TLC Commissioners

David Do

Commissioner

Commissioner Jacques Jiha

Jacques Jiha, Ph.D., was nominated to serve on the TLC Board by Mayor Bill de Blasio and was confirmed as a Commissioner by the New York City Council on August 21, 2014.

He currently serves as Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget. In this role he oversees New York City’s fiscal policy, including the development of the Expense and Capital Budgets, the City’s bond and borrowing program, and the budgets of more than 80 City agencies and covered organizations.

Previously he served as Commissioner of the Department of Finance, responsible for leading an agency that collects more than $40 billion annually in revenue for the city and assesses over 1.1 million properties with a total combined value of $1.3 trillion. He led the transformation of the Department of Finance into a dynamic, forward-looking, and customer-centric agency, and under his leadership the City reformed and modernized its corporate tax laws, reducing taxes for many small businesses, and introduced many new services for its customers.

Prior to becoming Commissioner of the Department of Finance, Director Jiha was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Earl G. Graves, Ltd., a multi-media company with properties in print and digital media. Previously, he served as Deputy Comptroller for Pension Investment and Public Finance. As the state’s chief investment officer, he oversaw the New York State Common Retirement Fund, the New York’s College Savings Program and the state’s short-term investment pool. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Comptroller for Nassau County, Deputy Comptroller for Budget and Chief Economist for the New York City Office of the Comptroller, Executive Director of the New York State Legislative Tax Study Commission, and Principal Economist for the New York State Assembly Committee on Ways and Means.

A staunch advocate of public service, Budget Director Jiha served on a number of government and not-for-profit boards, including the Ronald McDonald House of New York, Public Health Solutions, and the Dormitory Authority of New York State.

Budget Director Jiha holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in economics from the New School for Social Research and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Fordham University.

Commissioner Bill Aquado

Taxi and Limousine Commission Member Bill Aguado was nominated and confirmed by the City Council to the Bronx seat of the Commission in May 2015, for a term that would expire on January 31, 2022.

A fixture in the Bronx since 1972, Commissioner Aguado is regarded as a leading cultural and community activist. Retired in 2011 as Executive Director of the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA), he is still called upon to lend his expertise on behalf of emerging artists, community cultural groups and community–based organizations. In 1971, Hunter College awarded Bill a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and in 1973; he received his Master of Arts from Fordham University in Sociology and Education. His current board affiliations include: Bronx Works, En Foco, and Bronx River Arts Center.

Through Commissioner Aguado’s leadership of the Bronx Council on the Arts, the arts have become a respected and valued asset in the Bronx. During his tenure from 1978 through June 2011 when he retired, funding for Bronx arts organizations and artists increased dramatically, demonstrating the importance of community arts and artists representing people of color. His many accomplishments include but not limited to:

• BRIO – created in 1988, it is an artist fellowship program now offering 25 fellowships to Bronx artists.
• The Bronx Writers’ Corp – created in 1994, places poets and writers in programs serving at-risk children.
• Founded the Bronx Tourism Council in 1991

In 1996, Commissioner Aguado helped found The BCA Development Corporation, which was created to develop arts-related workforce and entrepreneurial initiatives. In honor of his mother, and in reflection of his strong belief in the importance of supporting and recognizing the sacrifices and contributions of single parents as role models in our communities, Commissioner Aguado established the Josephine Aguado Scholarship Fund at Hostos Community College.

As a cultural activist and arts consultant, he consulted with The Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCO) to shape the vision and development of the Bronx Music Heritage Center (BMHC), celebrating the musical heritage of the Bronx. He also organized the “Conversing Bricks” permanent sculptural installation, created by Hatuey Ramos-Fermin and situated at Hostos Community College. In September 2013, Aguado curated an exhibit at the Longwood by the artist and cancer survivor Esther Pagan: My Colors of Cancer a multi-media installation of photographs, handcrafted hats, sculpture and poetry.

Commissioner Aguado has also been an accomplished and longtime community activist. Among his many projects and recognitions are:

• Commissioner Aguado was a founding member of the New York City Latino Commission on AIDS.
• Appointed by Governor Mario Cuomo, Commissioner Aguado served as a Trustee of SUNY at Purchase.
• In 1972, he started the first alternative school in the Bronx in partnership with NYC School District 10 and Fordham University.
• He is a frequent panelist and presenter at conferences in New York City and beyond.
• In May, 2014 Lehman College awarded Bill Aguado an Honorary Doctorate in Arts.

Commissioner Kenneth C. Mitchell

Kenneth C. Mitchell is Executive Director of the Staten Island Zoological Society, Inc., a position he has held since September 2011. Mitchell is responsible for the overall administration and the day-to-day operation of the Staten Island Zoo, a destination for more than 190,000 visitors annually.

Under his guidance, the 80-year-old zoological park has more than doubled its collection to 1,200 animals, representing 350 species, 72 of which are endangered or threatened in the wild. Since 2014, the zoo has experienced the development of a 4,500-square-foot outdoor habitat for the zoo’s Amur Leopards – the world’s rarest big cat – and a Conservation Carousel composed of 25 hand-sculpted wildlife, most of which are vulnerable in their native habitats. Most recently, the zoo developed its sprawling Sahara Exhibit, where a Scimitar Horned Oryx was born as part of an international effort to repopulate an extinct species. The Zoo is in the process of renovating its Aquarium with an expected completion in the spring of 2018.

Previously, Mitchell was a member of the New York City Council, representing Staten Island’s north shore communities, following his service as Chief of Staff and General Counsel to former council member Michael E. McMahon.

A native Staten Islander who grew up less than 100 yards from the Zoo, Mitchell graduated St. Peter’s Boys High School, and later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration at Wagner College. Awarded his law degree at New York Law School, he was admitted to the bars of New York, New Jersey, and the eastern and southern directs of New York.

Mitchell remains active in the Island community with particular interests in the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation; United Activities Unlimited, and Lifestyles for the Disabled. Upon the recommendation of the Staten Island borough delegation of the New York City Council he was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission in November 2016.

Commissioner Thomas Sorrentino

Thomas Sorrentino is a life-long resident of Brooklyn, NY and is a partner in the accounting firm of PKF O’Connor Davies LLP with more than thirty years of experience in public accounting. In that capacity, Sorrentino services both public and privately-held clients in the commercial sector, not-for-profit organizations (including membership associations, foundations and social service organizations), and a variety of real estate entities which include cooperative housing corporations, condominium associations, rental properties, and REITs.

Sorrentino was nominated to the board of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission by the Brooklyn delegation of the New York City Council and appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to a term expiring January 31, 2022.

A graduate of New York University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting, Sorrentino is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the States of New York and New Jersey. His professional affiliations include membership in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Over the years, Sorrentino has volunteered his time to a variety of charitable, civic, community and business related activities and organizations which includes involvement with his Parish, St. Bernard Church where he is a member of the Finance Committee and serves on the Board and as Treasurer of the St. Bernard Academy.

Sorrentino also served the community as a member of Kings County Community Board 18 for approximately five years, where he chaired its Transportation Committee. A longstanding member of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Sorrentino currently serves on the Chamber’s Board of Directors and is a member of its Executive and Audit Committee(s).

Commissioner Elisa Velazquez

Elisa Velazquez has spent almost her entire 25 plus year career in New York City government. Elisa is currently Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) where she oversees several critical functions including Expense and Miscellaneous Revenue Budget, Facilities Maintenance and Construction, the Agency Chief Contracting Office and Executive Support and Administration. Prior to serving in her current role, Elisa was the Agency Chief Contracting Officer (“ACCO”) and Assistant Commissioner where she managed the procurement and fiscal operations for New York City’s water and wastewater utility, totaling approximately $1.2 billion in contracts and $1.5 billion in payments per fiscal year.

Prior to DEP, Elisa was Counsel to the Queens Borough President Melinda Katz where she advised the Borough President and staff on various legal and policy issues including conflicts of interests, land use and community board issues, compliance and budget issues and corporate governance. Elisa represented the Borough President on NYCERS, the Franchise Concession and Review Committee, the Queens Public Library and on the Port Authority Technical Advisory Committees for JFK and LGA Part 150 Noise Studies. Elisa also acted as ACCO, overseeing the award of over 100 discretionary expense contracts to non-profits each fiscal year.

From 2003-2013, Elisa was General Counsel in the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services where she advised the City Chief Procurement Officer, staff and agency contracting staff on various aspects of procurement law and general office operations. Elisa supervised attorneys implementing various legislative and policy reforms in such areas as Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise incentives, environmentally preferable purchasing, and “Pay-to-Play” laws and supervised staff responsible for providing technical assistance to agencies in the areas of vendor responsibility, research, performance and procurement ethics. Elisa helped to establish a new unit responsible for reviewing not-for-profit City vendors in the areas of contract management, corporate governance and fiscal responsibility and for providing technical assistance to human service vendors to develop best practices in these areas

Before her time in the Mayor’s Office, Elisa was Assistant Counsel to Public Advocate Mark Green where she drafted legislation, litigation papers and prepared testimony. She organized a ground-breaking coalition called SAFE@WORK, consisting of government, businesses, labor unions, educational institutions and domestic violence advocates to educate employers on domestic violence and its impact on the workplace.

Elisa also served as Assistant Counsel to the Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger, where she was the lead counsel with respect to Community Boards, contracts and FOIL issues. She also supervised Constituent Services.

Elisa was born in Queens and has lived only in New York City. She has two children, received her JD from New York Law School and her BA from Fordham University.