Members

Marc V. Shaw, Chair

Marc V. Shaw is Chair of the Advisory Board and Senior Advisor at the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance.  From 2010 to 2014, he was Senior Vice Chancellor for Budget, Finance and Financial Policy at CUNY. Mr. Shaw served as a Senior Advisor to the Governor on Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”) finances during 2009.  From 2006 to 2008, he was the Executive Vice President for Strategic Planning at Extell Development Company.  From 2002 to 2006, he was the First Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Operations to Mayor Bloomberg.  In 1996, was appointed as the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for the MTA.  Mr. Shaw has served as NYC Budget Director, NYC Finance Commissioner, and Finance Director for the NYC Council.  Mr. Shaw also worked for the NYS Senate Finance Committee.

Allen P. Cappelli

Allen P. Cappelli is a practicing attorney from Staten Island who also serves on the board of the City Planning Commission. He served as a Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board Member, as Civil Service Commission member, as vice chairman and land use chairman for Staten Island's Community Board One, and as a commissioner on the New York State Charter Commission for Staten Island. He has served as a board member of Project Hospitality, St. Vincent’s Medical Center of Richmond County, and President of Staten Island Community Television.

Carol O'Cleireacain

Carol O'Cleireacain is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs, with a Ph.D. in economics from the London School of Economics.  She was NYC Finance Commissioner and Budget Director under Mayor Dinkins and has held appointments as Detroit’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Policy (Mayor Duggan), NJ Deputy State Treasurer (Gov. Corzine), consultant to NY Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and chief economist of District Council 37 AFSCME during the 1970’s fiscal crisis. 

Kenneth J. Knuckles

Kenneth J. Knuckles is a prominent business and civic leader from the Bronx who serves as the Vice Chair of the City Planning Commission. Previously, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZ), Vice President of Support Services at Columbia University, Commissioner of the New York City Department of General Services, Deputy Bronx Borough President, and Assistant Housing Commissioner.

James Parrott

James A. Parrott is Director of Economic and Fiscal Policies at The Center for New York City Affairs at The New School. In previous positions, Parrott worked for the Fiscal Policy Institute, the Office of the State Deputy Comptroller for New York City, the City of New York (as chief economist for economic development), and for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Parrott was a member of Governor Cuomo’s 2012-13 Commission on Tax Reform and Fairness and a member of the City Council’s 2015 Task Force on Economic Development Tax Expenditures.

Elizabeth Velez

Elizabeth Velez is President and Chief Contract Administrator of the Velez Organization, and is on the boards of the New York Building Congress, the National Hispanic Business Group, the Association of Minority Enterprises of New York (AMENY), the Mayor's Commission on Construction Opportunity, the Board of ACE Mentor of New York and the NYC Department of Business Services Advisory Board.

Ex-Officio Members

Commissioner of the Department of Finance Sherif Soliman
Director of the Office of Management and Budget Jacques Jiha
Director of the City Council Finance Division Latonia McKinney
Deputy Director and Chief Economist Council Finance Division Raymond Majewski