Ribbon Commission on Enhancing Competitiveness.
Cohen is a trustee of New York Presbyterian Hospital, The Rockefeller University, Hackley School, Lincoln Center Theater, New York City Partnership and, formerly, Deerfield Academy (as president of the board), Hampton University, Harvard Law School Visiting Committee, and the Economic Club of New York.
Job Titles:
- Trustee Emeritus
- Chairman, New York Private Bank & Trust / Managing Partner, Milstein Properties
- Member of the Executive Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York
Howard Milstein is chairman of New York Private Bank & Trust, the largest privately owned bank in the country. Milstein is a managing partner of Milstein Properties, an investment builder active in both residential and commercial development primarily in New York City, and founding chairman of the investment firm FriedbergMilstein. He chairs MB Real Estate, a national commercial leasing and management company.
Job Titles:
- Senior Executive Vice President & General Counsel, the Bank of New York Mellon
- Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel of BNY Mellon
Kevin McCarthy is a senior executive vice president and general counsel of BNY Mellon. A member of the company's executive committee, McCarthy heads BNY Mellon's legal department and also has overall responsibility for government affairs, the corporate secretarial function, and global corporate security. He is the executive committee sponsor for VetNet, an employee resource group that supports employees who are former military or have family members who have served. VetNet is one of six ERGs that reflect BNY Mellon's commitment to diversity and workplace excellence by supporting employees with shared interests.
McCarthy was appointed to his current position in April 2014. He joined BNY Mellon in 2010 as deputy general counsel and led the litigation, enforcement, and employment law functions. In 2013, he was appointed senior deputy general counsel and assumed additional responsibility for the legal teams supporting the company's asset servicing businesses and corporate center functions.
Prior to joining BNY Mellon, McCarthy was general counsel of Cowen Group, Inc., a diversified investment bank and financial services firm. From 2004 to 2007, he was a partner at Wilmer Hale, focused on securities and litigation matters. From 1996 to 2004, McCarthy was at Credit Suisse First Boston in a variety of roles, most recently as managing director and global head of litigation. McCarthy began his legal career as an associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
McCarthy received a BA from Siena College and his JD from Albany Law School of Union University.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder, CEO, and Chairwoman of Tribeca Enterprises
- Co - Founder, Tribeca Productions / Co - Founder and Executive Chair, Tribeca Enterprises / Co - Founder and Co - Chair, Tribeca Film Festival
- Member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts
Jane Rosenthal is co-founder, CEO, and chairwoman of Tribeca Enterprises, a global media company that encompasses the Tribeca Film Festival and award-winning branded content division Tribeca Studios.
Rosenthal and Robert De Niro established Tribeca Productions and the Tribeca Film Center in 1989. Rosenthal has since established herself as a leading producer of critically and commercially acclaimed film and television. Rosenthal and De Niro founded the Tribeca Film Festival in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to revive lower Manhattan through the healing power of film and storytelling. The inaugural festival stood as a powerful symbol of resilience and showed how the creative community could play an impactful role in the economic revitalization of the city. Tribeca has since gone on to become one of the world's leading film festivals and will welcome its 19th year in April 2020.
Rosenthal most currently produced the Emmy-nominated Netflix limited series When They See Us, directed by Ava DuVernay, and Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, and Al Pacino. Other recent credits include Academy Award-winning Bohemian Rhapsody and the Grammy Award-winning documentary Quincy, which is about the legendary music producer Quincy Jones. She also produced A Bronx Tale: The Musical, which is currently following its two-and-a-half year Broadway run with a national tour, as well as the Queen musical We Will Rock You, the tenth longest-running musical in West End history.
Past credits include producing one of the highest grossing comedy franchises of all time: Meet the Parents (2000), Meet the Fockers (2004), and Little Fockers (2010). Other credits include the Emmy-nominated Wizard of Lies (2017); Oscar-nominated Wag the Dog (1997); De Niro's directorial debut, A Bronx Tale (1993); Analyze This (1999); Analyze That (2002); The Good Shepherd (2006); About a Boy (2002); and Jason Katims' accompanying television spinoff About a Boy (2014). She has also worked with the artist JR on numerous documentaries, including viral short Ellis (2015).
Rosenthal is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and has been honored by the Museum of the Moving Image, New York University Tisch School of Arts, the Matrix Award, and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. In 2011, she was presented with the Jane Jacobs Medal for Lifetime Leadership from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Monteblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award for her commitment to arts and culture. Rosenthal serves on the boards of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Child Mind Institute, Global Citizen, and interactive media company Eko. She is also co-founder and co-chair of the non-profit Tribeca Film Institute. Rosenthal attended Brown University and graduated from New York University.
Rosenthal's two most cherished productions are her daughters, Juliana and Isabella.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President for Government & Community Affairs at the 9 / 11 Memorial & Museum
Jay Weinkam currently serves as the Executive Vice President for Government & Community Affairs at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. He is responsible for the foundation's strategy and management of legislative affairs, stakeholder and constituent relations, strategic partnerships, community engagement, and dignitary visits. He is also responsible for developing relationships across all external parties including city, state, and federal government agencies and officials, and community partners that serve to enhance the institutions standing and reputation across the globe.
Prior to joining the 9/11 Memorial, Jay served for over a decade as a senior advisor for two New York City mayors and worked on both mayoral and presidential campaigns. He also has prior experience in the advertising industry as well as operations for the FIFA World Cup.
Jay received his B.A. in political science from Fairfield University where he played Division I soccer on an athletic scholarship. He resides in Brooklyn with his wife and two children and coaches youth soccer and flag football on most weekends.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner of Sterling Project Development
Jeff Wilpon is a highly accomplished Founding Partner of Sterling Project Development, boasting an impressive track record of over four decades in overseeing major construction projects. Throughout his illustrious career, he has spearheaded the planning, design, and construction of notable landmarks such as 383 Madison Avenue, Citi Field, Radio City Music Hall, as well as undertaking renovations for the MLB and NHL headquarters. In addition, Mr. Wilpon is an esteemed Partner at UBS Arena and has collaborated with the Green Bay Packers on Titletown, a 45 acre mixed-use neighborhood adjacent to Lambeau Field that is focused on community building and regional economic development.
Since embarking on his real estate and construction journey in 1986, Jeff Wilpon has exhibited his exceptional expertise by supervising and advising on an impressive portfolio of commercial, residential, and sports-related development projects, collectively valued at over $10 billion.
Furthermore, Mr. Wilpon holds the esteemed positions of Chairman and CEO at Alta Vista Partners, a distinguished Real Estate Investment and Operating Platform. Prior to this, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of the New York Mets and Brooklyn Cyclones, contributing significantly to their success over an impressive tenure spanning more than 18 years.
In addition to his numerous professional accomplishments, Jeff Wilpon actively contributes to various organizations and community initiatives. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Association for a Better New York, while also holding board positions at esteemed institutions including the 92nd Street Y Board, 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Harlem Village Academies, Michigan Medicine Advisory Group, the Michigan Sports Business Conference, and Titletown Tech. These engagements reflect his dedication to fostering positive change and promoting excellence across diverse sectors.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Family Member / Teacher / Founder and Executive Director, Jeremy 's Heroes
- Founder and Executive Director of Jeremy 's Heroes
Jennifer Glick is the founder and executive director of Jeremy's Heroes, a nonprofit foundation established to help children in low-income areas build character and confidence through sports. Glick established the foundation in honor of her brother, Jeremy Glick, one of the passengers who participated in the counterattack against the hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93.
Glick has been a middle school teacher at New York Public School 108 in Harlem since 2014, teaching seventh- and eighth-grade English language arts classes, as well as a self-contained, eighth-grade English language arts class. She was also a NYC Teaching Fellow. Prior to teaching, Glick was a lawyer with Brooklyn Defender Services.
Glick has a bachelor of arts degree from Union College and a JD from New York Law School, and she is receiving her master's degree in special education from City College. Additionally, she is a member of the Upper Saddle River Running Moms Committee and is a successful fundraiser for several causes, including the Flight 93 National Memorial.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Tishman Speyer
Mr. Speyer is chairman of Tishman Speyer. He is one of the two founding partners of the company, which was formed in 1978. Actively engaged with a number of philanthropic efforts, Mr. Speyer is chairman of New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Mr. Speyer's other board affiliations include the Museum of Modern Art, where he is chairman emeritus, Yankee Global Enterprises, Columbia Business School Board of Overseers, the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund Board, and the Städel Museum in Frankfurt. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the National Committee on United States-China Relations. Previously, he was chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; chairman emeritus of Columbia University; chairman emeritus of the Real Estate Board of New York; chairman emeritus of the Partnership for New York City; and president emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Dalton School. Mr. Speyer holds a BA from Columbia College and an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Honorary Trustee
- President
Job Titles:
- Executive Chairman & Founder, Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. & Alexandria Venture Investments
- Executive Chairman and Founder of Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc
Joel S. Marcus is the executive chairman and founder of Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc., an urban office REIT uniquely focused on collaborative life science and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations. Marcus co-founded Alexandria in 1994 as a garage startup with $19 million in series A capital and, as chief executive officer from March 1997 to April 2018, has led its growth into an S&P 500 company with an approximately $18 billion total market capitalization and a total shareholder return of approximately 1,300 percent since the company's IPO in 1997. Today, Alexandria, which celebrated its 20th anniversary as an NYSE listed REIT in May 2017, is the only publicly traded pure-play office/laboratory REIT.
Marcus has built Alexandria's unique business model around four business verticals-real estate, venture investments, thought leadership, and corporate responsibility. With its core focus on real estate, Alexandria has a proven track record of developing Class A buildings on urban life science and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, including greater Boston, San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle Park. In 1996, Marcus founded the company's venture capital arm, Alexandria Venture Investments, to provide strategic investment capital to innovative life science and technology entities developing breakthrough therapies and technologies. Marcus introduced the company's thought leadership platform in 2011, when he co-founded the renowned Alexandria Summit. The Alexandria Summit convenes a diverse group of visionary partners and key stakeholders-from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agribusiness, technology, medical, academic, venture capital, private equity, philanthropic, patient advocacy, and government communities-to address the most critical challenges in global healthcare, agriculture, and the environment. Focusing on sustainability and philanthropy, Alexandria's corporate responsibility business vertical affirms the company's commitment to making a positive impact on the world. Marcus is also personally engaged in numerous mission-critical philanthropic efforts, including his service as chair of the Navy SEAL Foundation's 2017 New York City Benefit, which raised $12.8 million to help support the Naval Special Warfare community and their families.
Marcus was one of the original architects and co-founders of Accelerator Life Science Partners, for which he serves on the board of directors, and AgTech Accelerator Corporation, for which he serves as chairman of the board. He also serves on the boards of Applied Therapeutics Inc., Atara Biotherapeutics Inc., Boragen Inc., Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc., MeiraGTx Limited, and Yumanity Therapeutics, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), Friends of Cancer Research, MassBio, NewYorkBIO, and the Scripps Research Institute; the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Navy SEAL Foundation, the Partnership for New York City, and Robin Hood Foundation, as well as on Nareit's 2018 executive board.
Prior to co-founding Alexandria, Marcus had an extensive legal career specializing in corporate finance and capital markets, venture capital, and mergers and acquisitions. During that time, he acquired an expertise in the biopharmaceutical industry and was one of the principal architects of the Kirin-Amgen EPO joint venture in 1984. He was also a practicing certified public accountant and tax manager with Arthur Young & Co., where he focused on the financing and taxation of REITs.
He was named one of Real Estate Forum's 2017 "Best Bosses" in commercial real estate and was previously a recipient of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Los Angeles, Real Estate). Marcus earned his undergraduate and juris doctor degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles.
John C. Whitehead was born in Evanston, Illinois, and died at the age of 92.
He graduated from Haverford College in 1943 and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Whitehead received his MBA from Harvard in 1947 and began at Goldman Sachs & Co. He became partner in 1956 and senior partner in 1976.
In 1985, Whitehead was asked by former President Ronald Reagan to become deputy secretary of state. He was sworn into office in July 1985 and served until January 1989.
He was the former chairman of such diverse organizations as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Harvard Board of Overseers, the International Rescue Committee, the United Nations Association, Haverford College, the Asia Society, and the Hungarian-American Enterprise Fund. He was chairman of the Boy Scouts of America/GNY.
In late 2001, he was appointed as chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the organization responsible for the rebuilding and revitalization of lower Manhattan. He served in that position until May 2006. He was also the founding chairman of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Chancellor of the Archdiocese of New York
- General Counsel to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
John P. Cahill was appointed chancellor of the archdiocese of New York by Cardinal Timothy Dolan in October 2019. He is the first layperson to hold the position. As chancellor, he oversees the temporal matters of the archdiocese on behalf of the cardinal.
Prior to his service for the archdiocese, Cahill served as the senior counsel to the law firm of Norton Rose Fulbright where he concentrated on energy and environmental issues and was recognized as one of the leading utility lawyers in the country. He was also the cofounder of the Pataki-Cahill Group, a strategic consulting firm focusing on the economic and policy implications of domestic energy needs.
Cahill has had a distinguished career in the public sector. He was appointed secretary and chief of staff to Governor George E. Pataki (the highest appointed position in the state) on February 27, 2002, and in May 2005 he was given the added responsibility of leading and coordinating the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan. He also served as senior policy advisor to Governor Pataki, where he advised the governor on a full range of critical issues including the coordination of the state's response to the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Cahill first joined the Pataki administration as general counsel to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in 1995. In 1997 he was appointed commissioner of the DEC, where he led the state agency responsible for enhancing and protecting the state's natural resources. He also served as chairman of the Environmental Facilities Corporation, the public authority responsible for investing in public infrastructure related to environmental protection. Prior to joining the DEC, he was a partner in the New York City law firm of Plunkett & Jaffe, P.C., where his practice focused on environmental and municipal issues.
Cahill has been recognized by numerous organizations for his public service. He was a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which is presented to United States citizens for their outstanding contributions to America. The Adirondack Council awarded him with the Conservationist of the Year Award for his conservation efforts in the Adirondack Park. The National Audubon Society presented him with its William B. Hoyt Environmental Excellence Award for his statewide conservation efforts. He was honored by the Historic Hudson Valley as the recipient of their Hero Award for his extensive work in preserving the historic heritage of the Hudson Valley.
Cahill currently serves on the board of trustees for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Archbishop Stepinac High School-White Plains, and the Open Space Institute. He is a member Sterling National Bank board of directors.
Cahill received his Juris Doctor degree and a Master of Law in environmental law from Pace University Law School. He received his BA in economics from Fordham University.
He is an avid long-distance athlete, having completed numerous marathons and triathlons including several Lake Placid Ironmans.
John and his wife, Kim, have four children and reside in Yonkers, New York.
Jon Stewart is one of America's top social and comedic figures. As the former host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Stewart has interviewed such political luminaries as former presidents Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton, as well as Hillary Clinton, John McCain, John Edwards, and celebrities like Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, and George Clooney. As The New York Times best-selling author of both EARTH (THE BOOK): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race and AMERICA (THE BOOK): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction, Stewart was also the co-creator and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning The Colbert Report. Stewart and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart have received 44 Emmy Award nominations and won 18. In 2001 and 2005, the show received the Peabody Award for its campaign coverage of "Indecision 2000" and "Indecision 2004." In addition to gracing the cover of Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and GQ, Stewart was Entertainment Weekly's "Entertainer of the Year" and Variety's "New York Entertainer of the Year" in 2004. He was named to Time's inaugural Time 100 list of the world's most influential people.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, Chief Advancement & Communications Officer
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Chairman and Managing Director, General Catalyst
As a managing director at General Catalyst, Kenneth Chenault focuses on investing in fast-growing companies that have the potential to become large, fundamental institutions. He also provides invaluable guidance to portfolio companies, particularly to those with an eye toward global markets and responsible innovation as they scale their teams and products. As chairman, Chenault leverages his renowned leadership abilities and experience to continue to evolve General Catalyst into a formidable and enduring firm.
Prior to joining General Catalyst, Chenault was chairman and chief executive officer of American Express Company, a position he held from 2001-2018. He joined American Express in 1981 as director of strategic planning and served subsequently in a number of increasingly senior positions, including vice chairman and president and chief operating officer, until his appointment as CEO. Under his leadership, American Express built one of the world's largest customer loyalty programs, Membership Rewards, and earned global recognition as a leader in customer service.
Chenault is recognized as one of the business world's experts on brands and brand management and has been honored by multiple publications including Fortune magazine, which named him among the "World's 50 Greatest Leaders" in its inaugural list in 2014.
Chenault serves on the boards of Airbnb, Facebook, IBM, the Procter & Gamble Company, the Harvard Corporation, and numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Smithsonian Institution's Advisory Council for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and Bloomberg Philanthropies. He also serves on the board of trustees for NYU Langone Health.
Chenault holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA in history from Bowdoin College. He has also received honorary degrees from several universities and awards from a wide variety of civic, social service, and community organizations.
He and his wife, Kathryn, live in New York City, and they have two sons.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chairman, National September 11 Memorial & Museum
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Secretary of the Board
Job Titles:
- Honorary Trustee
- President