The Mayor Announces Appointments To The M/WBE Advisory Board That Includes Two Harlemites

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today the appointment of seven new members to the City’s Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) Advisory Board that includes two Harlem members.

The M/WBE Advisory Board of business owners and community advocates who have a long history advancing opportunities for minority and women entrepreneurs. The board will continue to advise the City on best practices that can help create more economic opportunity for M/WBEs.

“The M/WBE Advisory Board has been a crucial partner in helping us reach some of our most important milestones, including awarding more than $10 billion to M/WBEs since 2015 and passing historic M/WBE legislation at the state level,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I welcome our new members to the M/WBE Advisory Board, and I look forward to working with everyone to continue advancing opportunities for minority and women entrepreneurs.”

“This Board will play a vital role in helping to shape policies that bolster competition, increase opportunities for local businesses, and further advance the progress this Administration has already made in the areas of economic access and equity,” said J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives.

“Since our OneNYC goal commitment, we have awarded over $10 billion in City contracts to M/WBEs,” said Jonnel Doris, Senior Advisor and Director of the Mayor’s Office of M/WBEs. “The Advisory Board will continue to play a critical role in advancing the City’s M/WBE goals and initiatives, as we diligently work to ensure our M/WBEs have the resources and capacity to thrive in our local economy.”

The new appointees include Deborah Bradley (President of Deborah Bradley Construction & Management Services, Inc., Bill Howell, President of Howell Industries, Carla Hunter Ramsey (Global Senior Director of National Grid, Rodrigo Mora (CEO of Silverline Ins Agency LLC, Dr. Feniosky Peña-Mora (Former Commissioner of Department of Design and Construction, Hong Shing Lee (Executive Director at Chinatown Manpower Project, and Mohammad Razvi, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Council of Peoples Organization.

Other members of the Advisory Board include:

• Deputy Mayor Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives and M/WBE Board Chair
• Jonnel Doris, Senior Advisor and Director of the Mayor’s Office of M/WBEs
• State Senator James Sanders, Jr.
• Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte, Chair of the Oversight subcommittee on M/WBEs
• Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Chair of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity
• Council Member Robert Cornegy, Chair of the M/WBE taskforce
• Arva Rice, President of the New York Urban League
• Bonnie Wong, President of Asian Women in Business
• Cheryl McKissack, President and CEO of McKissack & McKissack
• Colleen Molter, President of Q.E.D., Inc.
• Elizabeth Velez, President and Chief Contract Administrator of Velez Organization
• Loretta Cauldwell, Executive Director at Staten Island Business Outreach Center
• Quenia Abreu, President, and CEO of NY Women’s Chamber of Commerce
• Rick Miranda, President, and CEO of Brooklyn Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Samuel Padilla, President of Padilla Construction Services, Inc.
• Sandra Wilkin, President of Bradford Construction Corp.
• Seth Bryant, Managing Partner of Bryant Rabbino, LLP
• Walter Edwards, Chair of Harlem Business Alliance
• Nyan Parikh, President of Ashu International

To find more information click here.