CityAndStateNY.com
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DANIEL LEONE
PRESIDENT AND CEO QUEENS PUBLIC TELEVISION LOCAL TV channels
have been mocked in popular culture for years, but – in one of the most diverse places in the world – QPTV provides a vital and important outlet for communities to make their voices heard. The station features original shows profiling unique communities, like “Made in Queens” and “Around Queens.” Daniel Leone oversees daily operations and programming at QPTV, as well as developing strategies to keep the station relevant.
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MARCIA KEIZS
PRESIDENT YORK COLLEGE THIS KINGSTON,
Jamaica-born educator has led York College for more than a decade, as the CUNY institution grew alongside downtown Jamaica, Queens, experiencing a revival in unison with the flourishing neighborhood. Marcia Keizs has been widely recognized for her innovative leadership. Although she is retiring at the end of August and heading to Bronx Community College, where she will return to teaching, she will likely remain a leading voice in the community for years to come.
August 5, 2019
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CLYDE VANEL
WILLIAM TRAMONTANO
ASSEMBLYMAN
INTERIM PRESIDENT QUEENS COLLEGE
CLYDE VANEL
was vocal about his frustrations with the opposition to the Amazon deal. Aside from the jobs it would have brought to Queens, the deal represented an opportunity for Vanel to boost the impact of his role as chairman of the Subcommittee on Internet and New Technology. Vanel’s approach to the tech industry is based on studying how to harness its economic benefits. He recently created a task force studying the regulation of cryptocurrency.
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SHAMSI ALI
DIRECTOR JAMAICA MUSLIM CENTER
AFTER 9/11, Shamsi
Ali was a prominent national voice promoting interfaith dialogue. His work earned him recognition from former President George W. Bush, but he has been criticized by more conservative Muslims. These days he still speaks out against violence against any religion and works to build bridges between his Queens congregation and other religions. He doesn’t shy away from political criticism, calling out President Donald Trump for failing to appropriately denounce racism.
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JUAN RESTREPO
QUEENS ORGANIZER TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES IF YOU ask Queens residents about some of the biggest changes they’ve seen in recent years, you will likely hear a lot about bike lanes. While this has been one of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s signature issues on a macro level, Juan Restrepo and his colleagues at Transportation Alternatives have been doing the heavy peddling locally, organizing rallies to draw attention to problem areas and pushing back against community boards opposed to the new lanes.
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ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, NONPROFITS KASIRER
PRESIDENT HINDU TEMPLE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA
RICHARD DAVID
THE HEAD of this
RICHARD DAVID
brought more than nonprofit experience to New York City’s highest-grossing lobbying firm; he brought his experience within the Indo-Caribbean and South Asian communities of Queens as well. A Guyanese-American who serves as co-district leader for Assembly District 31 and was a community board member for 10 years, David has provided a bridge into one of Queens’ largest immigrant groups. He came to Kasirer from the city Administration for Children’s Services.
AFTER A career in New York City higher education, William Tramontano got the nod this spring to take over as interim president of the CUNY school after Félix V. Matos Rodríguez left to take over as CUNY chancellor. Tramontano spent 22 years teaching biology at Manhattan College while getting a taste of administrative experience as department chair. He also helped develop curriculum at Lehman College and served as adviser to the president at Hunter College.
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PAUL ARCARIO
INTERIM PRESIDENT LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
PAUL ARCARIO
has big shoes to fill as he takes over as interim president of LaGuardia Community College. Arcario is filling in following the departure of Gail Mellow, who served for nearly two decades as president of the CUNY school, which is known for serving mostly low-income students. But the school’s former provost, a Queens native who has been at the institution for more than three decades, knows his way around.
UMA MYSOREKAR
Flushing-based cultural and spiritual center has served as a representative of the faith at White House conferences under former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush – as well as meeting other world leaders. The basement of the temple is home to a popular vegetarian canteen with some of the best dosas in the city. It serves as many as 10,000 people during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
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CATALINA CRUZ
ASSEMBLYWOMAN
CATALINA CRUZ, who came to Jackson Heights from Columbia at age 9 with a mother who worked selling tamales and empanadas to support herself, was the first DACA recipient elected to the Assembly. A fierce champion for immigrants’ rights and former counsel to the New York City Council’s Immigration Committee, Cruz played a significant role in pushing for the Green Light bill that would allow people to obtain driver’s licenses regardless of their immigration status.
HORSE AND DUCK STUDIO; CRUZ FOR NEW YORK
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