Brooklyn's Progress
October 2003

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce welcomes Fredderick Graves, Mack Tham, James McTaggart and Nancy Tibana.

Fredderick Graves and Mack Tham will be working with Rick Russo, Brooklyn Chamber vice president for Business Services.    

Fred will serve as manager of the NYC Business Solutions Center, assisting clients with a variety of business assistance and development issues.  The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) in partnership with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce launched the Brooklyn Business Solutions Center, a satellite office of SBS, on August 1, 2003.  Rick Russo is the Center’s Director.     

Chamber work is not new to Fred, he worked for the Chamber of Commerce in Petersburg, Va., as a small business counselor.  He also was a management policy and planning specialist with the Municipal Agency for the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Fred has also provided training for entrepreneurs and he has monitored government procurement policies with women and minority-owned businesses.  Fred started work on September 15, 2003.

Mack will serve as manager of Real Estate Services, assisting both the NYC Business Solutions Center and Brooklyn Chamber programs.  His extensive work in the field of real estate encompasses developments of large-scale retail and industrial projects, management of capital expenditure projects for tenants and landlords, and the presentation of financial, leasing and management plans to investors.  Along with his other diverse work in the field, Mack managed real estate portfolios consisting of offices, apartments and hotels for companies in the United States, Indonesia and Singapore.  Mack began work on September 29, 2003.

“Both individuals bring extensive expertise to their positions, and will be great assets to our team,” Rick said. 
 
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is also proud to welcome James McTaggart  and Nancy Tibana. 

James has joined the Brooklyn HealthWorks team as a program assistant.  Brooklyn HealthWorks is a new Brooklyn Chamber initiative to provide affordable health insurance products to uninsured, low-wage workers in 11 northern Brooklyn Community Boards.  The initiative includes a low-cost health insurance plan for small businesses and Brooklyn HealthWoRX, a prescription drug discount card sold directly to qualified individuals who live or work in the demonstration area. 

A lifelong Brooklyn resident, James attends Medgar Evers College where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He already holds an associate’s degree from Medgar Evers.  He has worked in the field of social services for approximately five years, employing his skills with such organizations as the Brooklyn Community Housing Services, the Osborne Association, Services for the Underserved, and the Center for Community Alternatives.  

“I had the opportunity to work with James when we were both at the Osborne Association.  He is a thoughtful and dedicated individual who will certainly be an asset to the Brooklyn Chamber and to HealthWorks,” Randolph Peers, the Chamber’s Executive Director of Workforce Development, said.

James joined the Brooklyn Chamber on September 17, 2003.  In his spare time James enjoys writing poetry and fictional short stories, working out, and dancing.

On September 24, 2003, Nancy Tibana began working as a full-time project manager at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.  Nancy is a recent graduate of Binghamton University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in  English.  Nancy’s not-for-profit experience as an intern with The Better Business Bureau and The Salvation Army of Greater New York highlight her dedication to community values and needs. 

Nancy will be working with Mark Kessler, Vice President of Program Development, assisting with Brooklyn HealthWorks, coordinating member services, planning seminars for small business members, and managing other projects as the need arises.  When asked about joining the Chamber staff, Nancy says, "As a Brooklynite for 10 years,  it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with the Chamber, and to contribute to the success of Brooklyn's growing small business community.” 

In other Brooklyn Chamber staff announcements,  Caroline Boevingloh, will work with the Membership Team for the next year as a special events assistant.
 
During her time in the states, Caroline will  also take classes at Long Island University.  Caroline hails from Germany, near Hamburg, with some event planning experience.