Brooklyn's Progress
February/March 2008

BANKING/FINANCE
Commerce Bank: Janet M. Criscuoli has been named manager of Commerce’s newest Brooklyn branch at 1301 65th Street in Borough Park. Scheduled to open later this winter, it is the bank’s 12th location in Brooklyn.

Ms. Criscuoli will be responsible for new business development, consumer lending, and managing the branch’s personnel and day-to-day operations. Ms. Criscuoli, who has 27 years of banking experience, joined Commerce in 2004 as manager of the bank’s branch at Avenue U and East 16th Street in the Homecrest area of Brooklyn.
A lifelong resident of Brooklyn, Ms. Criscuoli is a Member of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and Brooklyn Diocese Park Slope Cluster 10.

Ridgewood Savings Bank: Lisa Funaro, Laura Peters, and Melissa Riccardo have each been promoted to vice president from their previous positions as assistant vice president. Coretta Johnson has been promoted to assistant vice president from assistant treasurer; Sharon Baptiste-Morris to assistant retirement services officer from assistant manager; Bozena Dzikowska to assistant mortgage officer from underwriter; Yuen Eng to branch banking officer from branch manager; Evelyn Faya to branch banking officer from branch manager; James Jewett to assistant portfolio manager from senior investment analyst; Renee Mittasch to branch banking officer from branch manager; Anthony Sauro to branch banking officer from branch manager; and Thomas Schneider to assistant treasurer from accounting manager – financial reporting.

PUBLIC/NON-PROFIT
New York City: Robert C. Lieber, the current President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, was named Deputy Mayor for Economic Development. He will replace Daniel L. Doctoroff, who announced his intent to leave City service last year.

In January 2007, Mayor Bloomberg appointed Mr. Lieber President of the Economic Development Corporation, after he led a pro bono team from Lehman Brothers that advised the City in its successful effort to work with the Port Authority and the State to renegotiate the World Trade Center site lease. 

Mr. Lieber will lead the City’s economic development efforts and oversee and coordinate the operations of the Department of City Planning, the Economic Development Corporation, the Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting, the Department of Finance, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of Small Business Services. Mr. Lieber will also serve as a liaison with City, State, Federal and other agencies responsible for the City’s economic development and infrastructure. As Economic Development Corporation President, Mr. Lieber helped shepherd the Jamaica, Queen rezoning to completion, drawing on the work of more than a dozen City agencies in one of the largest rezonings that New York City has ever done. As Deputy Mayor, Mr. Lieber will continue his work on the development of Moynihan Station, the river-to-river rezoning of 125th Street in Harlem, the transformation of the Kingsbridge Armory, and the development of the site of the former US Naval Homeport in Staten Island for which the Economic Development Corporation released three Requests For Proposals in October.

New York State Business Council: Pamela Finch, executive director of the Employer Alliance for Affordable Health Care, has been named Small Business Advocate for The Business Council.

In this new role, Ms. Finch will lead The Business Council's efforts to advocate for small-business owners in New York State. She earned a degree in journalism technology at the State University of New York at Morrisville.

Heather Briccetti, a consultant and lobbyist in government affairs with experience in the state Legislature and the state Attorney General's office, has been named vice president of government affairs for The Business Council.

In that role, she will lead The Business Council's lobbying and legislative affairs efforts in Albany. Ms. Briccetti earned a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a law degree from Albany Law School.

REAL ESTATE AND DEVELOPMENT
Muss Development: James Whelan was named Senior Vice President of Public Affairs.  Mr. Whelan had previously been chief of staff to Daniel L. Doctoroff, the outgoing New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding.

Mr. Whelan enjoys an outstanding track record of success.  In his current role, he has assisted the Deputy Mayor in the daily execution of the City’s economic development agenda, including such initiatives as the development of the far West Side, the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan, and the implementation of PlanNYC, which has made New York a global leader for sustainability. Prior to becoming chief of staff, as a senior advisor to the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Whelan played a major role in devising and implementing the strategy to renegotiate the World Trade Center lease and helped to spearhead the City’s projects in Lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center site. 

At Muss Development, Mr. Whelan will spearhead government, community and media relations. His role will be similar to that performed by former Brooklyn Chamber Board Member Harvey Schultz, who recently passed.

Mr. Whelan graduated from Fordham University School of Law and New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.  He lives with his wife Gail and two children in Bellerose, New York.

Massey Knakal: Mack Tham – former Brooklyn Chamber director of real estate and development, who now exclusively covers the Flushing area of Queens for the firm – has been elected to the Chinese American Real Estate Association (CAREA) Board of Directors.

Mr Tham helps coordinate the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) UrbanPlan II program in Brooklyn, which teaches high school students the roles, issues, trade-offs and economics involved in urban development. His other professional affiliations include the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) New York City Alliance Program; Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY); Young Real Estate Professionals of New York (YREPNY); Real Estate Industry Party, Green Drinks International; Queens Botanical Garden; and Flushing Town Hall. 

CULTURAL:
Brooklyn Children’s Museum: William D. Rifkin, Chairman of Global Mergers and Acquisitions at Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., has been elected Chair of the Board of Trustees at Brooklyn Children's Museum.

Mr. Rifkin will lead the Museum through the completion and opening of its $46 million building expansion and the culmination of Campaign for Kids, a $15 million fundraising effort supporting new exhibitions, programs, and visitor amenities for the expanded facility. 

Mr. Rifkin has been in investment banking for almost 30 years. His past M&A transactions include representing Freeport McMoRan in its acquisition of Phelps Dodge, adidas in its acquisition of Reebok, and Brooklyn Union Gas Company in its merger with the Long Island Lighting Company.  He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and was a Baker Scholar at Harvard Business School, where he received an M.B.A. with high distinction.

Mr. Rifkin lives in Brooklyn Heights with his wife, Susan, and their two sons.