Herbert E. Berman President Roosevelt Island Operating Corp. e-mail: HBerman@rioc.com

A new administration in Albany means new leadership throughout the State government, including on the governing boards of State-created public-benefit corporations such as the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation.

The new chair of the RIOC board is Deborah VanAmerongen, who is the newly appointed Commissioner of the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR). (By law, the DHCR Commissioner and the State Budget Director serve on the RIOC Board, either directly or through a designee, with the DHCR Commissioner serving as statutory chair of the Board.)

Commissioner VanAmerongen comes to her current post with an extensive background in housing. She most recently served as the Director of Multifamily Housing for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), so she is familiar with Roosevelt Island’s unique position as one of the premier mixed-income communities in the State. She also worked in senior capacities on the staff of the State Legislature, including a period as Senior Analyst for the Assembly’s Standing Committee on Housing.

The new State Budget Director is Paul Francis, who also now sits on the RIOC Board directly or through a designee. Mr. Francis served as Policy Director for Governor Spitzer’s campaign and for his transition, after a career in finance and corporate leadership.

Public members of the RIOC Board include two former presidents of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association and the newest member, Riverwalk Place resident Charlee Miller.

The appointment of Ms. Miller, who moved to the Island last year, continues the recent pattern in which six of the public Board members are Island residents, one more than the statutory requirement for membership.

Board members David Kraut and Patrick Stewart both served previously as elected presidents of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association, which today is headed by Matt Katz.

The other Island residents on the Board are Alberteen Anderson, Mark Ponton and Michael Shinozaki.

The lone off-Island board member, John Mannix, has asked to leave the Board, but his resignation has yet to be accepted and his replacement has not yet been named.

All of the Board members serve as unpaid directors of the Corporation that oversees the complex financial, real-estate, recreational, retail, and historic assets, including the signature Tram, that together make up this unique home to more than 10,000 residents on our Island in the middle of the East River.

I hope residents appreciate the hard work they do, and the intelligence and commitment they bring to that work.

The new administration means other changes are also coming to the Island. Governor Spitzer’s Executive Order 3, issued on his first day in office, January 1, requires that all State agencies, including public-benefit corporations such as RIOC, arrange for web broadcasting of all open meetings by July 1 of this year. We are in discussions with State officials to carry out that order and will report on progress when the information is available.

In the meantime, we urge you to check the RIOC website at www.RIOC.org for announcements of upcoming Board meetings and encourage your attendance.