Mayor de Blasio Announces Appointments to the Minority - and Women-Owned Business Enterprises Advisory Board

May 9, 2019

NEW YORK––Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today the appointment of seven new members to the City’s Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) Advisory Board, a board of business owners and community advocates who have a long history advancing opportunities for minority and women entrepreneurs. The board will continue to advise the City on best practices that can help create more economic opportunity for M/WBEs.

“The M/WBE Advisory Board has been a crucial partner in helping us reach some of our most important milestones, including awarding more than $10 billion to M/WBEs since 2015 and passing historic M/WBE legislation at the state level,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I welcome our new members to the M/WBE Advisory Board, and I look forward to working with everyone to continue advancing opportunities for minority and women entrepreneurs.”

“This Board will play a vital role in helping to shape policies that bolster competition, increase opportunities for local businesses, and further advance the progress this Administration has already made in the areas of economic access and equity,” said J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives.

“Since our OneNYC goal commitment, we have awarded over $10 billion in City contracts to M/WBEs,” said Jonnel Doris, Senior Advisor and Director of the Mayor’s Office of M/WBEs. “The Advisory Board will continue to play a critical role in advancing the City’s M/WBE goals and initiatives, as we diligently work to ensure our M/WBEs have the resources and capacity to thrive in our local economy.”

About the appointees:
Deborah Bradley (President of Deborah Bradley Construction & Management Services, Inc.):
Bradley is the President and Founder of Deborah Bradley Construction & Management Services, Inc. (DBC). Deborah Bradley established DBC in 1994, following a professional career as a Certified Public Accountant with Deloitte & Touche in Chicago and Denver before moving to New York City in 1990, where she earned an MBA from Columbia University. Today, DBC is recognized by the New York industry as one of the outstanding WBE firms in construction. Bradley is also involved with a number of advocacy organizations in the construction industry, including the Regional Alliance of Small Contractors and the NYC Building Congress. She also is the former President of the Women Builders Council and a Board member of Women Construction Owners & Executives.

Bill Howell (President of Howell Industries): Howell is the President of Howell Industries. His firm, founded in 1985, started in the petroleum industry as a Texaco wholesale oil distributor. Today, his firm focuses on providing construction management services and mentorship to M/WBE contractors at the NYC School Construction Authority, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Dormitory Authority State of New York in partnership with TDX Construction Corporation. Howell serves on the Board of Directors and is co-Chair of the Economic Empowerment Committee at One Hundred Black Men and a member of the New York City Site Safety Training Task Force.

Carla Hunter Ramsey (Global Senior Director of National Grid): Ramsey is the Global Senior Director of Supply Chain Corporate Social Responsibility at National Grid. Her career in supply chain corporate social responsibility spans over a decade, where she has focused on aligning globally supply chain social, economic and environmental initiatives with corporate objectives. She previously served at York College as a Director of Purchasing and the New School as a Purchasing Manager. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the City University of New York at Queens College, an Executive Master’s in Public Administration from Baruch College and Masters of Divinity from New Brunswick Theological, May 2019. Amongst other many awards, Carla was recently one of the esteemed honorees of The Network Journal‘s 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business.

Rodrigo Mora (CEO of Silverline Ins Agency LLC): Mora is the CEO of Silverline Ins Agency LLC., where he consults a myriad of clients with audit completion, all while adhering to the most complex insurance requirements in the industry. His experience in the insurance field spans over a decade and includes extensive experience with Nationwide. Mora is Chair of Hispanics in Real Estate and Construction Chamber and is a member of the Hispanic Professionals Networking Group. He also is a Certified Insurance Counselor and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Baruch College.

Dr. Feniosky Peña-Mora (Former Commissioner of Department of Design and Construction): Dr. Peña-Mora is the Edwin Howard Armstrong Professor of Civil Engineering at Columbia University and former Dean of the Columbia University Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. Dr. Peña-Mora was instrumental in helping to unveil the guiding principles for the revamped capital construction program Design and Construction Excellence 2.0 and was a leading figure for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s capital initiatives to renovate and construct community centric municipal facilities.

Hong Shing Lee (Executive Director at Chinatown Manpower Project): Shing Lee is the Executive Director of Chinatown Manpower Project (CMP). CMP has a 40 year track record of helping immigrants and refugees find employment and/or self-employment. At the helm of CMP, Hong promotes economic self-sufficiency and career advancement through equipping individuals with job and educational skills, credentials, leadership qualities, and entrepreneurship opportunities. He previously served on the Asian American Federation and the YMCA of Greater New York. Shing Lee holds a Bachelor’s degree from the City of New York at York College and a Master’s degree from the City of New York at Hunter College of Social Work.

Mohammad Razvi (Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Council of Peoples Organization): Razvi is a community activist in the Brooklyn neighborhoods known as Little Pakistan and is a former business owner of family-owned stores. In 2002, Mohammad co-founded the Council of Peoples Organization to assist low income immigrant families, particularly South Asians and Muslims, to help them reach their full potential as residents of New York City. Mohammad’s organization helps to empower marginalized communities to advocate for their rights helps to build community relations between Muslim and non-Muslim community groups.

Other members of the Advisory Board include:
Deputy Mayor Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives and M/WBE Board Chair
Jonnel Doris, Senior Advisor and Director of the Mayor’s Office of M/WBEs
State Senator James Sanders, Jr.
Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte, Chair of the Oversight subcommittee on M/WBEs
Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Chair of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity
Council Member Robert Cornegy, Chair of the M/WBE taskforce
Arva Rice, President of the New York Urban League
Bonnie Wong, President of Asian Women in Business
Cheryl McKissack, President and CEO of McKissack & McKissack
Colleen Molter, President of Q.E.D., Inc.
Elizabeth Velez, President and Chief Contract Administrator of Velez Organization
Loretta Cauldwell, Executive Director at Staten Island Business Outreach Center
Nayan Parikh, President of Ashu International
Quenia Abreu, President and CEO of NY Women's Chamber of Commerce
Rick Miranda, President and CEO of Brooklyn Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Samuel Padilla, President of Padilla Construction Services, Inc.
Sandra Wilkin, President of Bradford Construction Corp.
Seth Bryant, Managing Partner of Bryant Rabbino, LLP
Walter Edwards, Chair of Harlem Business Alliance