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Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation

Corporate Governance

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Operations & Policies
Members of Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation
Board of Directors
Upcoming Public Meetings
Public Meeting Materials
Financial Information & PAAA Reports
Community Advisory Council (CAC)
Making a Records Request
About Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation

OPERATIONS & POLICIES

Members of Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation

The Members of Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation are the Mayor of the City of New York, the First Deputy Mayor of the City of New York, and the Deputy Mayor for Operations. Meetings of the Members of the Corporation are open to the public.

Board of Directors

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Board of Directors comprises 17 Directors appointed by the Members of the Corporation on the nomination of the Mayor of the City of New York, the Governor of New York State, and local elected officials.

Deputy Mayor for Operations, Julia Kerson, Chair

Julia Kerson is the New York City Deputy Mayor for Operations. As Deputy Mayor for Operations, Julia Kerson oversees an extensive network of City services and major infrastructure projects for Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Her portfolio includes everything from the Departments of Citywide Administration Services, Design & Construction, Environmental Protection, Parks and Recreation, Records and Information Services, Sanitation, Technology & Innovation, and Transportation to the NYC Fire Department and NYC Emergency Management.

Deputy Mayor Kerson has a history of delivering large-scale, transformative capital projects across New York. She most recently served as Deputy Director of Infrastructure for Governor Kathy Hochul and previously served on the leadership teams for Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway extension and the Penn Station reconstruction project at the MTA, and the Hudson Tunnel Project at the Gateway Program Development Corporation. She also served in former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration as an infrastructure adviser to the then-Deputy Mayor for Operations, where she supported high priority public building and infrastructure programs.

Deputy Mayor Kerson is a Brooklyn resident, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Commissioner, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, Tricia Shimamura

Tricia Shimamura is a social worker, a lifelong public servant, and an avid parks enthusiast. She served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, working on critical infrastructure projects like investing in the East River Esplanade and completing Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway. Tricia worked as Director of Government Relations at Columbia University, strengthening relationships with the surrounding community boards and other local organizations, as well as spearheading civic engagement initiatives including an ambitious vote-by-mail program for over 20,000 students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tricia later joined the Office of Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, overseeing the office’s Community Affairs Unit and managing relationships with 12 Manhattan Community Boards. She spearheaded various initiatives such as the Borough President’s Volunteer Corps and the Leadership Training Series and connected with Manhattanites on issues impacting their daily lives.

Tricia has proudly served as the Manhattan Borough Commissioner for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks) since March 2024. Under her leadership, the borough expanded community outreach and strategic partnerships, identified creative solutions to longstanding, complex problems, and successfully advocated for millions of dollars of funding for both critical capital projects as well as essential public programs serving tens of thousands of New Yorkers. Tricia also led the borough in adopting more comprehensive data-driven practices and policies related to bloodborne pathogen safety, and she helped lead the agency’s on-the-ground response to the Inwood Hill Park fires in the fall of 2024. She oversaw the reopening of Phase 1 of East River Park, and has continued to guide strategic planning for several resiliency and other major waterfront development projects around the borough.

She received her Master’s in Social Work from New York University and her Bachelor of Arts from Kenyon College.

Interim President & CEO, New York City Economic Development Corporation, Jeanny Pak

Jeanny Pak is Interim President & CEO of New York City Economic Development Corporation, where she leads NYCEDC’s work growing an innovative and inclusive economy for all New Yorkers. Jeanny was NYCEDC’s Chief Financial Officer since 2023 and prior to that, she spent 25 years working in public finance investment banking. Most recently she was head of UBS’s East Region Public Finance Division.

Jeanny has spent most of her career working with public sector clients at the state and local levels where she developed and executed financial strategies, large bond transactions, and forward-thinking financial structuring. She has led large teams and is very active in groups and initiatives that promote women and people of color in the finance industry.

Jeanny holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cornell University and a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Peter Aschkenasy

Peter has served as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Parks, Recreation, & Cultural Affairs and as the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Commission on Youth & Physical Fitness in the Lindsay administration; on Manhattan Community Board 5, Brooklyn Community Board 2, the Executive Committee of the NYC Restaurant League, and the NYC Convention & Visitors Bureau. He is a founding member of The Association for a Better New York and serves as a board member of the Mayor’s Midtown Committee, Housing Works Food Service, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Arts Council, and BRIC Arts & Media. [Nominated by: Mayor Bloomberg; Appointed: 07/15/2010]

Lara Birnback

Lara Birnback is the Executive Director of the Brooklyn Heights Association. She has over twenty years of leadership experience in community engagement, nonprofit management, and international development Prior to joining the BHA, Lara directed Capacity Building Initiatives for the NYC Department of Small Business Services, where she provided strategic resources, training, and leadership development to neighborhood-based economic development organizations such as Business Improvement Districts and Local Development Corporations. Earlier in her career, Lara designed and led community engagement projects throughout the United States with the nonprofit Public Agenda. Internationally, she supported civil society development in East and Central Europe with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and served as a communications specialist for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Nairobi, Kenya.
She has lived in Brooklyn Heights for over 20 years and enjoys exploring all parts of Brooklyn with her husband and daughter [Nominated by: Julie Menin (Speaker, New York City Council); Appointed: 6/10/2026]

Gregg Bishop

Gregg is Executive Director of the Social Justice Fund. He served under Mayors Bloomberg and de Blasio as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. He is an adjunct professor at Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs and serves as a board member of Red Hook Initiative, Junior Achievement of New York, Pursuit, The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, The Association for a Better New York, Hebrew Free Loan Society, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation. [Nominated by: Mayor de Blasio; Appointed: 03/12/2021]

Martin E. Connor

Marty is an attorney specializing in election law and voting rights. He served as the State Senator from the 25th Senate District from ’78-’08. He served as the Senate Minority Leader (’95-’02), Minority Whip (’82-’84), and Assistant Minority Leader (’85-’90, ’94). He previously served in the Office of General Counsel, Xerox Corporation, and as an associate in the litigation department of White & Case. [Nominated by: Brooklyn Borough President Markowitz; Appointed: 07/23/2013]

Jeffrey D. Friedlander

Jeff has served New York City as one of its top and longest-serving municipal attorneys, having worked alongside 13 corporation counsels and under seven mayors. He joined the Law Department in ’70 and in ’95 became First Assistant Corporation Counsel. He is the President of the Board of Directors of the Heart & Soul Charitable Fund; has served as a board member of the Youth Services Opportunity Project; and is a member of the Hunter College Pre-Law Advisory Board. [Nominated by: Mayor Adams; Appointed: 05/31/2022]

Henry B. Gutman

Hank was Chair of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the Federal Bar Council, the American Bar Association, the Copyright Society of America, the AIPLA, the NYIPLA, and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He has served as President of the Board of the Downtown Brooklyn LDC and serves on the board of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. [Nominated by: Governor Cuomo; Appointed: 03/28/2014]

Shari Hyman

Shari is VP, Public Affairs for Turner Construction and was VP of Westfield World Trade Center, overseeing stakeholder relationships and operation. She was President of the Battery Park City Authority; Commissioner of the New York City Business Integrity Commission, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Operations, and First Deputy Criminal Justice Coordinator. She serves on New York City’s Sustainability Advisory Board and Capital Process Reform Taskforce; the Citizens Budget Commission; Regional Plan Association; Friends of Hudson River Park; and the Women’s Steering Committee for The Association for a Better NY. She has been a DUMBO resident for over 20 years. [Nominated by: Mayor Adams; Appointed: 10/10/2023]

Tori Kelly

Tori is Chief of Staff to State Senator Andrew Gounardes and previously worked for the Assembly. She is in her fourth term as State Committee Member and District Leader for the 49th Assembly District representing portions of Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Sunset Park. She co-founded the Sexual Harassment Working Group in 2018 and advocates for strengthening workplace protections for workers who face harassment and discrimination. She resides in Dyker Heights with her husband. [Nominated by: State Senator Gounardes; Appointed: 10/10/2023]

Gregorio Mayers

Gregorio Mayers brings over 25 years of experience in law, government and policy as a former Senior Advisor to NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Election Consultant, Democratic Consultant, Federal Mediator and tenured professor of Law and Government at the City University of New York at Medgar Evers College. He was recently appointed by Mayor Adams and approved by the Council to serve as a Commissioner for the Local Conditional Release Commission, and was appointed this summer to the Board of Directors of the CUNY School of Law, his Alma mater. He is a graduate of Medgar Evers College and the City University School of Law. He resides in Brooklyn with his wife Onida Coward Mayers, a government relations executive and their children. [Nominated by: Governor Hochul; Appointed: 9/11/24]

Stephen Merkel

Steve is the Executive Managing Director, General Counsel & Secretary of Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P where he oversees all compliance, risk management, credit, and internal audit functions. He is Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of BGC Partners, Inc. Previously, he was the Director, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of eSpeed. Prior to joining Cantor Fitzgerald, he was Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Goldman Sachs.[Nominated by: Governor Cuomo; Appointed: 12/23/2013]

Susannah Pasquantonio

Susannah is Chief of Staff to Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon. She was the Director of Women’s Issues & Health Care Policy for a State Senator, managing the Bipartisan Pro-Choice Legislative Caucus and organizing campaigns on postpartum depression, the nation’s first state law to allow pregnant women to enroll in health care at any time of year, the Women’s Equality Act, and more. She received her MPA from Baruch College, School of Public Affairs and was a United Way Senior Fellow. She lives in Cobble Hill and plays ice and street hockey and expands access to those sports for youth, women, and the LGBTQ+ community. [Nominated by: Assemblymember Simon; Appointed: 01/09/2017]

Andrea Phillips

Andi is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Maycomb Capital LP, an impact investing platform, under which she launched the Community Outcomes Fund, the first U.S. outcomes-based financing fund. She has over 25 years of experience leading, designing and implementing large scale, public-private partnerships to address pressing social challenges. Previously, she worked as a Vice President in the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs. [Nominated by: Mayor de Blasio; Appointed: 07/20/2018]

Dr. Jocelynne Rainey

Dr. Rainey is President & CEO of Brooklyn Community Foundation. She served as CEO & President of Getting Out and Staying Out; as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for the Brooklyn Navy Yard; and as the Human Resources Director for specialty food retailer Agata and Valentina. She serves on several boards, including: the New York City Workforce Development Board, Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Mark Morris Dance Group. She is a foundation trustee of her alma mater, Southern Connecticut State University, and New York College of Technology. She is the recipient of several honors, including being named one of The Network Journal’s 25 Influential Black Women in Business in ‘16 and one of Crain’s Notable Black Leaders and Executives in ‘21 and ’23. [Nominated by: Mayor Adams; Appointed: 10/10/2023]

Upcoming Public Meetings

Meetings are open to the public.

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings will be held at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Offices located at 334 Furman Street, Brooklyn, New York and will begin at 10am. Meeting are live-streamed and replay copies are available here.

As per the bylaws, BBP anticipates holding a meeting of the Board of Directors at least four times each fiscal year. Dates are subject to change; they are only anticipated dates until a Notice of Public Meeting is posted.

Public Meeting Materials

Financial Information & PAAA Reports

Community Advisory Council (CAC)

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Advisory Council (CAC) is the primary forum through which the community can provide feedback and comments to the Corporation on its major projects and initiatives. Membership for the CAC was chosen in consultation with local elected officials representing the Park and area. The CAC is governed by its own set of by-laws that pertain to, among other things, selection of officers, voting, formation of committees, and the scheduling of meetings.

All meetings will be held at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Offices as scheduled by the CAC Executive Committee, or in else otherwise noted. Meetings are open to the public.

Making a Records Request

You may request access to the records of Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation pursuant to the New York State Freedom of Information Law, Public Officers Law §84 et. seq., as follows:

By e-mail to:
FOIL@bbp.nyc

By mail to:
Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation
334 Furman Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Attn: Records Access Officer

Joel Bermejo, Records Access Officer
Amy Lojek, Records Appeals Officer

Copying Fees:
The fees for copying records are as follows:
25¢ per page or actual cost of reproduction

About Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn Bridge Park History

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Events at the Park

July 15

Expert-Led Explorations: Plankton - July 15

Status: Cancelled

Pier 5

July 15

Amp'd Bootcamp - July 15

Status: Cancelled

Pier 2 Turf

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nyc.gov

Expert-Led Explorations: Plankton - July 15

Corporate Governance

OPERATIONS & POLICIES

Corporate Documents

Members of Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation

Board of Directors

Ex Officio Directors

Appointed Directors

Audit & Finance Committee Directors

Budget & Operations Committee Directors

Governance Committee Directors

Upcoming Public Meetings

Public Meeting Materials

Meeting Agendas, Minutes, and Resolutions

2026

June 10, 2026 – Meeting of the Members

June 10, 2026

March 4, 2026

2025

October 15, 2025

June 4, 2025

March 12, 2025

2024

March 7, 2024 – Meeting of the Members

June 12, 2024

September 11, 2024 – Meeting of the Members

September 12, 2024

October 16, 2024 – Annual Meeting

December 11, 2024

2023

June 14, 2023

October 10, 2023 – Meeting of the Members

October 11, 2023

2022

January 19, 2022

May 31, 2022 – Meeting of the Members

June 1, 2022

October 12, 2022

November 15, 2022 – Meeting of the Members

December 14, 2022

2021

January 13, 2021

March 16, 2021 – Meeting of the Members

April 7 , 2021

June 2, 2021

October 6, 2021

December 3, 2021 – Meeting of the Members

2020

September 30, 2020

August 12, 2020

June 3, 2020

April 1, 2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

Financial Information & PAAA Reports

Financial Information

2025

2024

2023

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2020

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2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

Public Authorities Accountability Act Reports

Community Advisory Council (CAC)

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