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The National September 11th Memorial.
About Us > Board
LMDC
Board of Directors
Holly Leicht is Executive Director of Madison Square Park Conservancy, the not-for-profit that supports and operates Manhattan’s iconic Madison Square Park. Prior to that, she was Executive Vice President of Real Estate Development & Planning at Empire State Development, overseeing the planning and disposition of New York State’s surplus properties and ESD’s subsidiary development corporations. Previously she served in the Obama Administration as the Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Region 2, presiding over the agency’s activities in New York and New Jersey, including $6 billion in affordable housing and other urban development programs and over $15 billion in Superstorm Sandy recovery funds. Leicht led the implementation of the region’s winning Rebuild by Design and National Disaster Resilience Competition projects, and after the Obama Administration ended, she wrote a report entitled Rebuild the Plane Now: Recommendations for Improving Government’s Approach to Disaster Recovery and Preparedness. Prior to her appointment at HUD, Leicht was the Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P), a research-based advocacy organization championing quality public spaces for all New Yorkers in all neighborhoods. She previously held positions at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), most recently as the Deputy Commissioner for Development; the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC); and the Municipal Art Society. Leicht began her legal career in Real Estate Finance at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. She grew up in St. Louis and graduated magna cum laude from Yale College and cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law.
Alicia Glen is a nationally recognized expert in urban development, infrastructure finance, job creation, and housing policy. Additionally, she created and serves as the Chair of women.nyc, the first municipally sponsored initiative and platform designed to enable women to earn money, gain power, and achieve success. Most recently, she was named the Chair of the Trust for Governors Island. As Deputy Mayor for New York City from 2014 to 2019, Alicia was responsible for growing and diversifying the City’s economy and creating a new generation of affordable housing. Her pro-business, pro-growth outlook included investing in emerging industries even as she continued to support traditional businesses. She championed the expansion of the arts, libraries and parks, and promoted new multi-modal transportation systems to keep New York City the global capital of commerce, culture and innovation. Her signature accomplishments include: designing and implementing the largest affordable housing plan in the nation’s history; spearheading the rezoning of two vital business districts in Manhattan; negotiating the financing for a new central tech hub and Google’s Manhattan campus; establishing talent pipelines in the Life Sciences and Technology industries; investing $500 million to support modern manufacturing and film production; and launching NYC Ferry, linking emerging and legacy job centers with residential neighborhoods by utilizing the city’s reclaimed waterfront. Prior to being appointed Deputy Mayor, Alicia served as the Head of the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs, spurring more than $5 billion of mixed-use development in New York and other cities, and financing innovative public-private partnerships, including NYC’s “Citibike” and the first domestic social impact bond. From 1998 to 2002, Alicia served as the Assistant Commissioner for Housing Finance for New York City. She is a graduate of Amherst College and Columbia Law School. THOMAS S. JOHNSON Top Thomas S. Johnson served as the Chairman and CEO of GreenPoint Financial Corp. and GreenPoint Bank from 1993 until he retired in 2004. Prior to that he served as President and Director of Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co. and also Chemical Bank, where he held various positions including President and Director. Mr. Johnson received an AB in Economics from Trinity College in 1962 and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School in 1964. He then became an instructor at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. Between 1966 and 1969 he was Special Assistant to the Comptroller in the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington, D.C. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of International Education and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the United States-Japan Foundation. He is also a Director of Alleghany Corporation, R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. Inc., Freddie Mac, North Fork Bank and The Phoenix Companies, Inc. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Mr. Johnson also serves on a number of not-for-profit boards including The Inner City Scholarship Fund, United Way of New York City, World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and WNET Channel 13, New York. He is a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Trinity College and of the Union Theological Seminary. Mr. Johnson is also a former member of the Group of Thirty, Consultative Group on International Economic & Monetary Affairs; and of the Boards of the Prudential Life Insurance Company of America, Online Resources Corporation and The Asia Society. Mr. Johnson and his wife, Ann, have three children, Tom, Scott, and Margaret (Scott was killed in the WTC attack 9/11/01.) CATHERINE MCVAY HUGHES Top Catherine McVay Hughes is the former Manhattan Community Board 1 Chair and has served as a member of Community Board 1 for two decades. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Princeton University and a Masters of Business Administration from the Wharton School. Catherine McVay Hughes has provided over 25 years of service in lower Manhattan including serving on various boards and committees including the World Trade Center Scientific Technical Advisory Committee, NY Rising Co-Chair, Trust for Governors Island, Manhattan CB1 Resiliency Task Force, School Overcrowding Taskforce, WTC Health Program Survivors Steering Committee. MEHUL PATEL Top Mehul J. Patel has enjoyed a career in real estate and economic development spanning the public, private and non-profit sectors over the past two decades. Mehul is currently the Head of Commercial Office for Rudin where he oversees asset management, property management, development, leasing and marketing for a 10.5 million square foot portfolio in New York City. Patel comes to Rudin from Midtown Equities, where he served as Chief Operating Officer and led deal execution for development, leasing and asset management across the firm’s office, retail and hospitality portfolio. Prior to joining Midtown Equities, Mehul was the Chief Operating Officer of Midwood Investment & Development which owns, develops and manages retail, office, residential, hotel and mixed-use properties in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. Before joining Midwood, Mehul was the Chief Operating Officer & Chief of Staff at Empire State Development, New York State's real estate and economic development agency. Previously, as a Vice President of the Moynihan Station Development Corporation, Mehul worked with various public and private sector stakeholders to expand New York’s Penn Station into the historic James A. Farley Post Office Building. Prior to that, he was a Senior Project Manager at The Hudson Companies where he oversaw the development of J Condominium in DUMBO and was responsible for managing all aspects of the 33-story, 267-unit new construction project. And before joining Hudson, Mehul was a Senior Analyst at HR&A Advisors, which specializes in real estate, economic development, and public policy consulting. Mehul is currently a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute, a Board Member of the Coro New York Leadership Center and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University teaching Public Private Partnerships in Real Estate Development. He also serves as a Director on the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Moynihan Station Development Corporation. Previously, Mehul served as President of the Columbia Real Estate Development Alumni Association, co-chair of the Yale Alumni Real Estate Association, and co-chair of the ULI New York Young Leaders Group. Mehul received a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and Urban Studies from Yale University and a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. CARL WEISBROD Top Carl Weisbrod is a Senior Advisor at HR&A Advisors, an economic development and real estate consulting firm. He was recently appointed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to Chair the Traffic Mobility Review Board (MRB) which will make recommendations to the MTA regarding the implementation of congestion pricing. He was appointed as Director of the New York City Department of City Planning and Chairman of the New York City Planning Commission by Mayor Bill de Blasio in March, 2014 and served in that position until January 2017 when he joined HR&A. Weisbrod has more than 35 years of experience serving the people of New York. He has left his mark on some of the city’s most dynamic and fastest-growing neighborhoods. Weisbrod’s service in government extends back to the Lindsay administration, which he joined as a young lawyer at the Department of Relocation. He was appointed by Mayor Koch to spearhead the city’s efforts to transform Times Square, and he also served as the Executive Director of the New York City Department of City Planning and Chairman of the New York City Loft Board. As president of New York State’s 42nd Street Development Project, Weisbrod led the effort to revitalize Times Square, transforming it into a global hub for tourism and entertainment. Under Mayor Dinkins, Weisbrod was the Founding President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, where he negotiated the United States Tennis Association’s 99-year lease in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park—regarded as one of the most beneficial municipal sports deals in the nation—as well as the transaction that brought Harlem its first major supermarket, the Pathmark on 125th Street. Mayor Bloomberg appointed him as a Director of the Trust for Governors Island and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, where he helped lead the post-9/11 recovery of downtown neighborhoods. That tenure overlapped with his 10 years as the founding president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, the largest business improvement district in the nation, setting in motion the evolution of the financial district from an area dominated by daytime office workers into a thriving 24-7 neighborhood. Weisbrod also served as the President of the real estate division of Trinity Church. He is a former Trustee of the Ford Foundation and the Urban Land Institute. He was previously a partner at HR&A from 2011 through February, 2014, where he managed the successful rezoning of the Hudson Square area in Manhattan into a dynamic hub for creative industries and new housing, including up to 700 affordable units. On his appointment, Weisbrod said, “I love this city. I’ve spent my entire career revitalizing its neighborhoods and making sure New Yorkers were the ones who benefited from good growth in their communities. We have such an enormous opportunity to put people to work in good-paying jobs, build affordable homes, and create stronger, more resilient communities—but that demands an approach that doesn’t let a single tool sit idle. We are committed to striking tough bargains and making farsighted decisions that protect New Yorkers and help us build a stronger city.” Weisbrod grew up in Parkchester and Fresh Meadows, and he is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University’s School of Law. He currently lives on Roosevelt Island with his wife, Jody Adams, a retired family court judge. CARL RODRIGUES Top Carl Rodrigues serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Harvard Allston Land Company (HALC). Prior to joining HALC, Carl completed seven years serving in various real estate and economic development roles for the City of New York. Most recently he served as the Chief Operating Officer of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and helped manage key aspects of the agency’s mayoral transition. He also served as Chief of Staff to the NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, acting under both Deputy Mayors Vicki Been and Alicia Glen. As Chief of Staff, he managed the development, tracking, and improvement of City policy and programs focused on equitable economic growth. Prior to joining NYCEDC, Carl was involved in residential and office acquisitions in Los Angeles and worked in global securities at Goldman Sachs. Carl earned his B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University. Carl is also a graduate of UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. JOSHUA KRAUS Top Josh Kraus serves NYCEDC as Director of Project Implementation. Most recently, Josh has served as Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Capital Project Development. Since joining that office in 2013, Josh has worked to deliver high-priority capital projects across the five boroughs, from Pre-K sites and post-Sandy recovery to health clinics, cultural facilities and public plazas. Another major focus of Josh’s work was coordinating the City’s engagement on planning for regional megaprojects, particularly the Gateway tunnel,Moynihan and Penn Stations, and Port Authority Bus Terminal. Prior to joining the Mayor’s Office, Josh spent seven years as a member of the Lower Manhattan Borough Commissioner’s Office of the NYC Department of Transportation. There he worked primarily on supporting the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, as well as reconstructing streets and utilities across lower Manhattan, following the 9/11 attacks. Before moving to New York City, Josh worked for the City of Montréal, where he contributed to the development of the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan. Josh holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from McGill University in Montréal, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University in Social Geography and Urban Development. He lives in the Bronx with his wife and three children. |