Premiere Queens Power List event showcases the most influential people in the ‘World’s Borough’

Source: QNS

By Jenna Bagcal

Hundreds gathered at Terrace on the Park for the inaugural Queens Power List, an event which recognizes the borough’s most influential people across several industries.

On Wednesday, Oct. 3, The Queens Courier and Power List Committee honored the top movers and shakers in business, the arts, education and politics for their accomplishments in their respective fields. Honorees at the first-ever Queens Power List were determined after months of deliberations and included CEOs, politicians, company presidents and nonprofit leaders.

The Queens Power List event is an offshoot of the Long Island Power List, which has been honoring individuals from Long Island for the past 15 years. Back in April, the annual award’s gala was held at The Mansion at Oyster Bay for its “crystal” anniversary.

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz was invited to provide opening remarks, during which she congratulated the VIPs and honorees of the night.

SCNG Publisher Victoria Schneps expressed her excitement to honor “the best and the brightest from Queens” for the first time ever and invited each of the Power Listers to introduce themselves. The general consensus among the crowd was that they were honored and humbled to be recognized.

Kevin Alexander, CEO of the Rockaway Development and Revitalization Corporation Inc., was one of the honorees from the inaugural batch of Queens’ most influential people. For the past 13 years, Alexander has worked to improve the lives of people from the Rockaways, providing them with the resources to find jobs, become homeowners and manage their money.

“I’m flattered to receive the honor on behalf of the organization, but there’s more work to be done,” said Alexander.

President of Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology Dr. Sharon B. DeVivo was also among the honorees of the inaugural event. DeVivo began her career at Vaughn in 1996 and became president in 2014. She credits her staying power to the “incredible students” at the school.

“I’m 1,000 percent committed to giving students the best possible education,” DeVivo said. She added that students telling her that they got a job or internship is part of “what makes the job meaningful.”

The 2018 Queens Power List honorees were as follows:

KEVIN ALEXANDER President & CEO Rockaway Development and Revitalization Corporation, Inc.

ANA MARIA ARCHILA Co-Executive Director Center for Popular Democracy

GINA ARGENTO President & CEO Broadway Stages

JOANN ARIOLA SHANKS Director of Intergovernmental Affairs MediSys Health Network Chairwoman, Republican Party of Queens County

ERIC BENAIM CEO Modern Spaces

SETH BORNSTEIN Executive Director Queens Economic Development Corporation

JOHN BRUCKNER NY President National Grid

JOHN BURAN CEO Flushing Bank

CAROL CONSLATO Director of Public Affairs Con Edison

RICK COTTON Executive Director The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey

JOHN “SEAN” CROWLEY Partner Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP

SHARON DEVIVO President Vaughn College

RICHARD K. DZWLEWICZ Regional Vice President/SVP TD Bank

FRED ELGHANAYAN President TF Cornerstone, Inc.

THOMAS ELGHANAYAN Chairman TF Cornerstone, Inc.

PHILLIP ENG President Long Island Rail Road

JOSEPH FICALORA President & CEO New York Community Bancorp

HECTOR FIGUEROA President 32BJ Service Employees International Union

FLOYD FLAKE Senior Pastor Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral

CONRADO “BOBBY” GEMPESAW President St. John’s University

MICHAEL GOLDBERG Executive Director LIJ Medical Center

CARL GOODMAN Executive Director Museum of the Moving Image

AHMED HEGAZY Executive Director EIHAB Human Services

Dr. MARGARET HONEY President and CEO New York Hall of Science

DENNIS IFILL President DC37 Local 1359

PATRICK B. JENKINS Founder Patrick B. Jenkins and Associates

HOPE KNIGHT President Greater Jamaica Development Corporation

JACK KOPNISKY President & CEO Sterling National Bank

GARY LABARBERA President Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York

JEFFREY E. LEVINE Founder & Chairman Douglaston Development

DOROTHY LEWANDOWSKI Queens Borough Commissioner NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation

ELIZABETH LUSSKIN President Long Island City Partnership

JOSEPH MATTONE Founder, Chairman & CEO The Mattone Group

STEVEN MENDELSON President & CEO Zwagner-Pesiri Radiology SCOTT MOLINA President Resorts World Casino NYC

FRANK MONTERISI Senior Vice President Related Management Company

TYLER MORSE CEO, Managing Partner MCR Development

SATEESH NORI Attorney-in-Charge Queens Neighborhood Office of the Legal Aid Society

DEIRDRE O’CONNELL CEO Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty

ELLIOT PARK CEO Shine Electronics

LESTER PETRACCA President & CEO Triangle Equities

AUDREY PHEFFER Queens County Clerk & Commissioner of Jurors

ISRAEL ROCHA CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals/OneCity Health Vice President, NYC Health + Hospitals

MICHAEL ROSENBLUT President and CEO Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation

THOMAS RUDZEWICK President and CEO Maspeth Federal Savings and Loan Association

CARYN A. SCHWAB Executive Director Mount Sinai Queens

CLAIRE SHULMAN President and CEO Flushing Willets Point Corona LDC

LEONARD STEKOL Chairman, President and CEO Ridgewood Savings Bank

ALAN SUNA CEO Silvercup Studios

STUART SUNA President Silvercup Studios

TRAVIS TERRY Chief Operating Officer Capalino+Company

TONY UTANO President Transport Workers Union Local 100

DENNIS M. WALCOTT President and CEO Queens Library

MARK S. WEPRIN Shareholder Greenberg Traurig

FRED WILPON NY Mets Chairman of the Board

JEFF WILPON COO NY Mets

MICHAEL WOLOZ Partner Connelly McLaughlin & Woloz

ELECTED OFFICIALS

MELINDA KATZ Queens Borough President

HAKEEM JEFFRIES Congressman, 8th District

CAROLYN MALONEY Congresswoman, 12th District

GREGORY MEEKS Congressman, 5th District

GRACE MENG Congresswoman, 6th District

TOM SUOZZI Congressman, 3rd District

NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ Congresswoman, 7th District

2018 Queens Power List Cocktail Sponsors: 

National Grid