Leadership

    • Raju Mann

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

    • Martha J. Gallo

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

    • DONALD CAPOCCIA

    • Member
    • Confirmed June 15, 2011
    DONALD CAPOCCIA
    • DONALD CAPOCCIA
    • Member
    • Confirmed June 15, 2011

    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 4,500 units of housing in New York City with a combined value of $3.5B. His projects also include approximately 250,000SF 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. In addition to his work as an active NYC builder, Mr. Capoccia has had substantial involvement with the arts, architecture and urban planning issues as they impact New York City, New York State, and Washington, DC. Mr. Capoccia is also involved in numerous industry related organizations. He is co-founder and Vice President of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing, a trade organization representing the interest of for-profit builders of Affordable Housing across NYS. Mr. Capoccia currently serves as a Director of the Real Estate Board of New York, the Rent Stabilization Board, and the Associated Builders and Owners of Greater New York. He also serves on the Board of Directors of amfAR (American Foundation of Aids Research), The National Building Museum and La Mama Experimental Theatre, Inc, a NYC based, world renowned, cultural organization that produces and presents original performance work by artists of all nations and cultures. Mr. Capoccia has been a committed and long standing supporter of a number of non-profit, national and NYC based organizations which focus on issues ranging from affordable housing production policy, to HIV-AIDS research, to the arts and its impact on New York City.

    • LESTER PETRACCA

    • Member
    • Confirmed June 20, 2013
    LESTER PETRACCA
    • 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.

    • LOUIS J. BEVILACQUA

    • Member
    • Confirmed June 20, 2017
    LOUIS J. BEVILACQUA
    • LOUIS J. BEVILACQUA
    • Member
    • Confirmed June 20, 2017

    Louis Bevilacqua has been a practicing corporate lawyer for more than 40 years. During 30+ years of law practice leadership at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, a long-time anchor tenant in Battery Park City’s commercial center, Mr. Bevilacqua served a diverse and sophisticated international client base. As a senior partner and Chair of the Corporate Department he oversaw the growth of several practice groups at Cadwalader, including M&A, Corporate Governance, Corporate Finance/Securities and Private Equity. Further, as one of the longest tenured members of the Firm’s Management Committee, Mr. Bevilacqua was an integral part of the strategic planning for many of the growth and profitability initiatives that have established Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP as a cutting edge firm noted for its creativity. Cadwalader founded in 1792, is also the oldest continuing law firm in the country.

    During his career, Mr. Bevilacqua has advised numerous clients on ground breaking transactions, mega-mergers, international joint ventures, IPO’s, private equity buyouts and restructurings. His clients have included large industrial companies, leading pharmaceutical companies, major financial institutions, innovators and entrepreneurs and government entities. Highlights include advising Pfizer on the takeover of Warner Lambert, representing the U.S. Treasury in the restructuring of GM and Chrysler, the sale of Quaker Oats to Pepsi, and advising Oji Paper in several worldwide acquisitions and joint ventures.

    As Senior Counsel at the Firm since 2014, Mr. Bevilacqua continues to actively advise clients and mentor young lawyers and partners. He as served as a member of the Institute of Law and Economics at University of Pennsylvania Law School and Wharton Business School. He has authored a number of articles on corporate law and governance.

    Prior to practicing law, Mr. Bevilacqua served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy (1970-1973).

    Mr. Bevilacqua has historically and continues to spend substantial time serving his community. After living in Battery Park City during the 2010s, in addition to service on the BPCA Board, he has served as a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee for the Group for the East End, a not for profit organization focused on clean water and the environment on Long Island; a member of the Board of Directors of The Nature Conservancy (Mashomack Preserve); a sponsor of Sentinels of Freedom, a foundation to assist and mentor severely wounded warriors; and previously he served as the Chairman of the Shelter Island Heights Property Owners Association and President of the S.I. North Ferry Company.

    Mr. Bevilacqua is a graduate of the College of the Holly Cross (BA 1970), Fordham University School of Law (JD 1977) and NYU – Leonard N. Stern School of Business (MBA 1977).

    • CATHERINE McVAY HUGHES

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

    • Pamela Frederick

    • Chief Financial Officer
    Pamela Frederick
    • 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.

    • Gwen Dawson

    • Vice President, Real Property
    Gwen Dawson
    • Gwen Dawson
    • Vice President, Real Property

    Gwen Dawson is the Battery Park City Authority’s Vice President of Real Property, responsible for the Authority’s planning, design, construction, and facilities management activities. During Dawson’s tenure, The Authority has overseen the completed buildout of the Battery Park City 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.

    Central to the Authority’s current capital program is a collection of consequential coastal resiliency projects designed to reduce the risk of future flooding in Battery Park City, resulting from severe storms and sea level rise. Dawson also shepherded the recent 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 high-profile urban properties and facilities, including Denver Union Station and the Colorado Community College site at the former Lowry Air Force Base. She is a graduate of Florida State University and Duke University School of Law.

    • Craig Hudon

    • Vice President, Parks Programming
    Craig Hudon
    • 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.

    • Abby Goldenberg

    • General Counsel
    Abby Goldenberg
    • Abby Goldenberg
    • General Counsel

    Abby Goldenberg currently serves as General Counsel for the Battery Park City Authority. Before joining BPCA’s legal staff in 2015, Ms. Goldenberg served as General Counsel for the New York City Business Integrity Commission, a regulatory and law enforcement agency dedicated to ensuring certain New York City businesses are free from crime and corruption. Ms. Goldenberg’s public sector experience is extensive, as she worked for over a decade in the General Litigation Division at the New York City Law Department. There, Ms. Goldenberg served as lead counsel in cases, including class actions, brought against the City and its employees, including challenges to City policies, and employment discrimination and civil rights claims. Not only does Ms. Goldenberg have extensive trial experience, but has successfully provided counsel and advice to numerous government entities on a wide range of legal issues.

    Ms. Goldenberg received a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a juris doctor degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

    • Ryan Torres

    • Vice President , Parks Operations
    Ryan Torres
    • 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.

    • Eric Munson

    • Chief Operating Officer
    Eric Munson
    • 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.

    • Nicholas Sbordone

    • Vice President, Communications & Public Affairs
    Nicholas Sbordone
    • 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.

    • Sharmila Baichu

    • Vice President, Human Resources
    Sharmila Baichu
    • Sharmila Baichu
    • Vice President, Human Resources

    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.

    • Alexis Torres Cid

    • Chief of Staff
    Alexis Torres Cid
    • Alexis Torres Cid
    • Chief of Staff

    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.

    • Raju Mann

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

    • Martha J. Gallo

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

    • DONALD CAPOCCIA

    • Member
    • Confirmed June 15, 2011
    DONALD CAPOCCIA
    • DONALD CAPOCCIA
    • Member
    • Confirmed June 15, 2011

    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 4,500 units of housing in New York City with a combined value of $3.5B. His projects also include approximately 250,000SF 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. In addition to his work as an active NYC builder, Mr. Capoccia has had substantial involvement with the arts, architecture and urban planning issues as they impact New York City, New York State, and Washington, DC. Mr. Capoccia is also involved in numerous industry related organizations. He is co-founder and Vice President of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing, a trade organization representing the interest of for-profit builders of Affordable Housing across NYS. Mr. Capoccia currently serves as a Director of the Real Estate Board of New York, the Rent Stabilization Board, and the Associated Builders and Owners of Greater New York. He also serves on the Board of Directors of amfAR (American Foundation of Aids Research), The National Building Museum and La Mama Experimental Theatre, Inc, a NYC based, world renowned, cultural organization that produces and presents original performance work by artists of all nations and cultures. Mr. Capoccia has been a committed and long standing supporter of a number of non-profit, national and NYC based organizations which focus on issues ranging from affordable housing production policy, to HIV-AIDS research, to the arts and its impact on New York City.

    • LESTER PETRACCA

    • Member
    • Confirmed June 20, 2013
    LESTER PETRACCA
    • 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.

    • LOUIS J. BEVILACQUA

    • Member
    • Confirmed June 20, 2017
    LOUIS J. BEVILACQUA
    • LOUIS J. BEVILACQUA
    • Member
    • Confirmed June 20, 2017

    Louis Bevilacqua has been a practicing corporate lawyer for more than 40 years. During 30+ years of law practice leadership at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, a long-time anchor tenant in Battery Park City’s commercial center, Mr. Bevilacqua served a diverse and sophisticated international client base. As a senior partner and Chair of the Corporate Department he oversaw the growth of several practice groups at Cadwalader, including M&A, Corporate Governance, Corporate Finance/Securities and Private Equity. Further, as one of the longest tenured members of the Firm’s Management Committee, Mr. Bevilacqua was an integral part of the strategic planning for many of the growth and profitability initiatives that have established Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP as a cutting edge firm noted for its creativity. Cadwalader founded in 1792, is also the oldest continuing law firm in the country.

    During his career, Mr. Bevilacqua has advised numerous clients on ground breaking transactions, mega-mergers, international joint ventures, IPO’s, private equity buyouts and restructurings. His clients have included large industrial companies, leading pharmaceutical companies, major financial institutions, innovators and entrepreneurs and government entities. Highlights include advising Pfizer on the takeover of Warner Lambert, representing the U.S. Treasury in the restructuring of GM and Chrysler, the sale of Quaker Oats to Pepsi, and advising Oji Paper in several worldwide acquisitions and joint ventures.

    As Senior Counsel at the Firm since 2014, Mr. Bevilacqua continues to actively advise clients and mentor young lawyers and partners. He as served as a member of the Institute of Law and Economics at University of Pennsylvania Law School and Wharton Business School. He has authored a number of articles on corporate law and governance.

    Prior to practicing law, Mr. Bevilacqua served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy (1970-1973).

    Mr. Bevilacqua has historically and continues to spend substantial time serving his community. After living in Battery Park City during the 2010s, in addition to service on the BPCA Board, he has served as a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee for the Group for the East End, a not for profit organization focused on clean water and the environment on Long Island; a member of the Board of Directors of The Nature Conservancy (Mashomack Preserve); a sponsor of Sentinels of Freedom, a foundation to assist and mentor severely wounded warriors; and previously he served as the Chairman of the Shelter Island Heights Property Owners Association and President of the S.I. North Ferry Company.

    Mr. Bevilacqua is a graduate of the College of the Holly Cross (BA 1970), Fordham University School of Law (JD 1977) and NYU – Leonard N. Stern School of Business (MBA 1977).

    • CATHERINE McVAY HUGHES

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

    • Pamela Frederick

    • Chief Financial Officer
    Pamela Frederick
    • 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.

    • Gwen Dawson

    • Vice President, Real Property
    Gwen Dawson
    • Gwen Dawson
    • Vice President, Real Property

    Gwen Dawson is the Battery Park City Authority’s Vice President of Real Property, responsible for the Authority’s planning, design, construction, and facilities management activities. During Dawson’s tenure, The Authority has overseen the completed buildout of the Battery Park City 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.

    Central to the Authority’s current capital program is a collection of consequential coastal resiliency projects designed to reduce the risk of future flooding in Battery Park City, resulting from severe storms and sea level rise. Dawson also shepherded the recent 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 high-profile urban properties and facilities, including Denver Union Station and the Colorado Community College site at the former Lowry Air Force Base. She is a graduate of Florida State University and Duke University School of Law.

    • Craig Hudon

    • Vice President, Parks Programming
    Craig Hudon
    • 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.

    • Abby Goldenberg

    • General Counsel
    Abby Goldenberg
    • Abby Goldenberg
    • General Counsel

    Abby Goldenberg currently serves as General Counsel for the Battery Park City Authority. Before joining BPCA’s legal staff in 2015, Ms. Goldenberg served as General Counsel for the New York City Business Integrity Commission, a regulatory and law enforcement agency dedicated to ensuring certain New York City businesses are free from crime and corruption. Ms. Goldenberg’s public sector experience is extensive, as she worked for over a decade in the General Litigation Division at the New York City Law Department. There, Ms. Goldenberg served as lead counsel in cases, including class actions, brought against the City and its employees, including challenges to City policies, and employment discrimination and civil rights claims. Not only does Ms. Goldenberg have extensive trial experience, but has successfully provided counsel and advice to numerous government entities on a wide range of legal issues.

    Ms. Goldenberg received a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a juris doctor degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

    • Ryan Torres

    • Vice President , Parks Operations
    Ryan Torres
    • 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.

    • Eric Munson

    • Chief Operating Officer
    Eric Munson
    • 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.

    • Nicholas Sbordone

    • Vice President, Communications & Public Affairs
    Nicholas Sbordone
    • 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.

    • Sharmila Baichu

    • Vice President, Human Resources
    Sharmila Baichu
    • Sharmila Baichu
    • Vice President, Human Resources

    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.

    • Alexis Torres Cid

    • Chief of Staff
    Alexis Torres Cid
    • Alexis Torres Cid
    • Chief of Staff

    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.

    • Raju Mann

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

    • Martha J. Gallo

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

    • DONALD CAPOCCIA

    • Member
    • Confirmed June 15, 2011
    DONALD CAPOCCIA
    • DONALD CAPOCCIA
    • Member
    • Confirmed June 15, 2011

    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 4,500 units of housing in New York City with a combined value of $3.5B. His projects also include approximately 250,000SF 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. In addition to his work as an active NYC builder, Mr. Capoccia has had substantial involvement with the arts, architecture and urban planning issues as they impact New York City, New York State, and Washington, DC. Mr. Capoccia is also involved in numerous industry related organizations. He is co-founder and Vice President of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing, a trade organization representing the interest of for-profit builders of Affordable Housing across NYS. Mr. Capoccia currently serves as a Director of the Real Estate Board of New York, the Rent Stabilization Board, and the Associated Builders and Owners of Greater New York. He also serves on the Board of Directors of amfAR (American Foundation of Aids Research), The National Building Museum and La Mama Experimental Theatre, Inc, a NYC based, world renowned, cultural organization that produces and presents original performance work by artists of all nations and cultures. Mr. Capoccia has been a committed and long standing supporter of a number of non-profit, national and NYC based organizations which focus on issues ranging from affordable housing production policy, to HIV-AIDS research, to the arts and its impact on New York City.

    • LESTER PETRACCA

    • Member
    • Confirmed June 20, 2013
    LESTER PETRACCA
    • 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.

    • LOUIS J. BEVILACQUA

    • Member
    • Confirmed June 20, 2017
    LOUIS J. BEVILACQUA
    • LOUIS J. BEVILACQUA
    • Member
    • Confirmed June 20, 2017

    Louis Bevilacqua has been a practicing corporate lawyer for more than 40 years. During 30+ years of law practice leadership at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, a long-time anchor tenant in Battery Park City’s commercial center, Mr. Bevilacqua served a diverse and sophisticated international client base. As a senior partner and Chair of the Corporate Department he oversaw the growth of several practice groups at Cadwalader, including M&A, Corporate Governance, Corporate Finance/Securities and Private Equity. Further, as one of the longest tenured members of the Firm’s Management Committee, Mr. Bevilacqua was an integral part of the strategic planning for many of the growth and profitability initiatives that have established Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP as a cutting edge firm noted for its creativity. Cadwalader founded in 1792, is also the oldest continuing law firm in the country.

    During his career, Mr. Bevilacqua has advised numerous clients on ground breaking transactions, mega-mergers, international joint ventures, IPO’s, private equity buyouts and restructurings. His clients have included large industrial companies, leading pharmaceutical companies, major financial institutions, innovators and entrepreneurs and government entities. Highlights include advising Pfizer on the takeover of Warner Lambert, representing the U.S. Treasury in the restructuring of GM and Chrysler, the sale of Quaker Oats to Pepsi, and advising Oji Paper in several worldwide acquisitions and joint ventures.

    As Senior Counsel at the Firm since 2014, Mr. Bevilacqua continues to actively advise clients and mentor young lawyers and partners. He as served as a member of the Institute of Law and Economics at University of Pennsylvania Law School and Wharton Business School. He has authored a number of articles on corporate law and governance.

    Prior to practicing law, Mr. Bevilacqua served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy (1970-1973).

    Mr. Bevilacqua has historically and continues to spend substantial time serving his community. After living in Battery Park City during the 2010s, in addition to service on the BPCA Board, he has served as a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee for the Group for the East End, a not for profit organization focused on clean water and the environment on Long Island; a member of the Board of Directors of The Nature Conservancy (Mashomack Preserve); a sponsor of Sentinels of Freedom, a foundation to assist and mentor severely wounded warriors; and previously he served as the Chairman of the Shelter Island Heights Property Owners Association and President of the S.I. North Ferry Company.

    Mr. Bevilacqua is a graduate of the College of the Holly Cross (BA 1970), Fordham University School of Law (JD 1977) and NYU – Leonard N. Stern School of Business (MBA 1977).

    • CATHERINE McVAY HUGHES

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

    • Pamela Frederick

    • Chief Financial Officer
    Pamela Frederick
    • 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.

    • Gwen Dawson

    • Vice President, Real Property
    Gwen Dawson
    • Gwen Dawson
    • Vice President, Real Property

    Gwen Dawson is the Battery Park City Authority’s Vice President of Real Property, responsible for the Authority’s planning, design, construction, and facilities management activities. During Dawson’s tenure, The Authority has overseen the completed buildout of the Battery Park City 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.

    Central to the Authority’s current capital program is a collection of consequential coastal resiliency projects designed to reduce the risk of future flooding in Battery Park City, resulting from severe storms and sea level rise. Dawson also shepherded the recent 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 high-profile urban properties and facilities, including Denver Union Station and the Colorado Community College site at the former Lowry Air Force Base. She is a graduate of Florida State University and Duke University School of Law.

    • Craig Hudon

    • Vice President, Parks Programming
    Craig Hudon
    • 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.

    • Abby Goldenberg

    • General Counsel
    Abby Goldenberg
    • Abby Goldenberg
    • General Counsel

    Abby Goldenberg currently serves as General Counsel for the Battery Park City Authority. Before joining BPCA’s legal staff in 2015, Ms. Goldenberg served as General Counsel for the New York City Business Integrity Commission, a regulatory and law enforcement agency dedicated to ensuring certain New York City businesses are free from crime and corruption. Ms. Goldenberg’s public sector experience is extensive, as she worked for over a decade in the General Litigation Division at the New York City Law Department. There, Ms. Goldenberg served as lead counsel in cases, including class actions, brought against the City and its employees, including challenges to City policies, and employment discrimination and civil rights claims. Not only does Ms. Goldenberg have extensive trial experience, but has successfully provided counsel and advice to numerous government entities on a wide range of legal issues.

    Ms. Goldenberg received a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a juris doctor degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

    • Ryan Torres

    • Vice President , Parks Operations
    Ryan Torres
    • 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.

    • Eric Munson

    • Chief Operating Officer
    Eric Munson
    • 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.

    • Nicholas Sbordone

    • Vice President, Communications & Public Affairs
    Nicholas Sbordone
    • 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.

    • Sharmila Baichu

    • Vice President, Human Resources
    Sharmila Baichu
    • Sharmila Baichu
    • Vice President, Human Resources

    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.

    • Alexis Torres Cid

    • Chief of Staff
    Alexis Torres Cid
    • Alexis Torres Cid
    • Chief of Staff

    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.