EEPC Commissioners

Dr. Aldrin Rafael Bonilla has served as Chair and Commissioner of the New York City Equal Employment Practices Commission (EEPC) since 2021. 

Dr. Bonilla is Executive Vice President of the Fund for the City of New York (FCNY), where he provides executive leadership for initiatives that strengthen local government, expand nonprofit capacity, recognize excellence in public service, and advance civic innovation. Throughout more than twenty-five years of leadership, he has built partnerships across government, philanthropy, higher education, and the nonprofit sector to strengthen institutions, develop public leaders, and improve organizational effectiveness.

Previously, Dr. Bonilla served as Deputy Borough President of Manhattan, where he led initiatives in community planning, civic engagement, constituent services, and intergovernmental collaboration. He also served as a Trustee of the New York City Employees' Retirement System (NYCERS), providing fiduciary oversight for one of the nation's largest public pension systems. Earlier, he founded CUNY in the Heights, directed the U.S. Census Bureau's Northern Manhattan operations during Census 2000, and led FCNY's pioneering Community and Civic Technology Program.

An educator, researcher, and executive coach, Dr. Bonilla serves on the faculty of New York University, where he teaches graduate courses in leadership and organizational innovation. He is a frequent speaker on leadership, democratic governance, organizational effectiveness, and cross-sector collaboration.

Dr. Bonilla earned a Doctor of Education (EdD), with distinction, in Leadership and Innovation from New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He also holds a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Arts in Political Science from Binghamton University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University. His executive education includes advanced study at Harvard University, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. He is also a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach.

Throughout his career, Dr. Bonilla has remained committed to strengthening the institutions that strengthen democracy. Whether advancing equitable workplaces, modernizing public institutions, developing civic leaders, or fostering cross-sector collaboration, he believes lasting public trust is built through effective leadership, accountable governance, and strong institutions that serve all New Yorkers.

Elaine S. Reiss, Esq., Vice Chair/Commissioner

Elaine S. Reiss, Esq. was appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in April 2009. She is the General Counsel for the Environmental Simulation Center and Vice Chair of the EEPC and Chair of the CUNY Civil Service Commission. Her previous positions in city government include: Deputy General Counsel with the New York City Charter Revision Commission, Deputy Commissioner/General Counsel at the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, and Acting Deputy Commissioner/General Counsel at the Department of Employment. She is also a board member of the New York chapter of the American Corporate Counsel and a commissioner of the City University: New York’s Civil Service Commission.

Minosca Alcantara, Ed.D., Commissioner

Dr. Minosca Alcantara was appointed Executive Director by the NYS Bridge Authority Board of Commissioners on November 18, 2021. Prior to her appointment at the Bridge Authority, Dr. Alcantara was Chief of Capital Project Scheduling at MTA Construction & Development. She is an experienced civil engineer with expertise in large, urban project and construction management. Dr. Alcantara has worked as a lead cost/schedule engineer in a variety of projects involving architectural, infrastructure, and wastewater management locally and internationally. In June 2021, she was appointed to serve as a Commissioner to the Equal Employment Practices Commission for the City of New York. Dr. Alcantara is also committed to the field of education. She is currently a Board Member at the Summer Science Program (SSP) and Hudson River Community Sailing (HRCS) programs. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she designed, implemented, and expanded programs that engage K-16 students with STEM, particularly women and other students from groups underrepresented in the STEM fields. She holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña, an MS in Construction Management from George Washington University, as well as EdM and EdD degrees from Columbia University. She is the mother of three, who all followed in her engineering footsteps.

Ngozi Okaro, Esq., Commissioner

"Ngozi Okaro, Founder and Executive Director of Custom Collaborative, is an activist for economic, environmental, and social justice. She founded Custom Collaborative in 2016 to support immigrant and low-income women launching sustainable fashion businesses and careers, while simultaneously advocating for a fashion industry that honors planet and people. Ngozi builds bridges in and between organizations and individuals to create opportunity and access. Over the course of a career in social-sector leadership, Ngozi has led education, social justice, and community-based organizations to identify and meet their missions. She is expert at strategic planning and operations, leadership development, and innovation. She has special expertise in mapping and managing change for growth-stage enterprises, and is known for her incisive reasoning and executable strategies -- gained through 15+ years of transformational strategy and management successes. She is a natural team-builder who advances organizations through revenue generation and cost containment, human capital development, and stakeholder engagement.

Ngozi is also a Director of the NYC Economic Development Corporation. Among other distinctions, Ngozi is a 2022 Goldman Sachs Black Woman Impact Leader, 2021 Conscious Fashion Campaign & United Nations Office for Partnerships SDG Honoree, Crain’s Notable Women Business Owner, and AARP Purpose Prize Fellow, 2020 Conscious Company Media and Kate Spade “World-Changing Women in Conscious Business” awardee, 2019 NYC Fair Trade Coalition "Changemaker of the Year", and New York Women's Foundation "Spirit of Entrepreneurship” winner. Ngozi is an advisor for The New Fashion Initiative, Common Impact, and a founding board member of the NY Fashion Workforce Development Coalition.

She is a highly sought-after speaker who has delivered keynotes, served as a panelist, and as a moderator, in North America, Africa, and Europe. Ngozi has guest lectured at Harvard Graduate School of Design, New York Institute of Technology, and Mississippi State University, among others. Ngozi is certified by New York University’s Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising, was a 2014 Environmental Leadership Program Fellow, and is a graduate of the Coro Leadership New York program. She is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Morgan State University."

Nicole Yearwood, MPA, Commissioner

In July 2022, the New York City Council appointed Nicole Yearwood to serve as Commissioner of the Equal Employment Practices Commission. Commissioner Yearwood currently serves as Senior Manager of Government Relations at Lime. Previously, she built informational campaigns to organize underrepresented communities around the 2020 Census and the ranked-choice voting system ahead of the June 2021 primary election. Commissioner Yearwood was Director of Government Relations for a non-profit that provides free programs in all five boroughs of New York City for almost nine years. In 2015, she founded EducatedVoter.net to promote voting and civic engagement among communities with low turnout. Commissioner Yearwood received her Master of Public Administration degree and bachelor’s in Sociology from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

Jimmy Pan

Executive Director
He/him
Voice: 212-615-8933
jpan@eepc.nyc.gov

The EEPC Board of Commissioners appointed Jimmy Pan to serve as Executive Director in February 2026. As Executive Director, he serves as the agency head and chief administrator, including overseeing the Commission’s audit and research functions, interagency coordination, and public engagement. Jimmy joins the EEPC after senior level public service in New York City government, most recently as Policy Director and Special Counsel in the Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice, helping lead the implementation of Citywide racial justice initiatives and governance reforms. Past roles include the NYC Racial Justice Commission, the Office of the Counsel to the Mayor, and the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health. Prior to joining the EEPC, he also served as Senior Research Fellow at FPWA. Before government, he worked in HIV laboratory research and on access to essential medicines. He holds a BS in Biotechnology and MPH in Epidemiology from UC Davis, a JD from NYU Law, and crucially, a public-school education in the Oakland Unified School District. He dedicates his career to structural change and accountability.

Russell Ferri

Director of Research

Menelik Allsop

Director of Audits

Michael Pinckney

Director of Finance and Human Resources

Andreana Mirabella

Executive Agency Counsel