Board of Directors

The Corporation is governed by a Board of Directors. Three of the directors are designated as ex-officio members: the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation, whom the Act also designates as the Chairman of the Corporation, the Commissioner of Health, and the Secretary of State. 

The four remaining directors are appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the State Senate. The appointed directors serve staggered six-year terms. Pursuant to State law, after the expiration of a director's term, he or she shall hold over and continue to discharge the duties of a director of the Corporation Board until a successor has been chosen and qualified. 

Upcoming Meeting Notice

None at this time. 

Watch Live Meetings  

2024 Meeting Schedule

Unless otherwise announced, all meetings shall be held in the Board Room on the seventh floor of the Corporation's office located at 625 Broadway, Albany, New York and by videoconference.

• Thursday, Jan. 18: Finance Committee 11 a.m.; Board of Directors 11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, Feb. 15: Board of Directors 11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, March 14: Board of Directors 11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, April 11: Audit Committee 11 a.m.; Board of Directors 11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, May 23: Governance Committee, 11 a.m.; Board of Directors 12 noon
• Thursday, June 20: Finance Committee 10:45 a.m.; Audit Committee 11:15 a.m.; Board of Directors Annual Meeting 12 noon
• July: No meeting currently scheduled
• Thursday, Aug. 22: Finance Committee 11 a.m.; Board of Directors 11:30 a.m.
• September: No meeting currently scheduled
• Thursday, Oct. 10: Board of Directors 11:30 a.m.
• November: No meeting currently scheduled
• Thursday, Dec. 12: Audit Committee 11 a.m.; Board of Directors 11:30 a.m.

Sean Mahar

Sean Mahar, a graduate of Siena College, is the Interim Commissioner for New York State Department of Environmental Conservation helping to lead the agency's environmental protection and natural resource conservation efforts. Prior to becoming the Executive Deputy Commissioner in 2022, Sean was Chief of Staff overseeing external agency affairs and operations and guiding implementation of key agency priorities, and previously was the Assistant Commissioner of Public Affairs for the Agency. Before joining DEC, Sean was the Director of Government Relations and Communications for Audubon New York where he led efforts to advance state and federal conservation policies and build support for wildlife conservation initiatives in the state, including climate change adaptation strategies. Sean was also an adjunct professor at Siena College teaching a course on Environmental Policy and Management.

Dr. James V. McDonald

James V. McDonald M.D., M.P.H., was appointed Acting Commissioner of Health Jan. 1, 2023 and confirmed as Commissioner by the State Senate on June 10, 2023. Prior to joining the New York State Department of Health in July of 2022, Dr. McDonald served at the Rhode Island Department of Health since 2012.

At the Rhode Island Department of Health, he served in multiple roles including, Interim Director of Health, Chief Administrative Officer of the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline, Medical Director for the COVID unit, as well as the Medical Director for Center for Customer Services and the Drug Overdose prevention program. He was also a member of the Governor’s task force on Preventing Overdose deaths. Dr. McDonald has faculty appointments at the Brown School of Public Health as well as the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Dr. McDonald earned his M.D. from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago, his pediatric residency in the US Navy, and his preventive medicine residency from the State University of New York. He earned his MPH from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He earned his B.S. in Biology from Siena College. Dr. McDonald is board certified in pediatrics as well as preventive medicine.

His diverse career includes officership in the U.S. Navy, as well as private practice in rural areas where health care shortages existed. Dr. McDonald also served in the Indian Health Service in the Navajo Nation, serving as Medical Director of Outpatient Medicine in Chinle, Arizona.

Robert J. Rodriguez

Robert J. Rodriguez is currently serving as the Secretary of State. He was nominated by Governor Kathy Hochul to serve as New York’s 68th Secretary of State. 

Mr. Rodriguez is a uniquely accomplished leader and former legislator, with civic and legislative successes that have been focused strategically on investing in and developing public-good infrastructure projects, creating good-paying jobs and addressing financial disparities for historically underrepresented minorities and low-income communities. Mr. Rodriguez has specialized in providing advice to state and local governments, and transportation issues in the Northeast and Midwest focused on financial planning, credit rating strategy, managing and executing debt issuance transactions, asset-liability management and public-private partnerships. 

As a legislator, Mr. Rodriguez served as a member of the New York State Assembly 11 years, representing Assembly District 68. During his time in the Assembly, he focused on protecting and creating affordable housing, bringing good jobs into the community and ensuring children received a quality education. He served as Co-Chair of the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, founding Chair of the Assembly sub-committee on Infrastructure and Member of Committees on Ways and Means, Housing, Labor, Banking, Corporations and Authorities and Mental Health.

In the private sector, Mr. Rodriguez served as a Director at Public Financial Management, the leading municipal financial advisor in the nation. Prior to PFM, Mr. Rodriguez was a Vice-President at A.C. Advisory, Inc. and held various management and operations roles at Bloomberg LP. 

As a civic leader, Mr. Rodriguez served on a number of volunteer boards including as Chairman of Manhattan Community Board 11 and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. 

Mr. Rodriguez is a graduate of Yale University, where he received a B.A. in History and Political Science and New York University Stern Business School where he received an MBA in Finance.  He is also an emerging leader of the New America Alliance, and the Council for Urban Professionals (CUP) Fellow.

Mr. Rodriguez resides in East Harlem.

Francis T. Corcoran

Francis T. Corcoran was the President and Chief Administrative Officer of the National Stock Exchange, Inc. (NSX) until its sale in February 2015. Mr. Corcoran has been working in the financial/capital markets arena for 30 years.  He has been active on the forefront of businesses that have significantly impacted the capital markets.

Mr. Corcoran was an Owner, Officer and Board Director of Institutional Shareholders Services – the largest Corporate Governance Advisory firm in the world; Managing Director of Sales, Marketing and Strategy at NYSE Member Firm Reynders, Gray & Co.; Vice President and Head of Sales and Business Development at Instinet Corporation; Senior Vice President at the American Stock Exchange for Equity Order Flow & Business Development.  He is a former Member of the Board of Directors for the Securities Industry Association (SIA) New York Chapter and was a Member of the Congressional Financial Services Advisory for the Chairman of the Financial Services Oversight Committee. Mr. Corcoran is a Member of the Securities Trader Association and The National Corporate Directors Association.

Mr. Corcoran is an active participant in both state and local government. He is one of the three outside Directors on the Board for the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC). He has served four Governors in this role. As a Member of the Management Advisory Board to the Inspector General of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, he has served as the Acting Board Chairman since 2003 and has also served four Governors in this role. The Office of the Inspector General is an independent oversight agency, which reviews the operations of the MTA, and its constituent agencies, comprising of 650,000 employees and operating in three states. He is a Board Member of the Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council and the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA. He has proudly served the Town of Bedford for twelve years as Councilman

Mr. Corcoran was elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators in 2015 and represents the 2nd District (Bedford, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, North Salem, Pound Ridge and Somers). He also serves as Chair of the Environment and Health Standing Committee.

Mr. Corcoran is a graduate of Iona College, B.S. Cum Laude, Humanities.

Charles Kruzansky

Charles Kruzansky is the Director of Government Relations and Special Assistant to the Vice Provost for Research at Cornell University in Ithaca. Responsible for Cornell’s dealings with New York State, he manages the University’s legislative and budget agendas before the Legislative and Executive branches of state government. As the state’s largest research university and New York’s Land Grant Institution, Cornell is involved in a range of issues and programs with New York State, in addition to those that affect higher education and research. Prior to becoming director of the Albany Office of Government Relations for Cornell University in 1991, Mr. Kruzansky served as a legislative and fiscal analyst for the NYS Assembly Ways and Means Committee staff from 1985 to 1990. He was the State Assembly’s primary negotiator on energy and other regulatory agency budgets and legislation. He was also on the board of Environmental Advocates of New York from 1993 to 2007 and was New York’s affiliate representative or alternate to the National Wildlife Federation for several years between 1998 and 2004.  He has a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and an MBA from Columbia University in New York City. Charlie grew up in the Hudson Valley and resides in Voorheesville with his wife and two kids. 

Vita DeMarchi

Vita DeMarchi is Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Synapse Partners, LLC., the globally recognized excess/surplus line wholesale insurance brokerage and risk management firm specializing in the environmental market. Synapse connects clients, partners and investors through strategic alliances that create innovative and distinctive business advantages. Synapse is headquartered in Syracuse in a formerly decaying, mid-20th century boxing gym that was re-imagined into what became in 2012 the seventh highest ranking LEED EBOM Platinum building in the world.  

Ms. DeMarchi is a strategic advisor to Fortune 500 businesses, developing businesses, real estate developers, and municipalities. She helps clients and partners manage business and environmental risk, implement sustainable business practices, analyze financial data for informed business decisions, and secure project funding and capital formation.  

Ms. DeMarchi was the co-founder and a Director of Synapse Sustainability Trust, a 501c-3 Not for Profit Corporation which led important New York environmental, energy and economic development initiatives over the past decade. EVPass initiated the groundbreaking 2012 deployment of the CNY Destination Location Network for electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure which was subsequently sold to a public company in 2013, becoming part of a larger USA network. Restoration Tree Trust, an urban and rural reforestation and habitat restoration catalyst, collaborates with municipalities, government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, and private sector businesses to address greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, energy management and climate resiliency.

Vita DeMarchi is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She was appointed by Governor Cuomo in 2012 as a Board of Director to the Great Lakes Protection Fund. In the past, Ms. DeMarchi served as the President of the CNY Association of Professional Geologists, and was on the Board of Directors of the NYS Council of Professional Geologists. A graduate of Syracuse University, Ms. DeMarchi was a licensed professional geologist, with Masters Studies in environmental engineering and hydrogeology.

Adam Zurofsky

Adam Zurofsky is a Senior Advisor of Rewiring America, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting economically beneficial solutions to energy and climate challenges. Mr. Zurofsky was the Director of State Policy and Agency Management for the State of New York until 2019. In that capacity, he led the development and implementation of major policy initiatives and was responsible for strategic management of the State’s executive agencies and authorities. Mr. Zurofsky previously served as Deputy Secretary for Energy and Finance, where he oversaw all policy and regulatory aspects of New York State's energy, climate and finance portfolios. Mr. Zurofsky helped to lead implementation of the State's climate agenda, including establishing the U.S. Climate Alliance of 25 states and territories committed to upholding the Paris Climate Accords and the decarbonization of the over $200 billion New York Common Retirement Fund.

Prior to his time in government, Mr. Zurofsky was a partner in the law firm of Cahill Gordon & Reindel, LLP, where he represented companies and boards of directors in a variety of litigation, regulatory and governance matters. He currently teaches climate policy at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and has taught, published and lectured on topics ranging from corporate purpose to the clean energy transition in various capacities over the course of his career. Mr. Zurofsky holds an A.B. with honors in political science from Stanford University and a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School. He lives in New York City with his wife, three children and their dog.

Audit Committee

(established April 6, 2004)

• Charles Kruzansky, Chair
• Francis T. Corcoran
• Vita DeMarchi
• Adam Zurofsky

Governance Committee

(established December 13, 2004)

• Vita DeMarchi, Chair
• Francis T. Corcoran
• Charles Kruzansky
• Adam Zurofsky

Finance Committee

(established February 11, 2010)

• Francis T. Corcoran, Chair
• Vita DeMarchi
• Charles Kruzansky
• Adam Zurofsky

2024 Meeting Materials

Prior Year Materials