David Farber, New York City Housing Authority General Counsel and Executive Vice-President for Legal Affairs. Image credit: NYCHA

David Farber was appointed New York City Housing Authority Executive Vice-President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel in August 2014.  When speaking with David, his clear love for New York City is readily apparent and supplemented by a driving desire to leave the city better than he found it.  Turning 50 this year, David has spent the majority of his professional career in service to his city with great satisfaction.

Born in Manhattan and raised in Yorktown, Westchester County, David’s parents imparted both a love of New York and a tradition of civic responsibility to David.  After retirement, David’s father worked as a math teacher in a Bronx high school for five years, while his mother was a social worker.  David spent a childhood in music, playing the violin through his twenties but setting it aside in later years, and made trips to the Bronx when he could to see the Yankees play.  “As soon as I could drive, my best friend and I would drive down to Yankee games, but worry about where we were going to park the car.”

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Robert Carroll, playwright, “The Believers”

Robert Carroll graduated New York Law School in 2013 and his first written play The Believers opened in 2014.  While a person could draw many inferences about Robert Carroll’s career path from examining his family history, “playwright” is not likely one that immediately comes to mind.  The 28 year old has pursued his interests in theater and politics in parallel, demonstrating a conscious refusal to let his job description restrict him all the while.

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Lynn Kelly. Image credit: New Yorkers for Parks.

New York City holds a special place in Lynn Kelly’s life. Ms. Kelly grew up in Old Town, Staten Island, has resided in Brooklyn’s Park Slope and now in Gowanus, and attended New York University in Greenwich Village. In reflecting on her life and career, Ms. Kelly said that “New York City has been the one thread through everything.” Ms. Kelly has dedicated her career to improving the City one job at a time. Currently, Ms. Kelly serves as the Executive Director at New Yorkers for Parks, an independent advocacy organization championing quality parks and open spaces for all New Yorkers in all City neighborhoods. (more…)

Paula Segal, founder, Executive Director & Legal Director at 596 Acres. Photo credit: Lauren Silberman.

Paula Segal is the founder, Executive Director, and Legal Director of 596 Acres, a non-profit community land access program in New York City that supports and advocates the transformation of vacant public land into sustainable community institutions. The name 596 Acres refers to the amount of vacant land in Brooklyn as represented by the Department of City Planning when the organization began in 2010. Ms. Segal is a graduate of City University of New York Law School, where she was a Haywood Burns Fellow in Human and Civil Rights.  She is a partner at Mohen & Segal, a law firm that provides legal services for entities working on shared sustainable economies. (more…)

Robert B. Tierney

Robert B. Tierney comes from a background of law and government rather than architecture, but his experience and training serve him well in his current position as Chair of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. His love for learning about the City’s fascinating history and built environment, which he describes as a hobby and passion pursued for over 40 years, has allowed him to approach designation from a well-versed position, while his expertise in navigating through City government has helped him accumulate the resources required to carry out Landmarks’ mission. From 2004 to 2008, Landmarks’ budget expanded from $3.1 to $4.3 million and staff increased from 50 to 68. Tierney credited Mayor Bloomberg for the increased funding and for his appreciation of the role that Landmarks plays in preserving architecturally, historically, and culturally significant sites in the City.

Beyond Manhattan. Tierney’s tenure has been marked by what has been called “a five-borough strategy.” In years past, some have criticized Landmarks for primarily targeting sites within Manhattan for designation. From his first day on the job, one of Tierney’s top priorities has been to identify districts and buildings outside of Manhattan that are worthy of designation. Beginning in 2003, Tierney has overseen the designation of nine outer borough historic districts and 66 outer borough individual landmarks. Of the 1,158 buildings designated in Fiscal Year 2007, 96 percent were outside of Manhattan. Landmarks’ staff is currently reviewing the results of a 22,000 building survey recently undertaken by the research department. The survey evaluated more than 16,000 buildings located outside of Manhattan for designation. (more…)