Board of the Authority

515 Broadway, Albany, New York 12207-2964
518-257-3000 Fax: 518-257-3100

The 11-member Board of the Dormitory Authority carries out its programs through a full-time staff of more than 600 people, independent bond counsel, and other outside advisors. Board members include the State Education Commissioner, the State Health Commissioner, the State Comptroller or one member appointed by him or her who serves until his or her successor is appointed, the State Budget Director, one member appointed by the Temporary President of the State Senate, one member appointed by the Speaker of the State Assembly and five members appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, for terms of three years. The Commissioners of Education and Health and the State Budget Director each may appoint a representative to attend and vote at Authority meetings. Members of the Authority serve without compensation, but are entitled to reimbursement of expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. The Governor appoints a Chair from among his appointees.

The Members of the Authority are as follows:

ALFONSO L. CARNEY, Jr., Chair, New York

Alfonso L. Carney, Jr. was appointed as a Member of the Authority by the Governor on May 20, 2009. Mr. Carney is a principal of Rockwood Partners, LLC, which provides medical and legal consulting services in New York City. Consulting for the firm in 2005, he served as Acting Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary for the Goldman Sachs Foundation in New York where, working with the President of the Foundation, he directed overall staff management of the foundation, and provided strategic oversight of the administration, communications and legal affairs teams, and developed selected foundation program initiatives. Prior to this, Mr. Carney held several positions with Altria Corporate Services, Inc., most recently as Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Corporate and Government Affairs. Prior to that, Mr. Carney served as Assistant Secretary of Philip Morris Companies Inc. and Corporate Secretary of Philip Morris Management Corp. For eight years, Mr. Carney was Senior International Counsel first for General Foods Corporation and later for Kraft Foods, Inc. and previously served as Trade Regulation Counsel, Assistant Litigation Counsel and Federal Government Relations Counsel for General Foods, where he began his legal career in 1975 as a Division Attorney. Mr. Carney is a trustee of Trinity College, the University of Virginia Law School Foundation, the Riverdale Country School and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. In addition, he is a trustee of the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains. Mr. Carney holds a Bachelors degree in Philosophy from Trinity College and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. His current term expired on March 31, 2012 and by law he continues to serve until a successor shall be chosen and qualified.

JOHN B. JOHNSON, JR., Vice-Chair, Watertown.

John B. Johnson Jr., Vice Chairman, is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Johnson Newspaper Corporation, which publishes the Watertown Daily Times, Batavia Daily News, Malone Evening Telegram, Catskill Daily Mail, Hudson Register Star, Ogdensburg Journal, Massena-Potsdam Courier Observer, seven weekly newspapers and three shopping newspapers. Mr. Johnson is also director of the New York Newspaper Foundation, a member of the Development Authority of the North Country and the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Committee, a trustee of Clarkson University and President of the Bugbee Housing Development Corporation. He has been a member of the American Society of Newspaper Editors since 1978, and was a Pulitzer Prize juror in 1978, 1979, 2001 and 2002. Mr. Johnson was reappointed on March 16, 2010 for a term to expire on March 31, 2013.

JACQUES JIHA, Ph.D., Secretary, Woodbury.

Jacques Jiha was appointed as a Member of the Authority by the Governor on December 15, 2008. Mr. Jiha is the Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer of Earl G. Graves, Ltd/Black Enterprise, a multi-media company with properties in print, digital media, television, events and the internet. He is a member of the Investment Advisory Committee of the New York Common Retirement Fund and a member of the Board of Directors at Ronald McDonald House of New York. Previously, Mr. Jiha served as Deputy Comptroller for Pension Investment and Public Finance in the Office of the New York State Comptroller. As the state’s chief investment officer, he managed the assets of the NY Common Retirement Fund, valued at $120 billion, and was also in charge of all activities related to the issuance of New York State general obligation bonds, bond anticipation notes, tax and revenue anticipation notes, and certificates of participation. Mr. Jiha was the Co-Executive Director of the New York State Local Government Assistance Corporation (LGAC) in charge of the sale of refunding bonds, the ratification of swap agreements, and the selection of financial advisors and underwriters. Prior thereto, Mr. Jiha was Nassau County Deputy Comptroller for Audits and Finances. He also worked for the New York City Office of the Comptroller in increasingly responsible positions: first as Chief Economist and later as Deputy Comptroller for Budget. Earlier, Mr. Jiha served as Executive Director of the New York State Legislative Tax Study Commission and as Principal Economist for the New York State Assembly Committee on Ways and Means. He holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s degree in Economics from the New School University and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Fordham University. His current term expired on March 31, 2011 and by law he continues to serve until a successor shall be chosen and qualified.

CHARLES G. MOERDLER, ESQ., New York.

Charles Moerdler was appointed as a Member of the Authority by the Governor on March 16, 2010. Mr. Moerdler is a founding partner in the Litigation Practice of the law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. His areas of practice include defamation, antitrust, securities, real estate, class actions, health care, international law, labor law, administrative law and zoning. By appointment of the Appellate Division, First Department, Mr. Moerdler serves as Vice Chair of the Committee on Character and Fitness and as a Member of the Departmental Disciplinary Committee. He served as Commissioner of Housing and Buildings of the City of New York, as a real estate and development consultant to New York City Mayor John Lindsay, as a member of the City’s Air Pollution Control Board, and as Chairman and Commissioner of the New York State Insurance Fund. Mr. Moerdler currently serves on the Board of Directors of the New York City Housing Development Corporation as well as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and is a member of the New York City Board of Collective Bargaining. He holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from Long Island University and a Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University. His current term expires on March 31, 2012.

BERYL L. SNYDER, J.D., New York

Ms. Snyder was appointed as a member of the Authority by the Governor on June 15, 2011. She is currently a principal in HBJ Investments, LLC, an investment company where her duties include evaluation and analysis of a wide variety of investments in, among other areas: fixed income, equities, alternative investments and early stage companies. Previously, she was Vice President, General Counsel and a Director of Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. and a Director of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Snyder serves as a Board member of the Beatrice Snyder Foundation, the Roundabout Theater, the Advisory Committee of the Hospital of Joint Diseases and the Optometric Center of New York, where she also serves on the Investment Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Vassar College and a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University. Her current term expires on August 31, 2013.

SANDRA M. SHAPARD, Delmar.

Sandra Shapard was appointed as a Member of the Authority by the State Comptroller on March 27, 2002. Ms. Shapard served as Deputy Comptroller for the Office of the State Comptroller from January, 1995 until her retirement in 2001, during which time she headed the Office of Fiscal Research and Policy Analysis and twice served as Acting First Deputy Comptroller. Previously, Ms. Shapard held the positions of Deputy Director and First Deputy Director for the New York State Division of Budget, from 1991 to 1994, and Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Transit for the State Department of Transportation, from 1988 to 1991. She began her career in New York State government with the Assembly in 1975 where, over a thirteen year period, she held the positions of Staff Director of the Office of Counsel to the Majority, Special Assistant to the Speaker, and Deputy Director of Budget Studies for the Committee on Ways and Means. Ms. Shapard also served as Assistant to the County Executive in Dutchess County. A graduate of Mississippi University for Women, Ms. Shapard received a Masters of Public Administration from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, where she has served as visiting lecturer, and has completed graduate work at Vanderbilt University.

GERARD ROMSKI, Esq., Mount Kisco.

Gerard Romski was appointed as a Member of the Authority by the Temporary President of the State Senate on June 8, 2009. He is Counsel and Project Executive for “Arverne By The Sea,” where he is responsible for advancing and overseeing all facets of “Arverne by the Sea,” one of New York City’s largest mixed-use developments located in Queens, NY. Mr. Romski is also of counsel to the New York City law firm of Bauman, Katz and Grill LLP. He formerly was a partner in the law firm of Ross & Cohen, LLP (now merged with Duane Morris, LLP) for twelve years, handling all aspects of real estate and construction law for various clients. He previously served as Assistant Division Chief for the New York City Law Department’s Real Estate Litigation Division where he managed all aspects of litigation arising from real property owned by The City of New York. Mr. Romski is a member of the Urban Land Institute, Council of Development Finance Agencies, the New York State Bar Association, American Bar Association and New York City Bar Association. He previously served as a member of the New York City Congestion Mitigation Commission and the Board of Directors for the Bronx Red Cross. Mr. Romski holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the New York Institute of Technology and a Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School.

ROMAN B. HEDGES, Delmar.

Dr. Roman B. Hedges was appointed as a Member of the Authority by the Speaker of the State Assembly on February 24, 2003. Dr. Hedges is the former Deputy Secretary of the New York State Assembly Committee on Ways and Means. Dr. Hedges served on the Legislative Advisory Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. He previously served as the Director of Fiscal Studies of the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means where he was responsible for the preparation of studies of the New York State economy and revenues of local government, tax policy and revenue analyses, and for negotiating revenue and local government legislation for the Assembly. Dr. Hedges was an Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the State University of New York at Albany where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in American politics, research methodology, and public policy. Dr. Hedges holds a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Rochester and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Knox College.

JOHN B. KING, JR., J.D., Ed.D., Acting Commissioner of Education of the State of New York, Slingerlands; ex-officio.

Dr. John B. King, Jr., became Acting Commissioner and President of the University of the State of New York on June 15, 2011, and will become President of the University of the State of New York and Commissioner of Education effective July 15, 2011. As Acting Commissioner of Education, Dr. King serves as chief executive officer of the State Education Department and as President of the University of the State of New York, which is comprised of public and non-public elementary and secondary schools, public and independent colleges and universities, libraries, museums, broadcasting facilities, historical repositories, proprietary schools and services for children and adults with disabilities. Dr. King is also responsible for licensing, practice and oversight of numerous professions. Dr. King previously served as Senior Deputy Commissioner for P-12 Education at the New York State Education Department. Prior thereto, Dr. King served as a Managing Director with Uncommon Schools. Prior to this, Dr. King was Co-Founder and Co-Director for Curriculum & Instruction of Roxbury Preparatory Charter School and prior to that, Dr. King was a teacher in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Boston, Massachusetts. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Harvard University, a Master of Arts degree in Teaching of Social Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University, a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Administrative Practice from Teachers College, Columbia University.

NIRAV R. SHAH, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner of Health, Albany; ex-officio.

Nirav R. Shah, M.D., M.P.H.., was appointed Commissioner of Health on January 24, 2011. Prior to his appointment he served as Attending Physician at Bellevue Hospital Center, Associate Investigator at the Geisinger Center for Health Research in central Pennsylvania, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the NYU Langone Medical Center. Dr. Shah is an expert in use of systems-based methods, a leading researcher in use of large scale clinical laboratories and electronic health records and he has served on the editorial boards of various medical journals. He is a graduate of Harvard College, received his medical and master of public health degrees from Yale School of Medicine, was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at UCLA and a National Research Service Award Fellow at NYU.

ROBERT L. MEGNA, Budget Director of the State of New York, Albany; ex-officio.

Robert L. Megna was appointed Budget Director on June 15, 2009. He is responsible for the overall development and management of the State's fiscal policy, including overseeing the preparation of budget recommendations for all State agencies and programs, economic and revenue forecasting, tax policy, fiscal planning, capital financing and management of the State's debt portfolio, as well as pensions and employee benefits. Mr. Megna previously served as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, responsible for overseeing the collection and accounting of more than $90 billion in State and local taxes, the administration of State and local taxes, including New York City and the City of Yonkers income taxes and the processing of tax returns, registrations and associated documents. Prior to this he served as head of the Economic and Revenue Unit of the New York State Division of the Budget where he was responsible for State Budget revenue projections and the development and monitoring of the State Financial Plan. Mr. Megna was Assistant Commissioner for Tax Policy for the Commonwealth of Virginia. He also served as Director of Tax Studies for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and as Deputy Director of Fiscal Studies for the Ways and Means Committee of the New York State Assembly. Mr. Megna was also an economist for AT&T. He holds Masters degrees in Public Policy from Fordham University and Economics from the London School of Economics.