The 2026 Bronx Power 100

1. Carl Heastie

Assembly Speaker

When Carl Heastie first became Assembly speaker in 2015, he was forced to deal with a Republican-controlled state Senate and a governor openly hostile to Democratic legislative leaders. Now, he has a close partner atop the state Senate, a friendly governor in Kathy Hochul and a mayor in Gracie Mansion who until January was a junior member of the Assembly supermajority. The Bronx Democrat has supported New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s agenda by proposing higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations, and funding for free New York City buses and universal child care.

2. Jamaal Bailey

Chair, Bronx Democratic Party

State Sen. Jamaal Bailey’s tenure as the Bronx Democratic Party boss continues to prove fruitful. Last year, the party ousted the borough’s sole Republican elected official, former New York City Council Member Kristy Marmorato. Bailey also led the county organization in endorsing now-Mayor Zohran Mamdani, ensuring the establishment county party had a friend in City Hall. Bailey appears happy to run the Bronx Democrats and shape legislation in Albany. He reportedly declined an offer by Gov. Kathy Hochul to be her running mate, though he may be the heir apparent as the state Senate majority leader whenever state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins relinquishes the role.

3. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Member of Congress

While she doesn’t spend much time openly discussing 2028, others in the Democratic Party and the media are more than happy to. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, less than a decade removed from her improbable victory over a party institution, now boasts of an ally in Gracie Mansion thanks to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s perhaps even more improbable victory. National polling shows her as a true contender for the Democratic presidential nomination – and early polling shows her far outpacing U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, if she were to challenge him instead.

4. Darcel Clark

Bronx District Attorney

After 10 years on the job and now under her third mayor, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark continues to push for both criminal justice reforms and rollbacks when she views it necessary. A top priority for Clark has been combating the tragic incidents of teen gun violence carried out in the Bronx, pushing for both tweaks to existing laws and increased funding for the chronically underfunded community organizations that work tirelessly to help Bronx kids and reduce youth violence.

5. Vanessa Gibson

Bronx Borough President

Despite a competitive and well-funded primary challenge from the influential former New York City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., Vanessa Gibson easily secured her second term as Bronx borough president with strong establishment backing as the first Black woman to serve in the role. Relying on her years in Albany and then on the New York City Council, Gibson will continue to guide the Bronx through a new era, with the nearing development of the Bally’s casino in Throggs Neck, the opening of the Hip Hop Museum and the reimagined Kingsbridge Armory – a surreal, decadeslong saga that may finally have a feasible path forward.

6. Nathalia Fernandez, Robert Jackson, Gustavo Rivera, Luis Sepúlveda & Jose M. Serrano

State Senators

State Sen. Luis Sepúlveda scored a big win this year when he became the first Latino to chair the Judiciary Committee, an influential post that opened when Brad Hoylman-Sigal departed the legislative body to become Manhattan borough president. Sepúlveda represents the 32nd state Senate District, which includes several neighborhoods in the central Bronx.

State Sen. Gustavo Rivera also has a key role as chair of the Health Committee. He is known for his yearslong advocacy for the New York Health Act, a single-payer health care bill, and he’s also pushing the Home Care Savings and Reinvestment Act, which aims to protect Medicaid dollars from private insurance companies. His northwest Bronx district stretches from Van Nest and Morris Park up to North Riverdale.

As chair of the Civil Service and Pensions Committee, state Sen. Robert Jackson is the middle of a push by public sector unions to make pension benefits more generous – which broadly enjoys the support of Gov. Kathy Hochul. The prolific lawmaker represents a district that straddles northern Manhattan and adjacent neighborhoods in the Bronx – including Kingsbridge, where a redevelopment plan for the Kingsbridge Armory is finally advancing. 

State Sen. Jose M. Serrano chairs the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation and also serves as chair of the majority conference. His legislation to establish arts and cultural districts passed in the Senate last year but died in the Assembly. The South Bronx-Manhattan lawmaker has also pushed environmental measures, including a bill creating a commission to study asthma rates in the Bronx.

State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez, whose district covers parts of the Bronx and Westchester County, chairs the Senate Alcoholism and Substance Use Disorders Committee and co-chairs the Joint Senate Task Force on Opioids, Addiction and Overdose Prevention. Last year, the governor signed her bill banning correctional facilities from denying entry to peer support advocates based on past incarceration.

7. Ritchie Torres

Member of Congress

Rep. Ritchie Torres is no stranger to crowded Democratic primaries. He won one in 2013 for New York City Council, becoming the first out gay Bronx elected official. And he again emerged victorious in a contentious primary for his House seat in 2020. Now, he will seek to stave off a slew of primary challengers on a record of challenging the Trump administration, bringing millions into his district and proposing legislation taking on insider trading. He counts a dozen Bronx elected officials and the Congressional Black Caucus among his early endorsers.

8. Adriano Espaillat

Member of Congress

As a second Trump administration brings new fears and dangers to immigrants and Latinos, Rep. Adriano Espaillat continues to be a proud advocate and defender of his communities. The influential Dominican leader, who’s one of the most powerful Latino politicians in New York and the first formerly undocumented immigrant to serve in Congress, has called for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be “dismantled.” The deft political navigator quickly endorsed Mayor Zohran Mamdani after his primary victory, and Espaillat’s robust political operation is well-equipped to take on a primary challenge from the left.

9. Kevin Riley

Chair, Land Use Committee, New York City Council

The victories keep racking up for Kevin Riley. First, the New York City Council member overwhelmingly beat back a primary challenge in his northeast Bronx district by his predecessor, Andy King. Then the Adams administration revived the Bally’s Bronx casino project last summer at the urging of Riley and others. He entered 2026 with an ally in Council Speaker Julie Menin, an influential role atop the City Council’s Land Use Committee and a mayor in Zohran Mamdani who champions universal child care – a priority for Riley, who has co-sponsored legislation to implement citywide, free child care since 2023.

10. Soo Kim

Executive Chair, Bally’s Corp.

After a roller-coaster few years, the Bronx is getting a $4 billion casino next to Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point, following years of efforts by Bally’s and its leader, Soo Kim. Bally’s is promising 12,000 union construction jobs, a return of 1% of its annual gambling revenue to the community and hundreds of millions of dollars in investments to infrastructure, transit, schools and more. Kim gained the support of many Bronx officials and bought goodwill through gifts like preventing the closure of Preston High School, an all-girls Catholic school in Throggs Neck.

11. Stanley Schlein

Attorney

Stanley Schlein remains one of the most well-connected election attorneys, lobbyists and power players in the Bronx and across New York City. Then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams worked with him last fall to secure ballot access as an independent mayoral candidate. In its successful pursuit of approval to build a casino at Ferry Point Park, Bally’s employed Schlein’s talents as a lobbyist to the tune of $20,000 a month. Other notable clients include Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees and multiple election systems firms.

12. Michael Benedetto, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Chantel Jackson & Karines Reyes

Assembly Members

Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz is a powerhouse in Riverdale, thanks to his decades of experience in elected office and his deep ties to the political establishment in the Bronx and beyond. He chairs the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee and the Assembly Codes Committee and serves as the secretary of the Bronx Democratic Party’s Executive Committee. Last year, he and his son, New York City Council Member Eric Dinowitz, criticized bike lane plans for a local segment of the Harlem River Greenway, complaining of an “anti-car crusade.”

Assembly Member Michael Benedetto is another senior member of the Bronx Assembly delegation, with an important position as chair of the Education Committee. The northeast Bronx lawmaker has said he opposes raising taxes this year, despite the Mamdani administration’s push for higher taxes on high earners.

Assembly Member Karines Reyes, an Afro-Latina immigrant from the Dominican Republic, chairs the New York State Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, which hosts the popular Somos conference in Puerto Rico every year. A registered nurse, the Parkchester lawmaker has teamed up with state Sen. Andrew Gounardes on the New York for All Act, which would prevent local or state law enforcement from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

Assembly Member Chantel Jackson chairs the Black Legislative Task Force, the Legislative Women’s Caucus and the Subcommittee on Micro Business. Last year, the central Bronx legislator helped secure $30 million to support underserved communities in New York through the Black Legislative Task Force, which conducted a 12-stop listening tour on how to distribute the funds.

13. Randy Levine

President, New York Yankees

Not only does Randy Levine run the New York Yankees and its associated sports and media empire, but he can count President Donald Trump among his friends. When the Yankees broadcaster YES Network was battling with Comcast last year, the president and Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr stepped in, briefly unifying the Trump administration and the Democratic governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on the same side of an issue. Trump marked the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at Yankee Stadium in Levine’s suite.

14. Lillian Bonsignore

Commissioner, Fire Department of the City of New York

Born and raised in the Bronx, Lillian Bonsignore got her start as an emergency medical technician at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx as a single mother in 1991. Thirty-five years later, through a career that has included responding to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and serving as the chief of EMS operations for the FDNY through the COVID-19 pandemic, Bonsignore was appointed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to lead the fire department. Bonsignore weathered criticisms from billionaire Elon Musk and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, while receiving praise from her predecessor and FDNY unions.

15. Philip Ozuah

President and CEO, Montefiore Einstein

Dr. Philip Ozuah has continued to expand and strengthen a premier health care provider and major employer in the Bronx. Montefiore Einstein’s health system and its medical school, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, are internationally recognized for their care, research and expertise. Locally, Montefiore is tackling urgent issues: opening a new inpatient pediatric mental health center, making strides in lowering lung cancer mortality in the Bronx and securing millions in federal funding for modernizing asthma medication processes to improve access for local kids at schools.

16. George Latimer

Member of Congress

Though Rep. George Latimer represents just a sliver of the northeast Bronx in his predominantly Westchester County district, the first-term Democrat has made efforts to advocate for the borough as he criticizes federal policies affecting his district and pushes back on what he views as the excesses of his party’s left flank. Latimer endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic New York City mayoral primary, but stayed out of the general election. After leading a county that benefited greatly from Metro-North Railroad commuter links, Latimer has been a champion of the planned new stations in the East Bronx.

17. Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez

President and CEO, Urban Health Plan

Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez has helped grow Urban Health Plan from a single South Bronx health center into a sprawling network of 13 health centers, 12 school-based centers and two mental health facilities across the borough and the city. Later this year, Urban Health Plan is launching a community psychiatry residency program with three city hospitals, including NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, to help train the next generation of psychiatrists caring for underserved communities. As chair of the National Association of Community Health Centers’ board of directors, Izquierdo-Hernandez is on the front lines of the national fight over Medicaid cuts.

18. Eric Dinowitz, Amanda Farías, Oswald Feliz, Pierina Sanchez & Althea Stevens

New York City Council Members

New York City Council Member Pierina Sanchez retained her position as chair of the Housing and Buildings Committee this year. Last year, she helped advance a redevelopment plan for Kingsbridge Armory in her district. She’s now building support for the SAFER Homes Act, which would reform the city’s foreclosure process to target the worst properties and tackle abuse of the system.

Council Member Oswald Feliz’s support for Council Member Julie Menin in the council speaker race paid off, as he traded chairing the Small Business Committee for the Public Safety Committee, which has oversight of the New York City Police Department. The Bronx native, whose district includes Fordham, Belmont and East Tremont, is part of Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s “Squadriano.” Last year, Feliz passed Local Law 95, which established safety requirements for delivery worker e-bikes.

Council Member Eric Dinowitz, the son of Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, was also an early Menin backer, and was installed early this year as chair of the Education Committee. In his new role providing oversight of the nation’s largest public school system, the northwest Bronx lawmaker has focused on mayoral control of schools and the phaseout of Regents exams.

Council Member Amanda Farías lost her bid for council speaker last year, and while she did get a committee to lead – the Committee on Women and Gender Equity – she relinquished her title as majority leader. The Soundview lawmaker is also co-chair of the City Council’s Bronx delegation. She has passed legislation to help domestic violence survivors who suffer traumatic brain injuries and a ban on toxic chemicals in menstrual products.

19. Lisa Sorin

President and CEO, Bronx Chamber of Commerce

Lisa Sorin has continued to champion the Bronx’s business community amid its rapid growth while advising some of the most important institutions and individuals in New York City. She was appointed to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board by Gov. Kathy Hochul and served on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s transition committee for small businesses and minority- and women-owned business enterprises. She was an honored guest at the Bronx Democrats’ annual gala last year, was Borough President Vanessa Gibson’s appointee on the community advisory group that approved the Bally’s casino at Ferry Point Park, and helped redraw the current New York City Council district maps.

20. Jason Laidley

Founder, London House

A veteran of campaigns and government offices of some of the most influential names in New York City politics – including now-state Attorney General Letitia James, former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and state Sen. Jamaal Bailey, the Bronx Democratic Party’s chair – Jason Laidley is a power player in the Bronx and across the city. His firm, London House, boasts major corporations like Grubhub and Airbnb as clients, as well as borough institutions like Fordham University and The Bronx Defenders. He’s also been a top political adviser to the Bronx Democrats.

21. Marcos Crespo & Ruben Diaz Jr.

Senior Vice Presidents, Montefiore Einstein

They once ran the borough and topped this list. Today, even after taking senior positions at one of the Bronx’s most vital institutions, Marcos Crespo and Ruben Diaz Jr. continue to stay involved in the future of the borough they long served. Diaz, the former borough president and onetime mayoral prospect, serves as chair of The Hip Hop Museum’s board, was chosen by then-Mayor Eric Adams to serve on the first Charter Revision Commission and was touted by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as a key endorsement in the 2025 mayoral race. Crespo, the former Assembly member and Bronx Democratic boss, runs Montefiore’s community affairs shop and serves on the State University of New York’s board of trustees.

22. Fernando Delgado

President, Lehman College

In his four-plus years leading Lehman College, Fernando Delgado has strengthened CUNY’s largest Bronx institution with new physical expansions, historic investments and a commitment to economic mobility for its student body – 60% of whom, like Delgado, are first-generation college students. On Delgado’s watch, Lehman College received a record $50 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, opened the only public school of business in the Bronx or Westchester, completed a state-of-the-art nursing training center and secured a $8.4 million federal grant to train multilingual teachers to serve at high-need schools in the Bronx.

23. Shirley Aldebol, Elsie Encarnacion & Justin Sanchez

New York City Council Members

Last year, the sole Republican lawmaker in the Bronx was ousted by Shirley Aldebol, a labor leader who grew up in a family of Puerto Rican immigrants. The former executive vice president at 32BJ SEIU unsurprisingly earned key union endorsements in a district that includes Throggs Neck, Pelham Bay, Morris Park and City Island and won with nearly 52% of the vote in the general election. The first-term New York City Council member was appointed chair of the Civil Service and Labor Committee.

Fellow first-term New York City Council Member Justin Sanchez had an easier path to victory, winning a Democratic primary with 62% of the vote in ranked choice voting and then coasting to victory in the general election. Sanchez succeeded Rafael Salamanca Jr. – his old boss – in representing the district, which covers the South Bronx. He was named chair of the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management and has closely monitored snow removal efforts in the city. He’s also a co-chair of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus and Bronx delegation.

New York City Council Member Elsie Encarnacation is a native of East Harlem, but the district she was elected to represent last year also includes parts of the South Bronx. She succeeded her old boss, Diana Ayala, and was named chair of the Immigration Committee.

24. Tania Tetlow

President, Fordham University

Tania Tetlow is in it for the long haul. The first woman and lay president in Fordham University’s history signed on to lead the Jesuit school through 2030 after bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in investments, overseeing substantial increases in applications and launching a Bronx Green Jobs Center as part of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s push to train workers for clean energy industries. A legal scholar and former federal prosecutor, Tetlow has guided Fordham through treacherous waters amid hostility from the federal government, cuts to federal grants and the targeting of foreign students’ visas.

25. Cristina Contreras & Christopher Mastromano

CEOs, NYC Health + Hospitals

Thirty years into her dedicated career within the NYC Health + Hospitals system, Cristina Contreras has expanded on the 362-bed Lincoln Hospital’s more than a century of care for the South Bronx’s underserved communities. She oversees one of the nation’s busiest emergency departments, the most in-demand Level I trauma center in the Northeast, and a slew of nationally recognized specialty services. A leader in the Dominican community, Contreras is also chair of the National Dominican Day Parade’s board of directors. Leading the Bronx’s other two public hospitals – Jacobi and North Central Bronx, with a combined 670 beds – Christopher Mastromano is responsible for a nearly $1 billion budget and 4,000 staffers, two heavily visited emergency departments and the next generation of physicians from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who log their vital clinical training at Jacobi and North Central Bronx.

26. Amanda Septimo

Assembly Member

Assembly Member Amanda Septimo has had a roller-coaster ride over the past year. Her ally and then-colleague Zohran Mamdani shocked the political establishment with his victories over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral race. Septimo then launched her own bid for higher office, announcing a primary challenge against Rep. Ritchie Torres of the South Bronx in December. A month later, she suspended her campaign, disclosing she had been diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune condition. She has remained active in the Assembly, recently calling for funding designated for women of color who face domestic violence.

27. Adam Falk & John F. Calvelli

President and CEO; Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Wildlife Conservation Society

A well-respected theoretical physicist and philanthropic leader, Adam Falk took on a new challenge last summer when he became the president and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the Bronx Zoo, the Central Park Zoo, the Prospect Park Zoo, the Queens Zoo and the New York Aquarium. The society’s global conservation program spans 50 countries, and its expertise has helped shape environmental policies and laws protecting endangered species and vital biodiversity. He previously served as president of Williams College and dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. Falk will benefit from the experience of key staffers like John F. Calvelli, who has dedicated his post-politics career to the organization’s urgent work. Once chief of staff to longtime Bronx Rep. Eliot Engel, Calvelli joined the Wildlife Conservation Society over a quarter century ago. He’s also a prominent figure in the Italian American community and was selected to chair the National Italian American Foundation last year.

28. Daisy Cocco De Filippis

President, Hostos Community College

A product of the City University of New York system and a pioneering Dominican American scholar, Daisy Cocco De Filippis returned to Hostos Community College to lead it through the COVID-19 pandemic more than 40 years after she began her career as an adjunct lecturer at York College. During her tenure, she has secured millions of dollars for her students from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, Congress and other public and private sources. In September, Cocco De Filippis announced alongside then-Mayor Eric Adams that the college would be launching a major expansion into the historic Bronx General Post Office building.

29. Miguel Fuentes

President and CEO, BronxCare Health System

With one of the busiest emergency departments in the country and as one of New York City’s largest providers of outpatient services, BronxCare Health System is a vital pillar of the central and South Bronx. At its helm for decades, President and CEO Miguel Fuentes in 2021 secured a partnership with Mount Sinai Health System to open a 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art cancer facility. He also expanded and opened new outpatient facilities across the borough to facilitate nearly 750,000 visits a year and successfully avoided a nurses strike earlier this year when other hospitals did not.

30. Jorge Madruga

Founder and CEO, Maddd Equities

Jorge Madruga has built Maddd Equities into one of the Bronx’s most important developers. After 30 years of false starts by government officials, the Cuban immigrant’s firm was chosen to transform the Kingsbridge Armory and execute a historic community benefits agreement that includes commitments to local hires, living wages, sustainable practices and affordability protections for Kingsbridge residents and small businesses. Last year, Maddd Equities bought the historic Bronx General Post Office, a New York City landmark, and also proposed an 1,100-unit development in Morrisania.

31. Larry Scott Blackmon

Founder and CEO, The Blackmon Organization

A Bronx community leader and consultant, Larry Scott Blackmon rallied Black New Yorkers – including former Gov. David Paterson and other prominent Black politicians – to support state Attorney General Letitia James when she was indicted by the Trump administration’s Department of Justice. His government affairs and strategic advisory firm, The Blackmon Organization, has helped The Hip Hop Museum ahead of its opening later this year. Other organizations in the Bronx that have relied on Blackmon’s services include Southeast Bronx Neighborhood Centers, the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Destination Tomorrow and the online grocer FreshDirect.

Editor’s note: Larry Scott Blackmon is a member of City & State’s advisory board.

32. Nicholas Rodelli

General Manager, Hunts Point Produce Market

Food that passes through the Hunts Point Produce Market feeds 26 million people a year. In recognition of its essential role in feeding the city and the region, then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in December $405 million in government funding to redevelop the site. After a few years away, Nicholas Rodelli returned as the market’s general manager in 2024 to help guide it into this new era and through the 18 months of negotiations that resulted in the redevelopment project.

33. Daniel Kane Jr.

President, Teamsters Local 202

Over a century after its formation, Teamsters Local 202 continues to fight for the rights and wages of its workers at the Hunts Point Cooperative Market, feeding millions of New Yorkers as a result of their labor. Under the leadership of Daniel Kane Jr., the union’s president, Local 202 has secured new contracts for its members at Hunts Point, on Long Island and throughout the tristate area. Kane was also elected to a five-year term as an international trustee for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the largest unions in the country.

34. Roberto Ramirez

Founding Partner, MirRam Group

Roberto Ramirez’s MirRam Group and its Hamilton Campaign Network have been go-to consultants in New York City elections while expanding horizons beyond the Empire State. Last year, the team helped elect Elsie Encarnacion, Pierina Sanchez, Justin Sanchez and Kevin Riley to Bronx City Council seats, while also advising now-City Council Speaker Julie Menin and City Council Members Crystal Hudson and Lynn Schulman. Ramirez, a former Assembly member, once led the Bronx Democratic Party. This year, MirRam co-founder Luis Miranda left the firm to work as a philanthropist, producer and advocate mostly through the Miranda Family Fund.

35. Don Eversley

Executive Director, Greater Hunts Point Economic Development Corp.

The Greater Hunts Point Economic Development Corp. is a key support system for the South Bronx. With Don Eversley at the helm, the organization has expanded its scope and advocated for workforce development and sustainability initiatives. Last year, Eversley welcomed the completion of the $1.7 billion Hunts Point Access Improvement Project. The organization was also awarded a four-year city contract to lead the Hunts Point Economic Mobility Network, which connects local workers with local jobs. Eversley is also a staffer at Urban Health Plan, GHPEDC’s parent organization.

36. Blanca Ramirez

President and CEO, Comunilife

Comunilife provides housing and vital services to thousands of homeless and low-income New Yorkers, as well as operating a suicide prevention program for at-risk Latina teens with sites across the city and in nearby counties. Partnering with NYC Health + Hospitals and supported by tens of millions of dollars from the city and the state, Comunilife under Blanca Ramirez’s leadership has opened new buildings and broken ground on future developments with dozens of units in recent years. More than two-thirds of Comunilife’s 3,000-plus units are located in the Bronx.

37. Carlos Naudon

Director, President and CEO, Ponce Bank

More than 60 years after immigrating to the United States from Chile, Carlos Naudon has made providing access to banking services and loans to immigrants and other underserved communities in the Bronx and across New York City a top priority at Ponce Bank, which is headquartered in the borough. Last year, Naudon was awarded the 2025 Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his contributions to the Bronx business community and advocacy for immigrants. In January, the bank’s foundation awarded $635,000 in grants to nonprofits, including the Bronx Arts Ensemble.

38. Ramon Tallaj

Founder and Chair, Somos Community Care

Dr. Ramon Tallaj moved to New York at the request of then-Cardinal John O’Connor after serving in government health roles in the Dominican Republic, and he has built on his work providing health care for New York City’s Hispanic immigrant communities by founding Somos Community Care in 2015. Under then-Mayor Eric Adams, he co-chaired the COVID-19 Recovery Roundtable and Health Equity Task Force. And when Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits were slashed during fights over federal funding last year, Somos Community Care jumped into action to ensure South Bronx residents had access to the resources they needed.

39. Mark Stagg

Owner, Stagg Group

A local philanthropist and a prolific developer of housing in the Bronx, Mark Stagg continues to add more and more projects to Stagg Group’s portfolio in the borough and beyond. Last year, he opened a new 100% affordable housing building with 265 units in Hunts Point and bought two Webster Avenue properties to reportedly build more than 500 dorm rooms for Fordham University and hundreds units of affordable housing. All told, Stagg Group has built more than 5,000 units of affordable housing across the region, with 3,000 more in development.

40. Peter Madonia

Chair, Belmont Business Improvement District

A New York establishment in his own right, Peter Madonia brings decades of experience as chief of staff in the Bloomberg administration and in other senior city roles to his stewardship of one of the Bronx’s most iconic neighborhoods. The Bronx’s Little Italy, the heart of which is Arthur Avenue in Belmont, continues to thrive as a robust center of culture and commerce. Madonia is a fierce advocate for his community, alternatively offering advice, criticism and praise to the city’s mayors as he sees warranted. Madonia’s family bakery on Arthur Avenue has remained in business since 1918.

41. Susan Burns

President, University of Mount Saint Vincent

Susan Burns has built on the University of Mount Saint Vincent’s roots in the Bronx and spearheaded substantial efforts to build debt-free degree programs and other affordability initiatives. She forged an alliance with other Catholic universities in Chicago, San Antonio and San Juan, Puerto Rico, to expand course offerings and streamline transfers between each institution. Burns has been outspoken against cuts to federal funding for minority-serving and Hispanic-serving institutions, as well as drastic disruptions to graduate programs for aspiring teachers, physician assistants and family nurse practitioners.

42. David V. Pomeranz

President and CEO, RiverSpring Living

David V. Pomeranz has kept RiverSpring Living and its premier elder care institutions, including the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, operating and innovating at the highest levels since taking the top job in 2024. He brings 40-plus years of experience to the $1 billion nonprofit organization, including time as its chief operating officer. He forged a partnership with the NewYork-Presbyterian hospital system and continued RiverSpring Living’s longtime commitment to incorporating new technologies into its elder care, providing holistic and novel experiences to its residences and combatting elder abuse.

43. Sandra Lobo

Executive Director, Our Bronx

It took several decades, but New York City may have finally figured out what to do with the Kingsbridge Armory. The City Council approved a proposal last year to transform the massive facility, largely dormant in recent decades, into a multipurpose site with event spaces, community access and more. It’s a fight Sandra Lobo and the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition – recently renamed Our Bronx – have long been trying to finish. As part of the deal, the organization will own a 20% stake in the project, an unprecedented arrangement.

44. Miguelina Camilo

Chief of Staff, Office of the New York City Council Speaker

Before she became the first woman to serve as chief of staff to a New York City Council speaker, Miguelina Camilo spent her career dedicated to public service in the Bronx and throughout the city. Prior to being hired to manage Council Speaker Julie Menin’s office in January, Camilo was counsel to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and played a key role in crafting legislative policy in Albany. She also served as the president of the Bronx Women’s Bar Association and the Dominican Bar Association and as a commissioner on the New York City Board of Elections.

45. Mychal Johnson

Co-Founder and Board Member, South Bronx Unite

An environmental advocate who has spent years demanding that city and state leaders work toward cleaner air and greener spaces in the South Bronx, Mychal Johnson urged New York City mayoral candidates last year to increase the Parks and Recreation Department budget. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has pledged to do just that, though his executive budget proposal fell far short. As of 2025, South Bronx Unite had deployed more than 50 air quality monitors in the city, largely in South Bronx neighborhoods where 1 in 5 children are diagnosed with asthma.

46. Wilma Alonso

President and CEO, Fordham Road Business Improvement District

A Bronx institution, Wilma Alonso has a long record of working on behalf of the Fordham Road Business Improvement District and the surrounding community. That was commemorated last summer by then-Mayor Eric Adams, who proclaimed Aug. 15 to be Wilma Alonso Day. Two decades into her role supporting the Fordham Road business community, Alonso continues to be a prominent voice in advocating for small businesses citywide, meeting with senior city officials and coordinating with other Bronx BIDs to push for policy changes.

47. Ariana Collado

Executive Director and Counsel, Bronx Democratic Party

Ariana Collado oversaw a stellar year for the Bronx Democrats in 2025. The party successfully ousted the borough’s sole Republican City Council member, Kristy Marmorato, with the election of Shirley Aldebol to the East Bronx seat. Bronx Democrats ultimately backed Mayor Zohran Mamdani ahead of the general election and also played a role in the elevation of Council Member Julie Menin to council speaker. The upcoming 2026 primaries will present new challenges for some incumbents, but Collado has proven to be a steady hand atop the city’s most unified county party.

48. Yaron Tomer

Dean, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

A world-renowned medical researcher, Dr. Yaron Tomer is in his third year serving as dean of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the premier medical school educating the next generation of doctors and scientists in Morris Park. He doubles as Montefiore Medicine’s chief academic officer. His research studying diabetes and thyroid disease is recognized internationally. Tomer has also emphasized Einstein’s continued focus on a compassionate and community-based approach to medicine.

49. Janet Peguero

Chief Operating Officer, Constantinople & Vallone

In between stints helping run Constantinople & Vallone, Janet Peguero spent three years as the first Dominican woman to serve as Bronx deputy borough president and helped secure the historic deal to reimagine the Kingsbridge Armory, in addition to securing state funding for a Bronx birthing center. She brings her experiences at the New York City Department of Small Business Services and Montefiore Medicine to her role at the government relations and consulting firm, advising her clients on public affairs and land use processes. Peguero serves on the boards of the Bronx Community College Foundation and the Bronx Children’s Museum.

50. Eileen Torres

CEO, BronxWorks

More than 60,000 people depend on BronxWorks’ services each year, with Eileen Torres leading the agency’s 1,000-plus workers to provide services ranging from housing and eviction assistance to workforce development and chronic illness management. A Bronx native and graduate of the borough’s Cardinal Spellman High School, Torres led BronxWorks as it worked to get dozens of homeless New Yorkers off the street during this winter’s frigid snowstorms and has partnered with Fordham University to fight food insecurity in the borough.

51. Bharati Kemraj

Vice President, Patrick B. Jenkins & Associates

A key player at Patrick B. Jenkins & Associates and a leader in the Bronx’s Hindu community, Bharati Kemraj is in constant pursuit of forging ties across communities and building interfaith dialogue in the Bronx and beyond. An alum of Fordham University and a veteran of BronxNet, the Bronx Borough President’s Office and multiple Bronx community boards, Kemraj is well connected to the borough’s power players. She was on hand last year when then-Mayor Eric Adams marked Guyana’s independence day with luminaries from Kemraj’s home country and other New Yorkers of Guyanese descent.

52. Odetty Tineo

Director of City Legislative Affairs, Office of the New York City Mayor

A longtime union organizer and political operator, Odetty Tineo left her job atop District Council 37’s political and legislative shop to run Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s city legislative affairs team earlier this year. Before helping maintain District Council 37, the city’s largest public sector union, as a major political player, Tineo served as downstate political director for the New York States Nurses Association at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and as an organizer for 32BJ SEIU. Tineo represented the Bronx at the Democratic National Convention in 2024.

53. Arthur Goldstein

Partner, Davidoff Hutcher & Citron

Arthur Goldstein brings decades of experience dating back to the Koch administration as Davidoff Hutcher & Citron’s New York City government relations practice chair. He represents the Hunts Point Produce Market and nonprofits doing vital work in the Bronx like The Doe Fund and the HOPE Program. An expert in administrative law, land use and regulatory law, he collaborated with Rep. Ritchie Torres in promoting legislative efforts to restore federal funding for graduate student loans and helped Co-Op City navigate complicated tax abatement policies.

54. Nilka Martell

Founder, Loving The Bronx

An environmental justice advocate who has led grassroots efforts to cap the Cross Bronx Expressway, Nilka Martell has seen remarkable progress and earned the backing of major politicians since she founded Loving The Bronx a decade ago. A feasibility study published last year funded by the federal government – thanks in part to Rep. Ritchie Torres and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer – laid out a blueprint for capping the pollution-spewing expressway. She’s against Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to expand the expressway instead, which has spurred local opposition. Martell is also board chair of the Bronx River Alliance.

55. Arline Parks

Vice Chair and CEO, Diego Beekman Mutual Housing Association

A nonprofit affordable housing complex in Mott Haven, Diego Beekman Mutual Housing Association is home to over 1,200 households. It’s an anchor in a neighborhood that has historically lacked investment, but in recent years has been the site of considerable economic development. Vice Chair and CEO Arline Parks has continued to advocate for her South Bronx neighbors, pushing for more investment in local schools, public transit and parks, as well as additional affordable housing and employment opportunities.

56. Nicole Ackerina

CEO, Fulton Fish Market Cooperative

The 219-year-old Fulton Fish Market Cooperative has continued to thrive at Hunts Point under CEO Nicole Ackerina. The former New York City Ferry executive with lengthy experience in waterfront logistics and transportation is collaborating with the city’s Department of Transportation and Economic Development Corp. to implement a blue highway, which would lower emissions by relying on city waterways to transport goods instead of trucks. She has prioritized transforming the market into a community and tourist hot spot, with cultural events and large concerts.

57. Plinio Ayala

President and CEO, Per Scholas

The South Bronx’s own Plinio Ayala has dedicated his career to lifting up people who came from neighborhoods like his and providing the training and opportunities they need to succeed and support their loved ones in a modern economy. Nearing a quarter century at the helm of Per Scholas, the nonprofit tech training institution headquartered in the South Bronx and with more than 20 campuses across the country, Ayala has established partnerships with the nation’s largest tech companies, financial institutions and billionaire philanthropists, including the Ballmers and MacKenzie Scott.

58. Prisca Salazar-Rodriguez

Partner, Bolton-St. Johns

An aide in the de Blasio administration and a veteran of three Bronx borough presidents’ offices, Prisca Salazar-Rodriguez brought her extensive government and political experience to Bolton-St. Johns in 2022 to provide seasoned advice and thorough strategies to the firm’s clients. The lifelong Bronxite served as senior adviser on former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral campaign last year. She also co-founded the campaign services firm Evolution Strategies NY and serves on the boards of the La Brega y Fuerza Fund and the substance use recovery nonprofit Odyssey House.

59. Jonathan Greenspun

Partner, Mercury

A Riverdale resident, Jonathan Greenspun is a New York City public affairs expert at the influential firm Mercury. As a partner, Greenspun brings his extensive experience working on mayoral and statewide campaigns to coordinating government relations in the private sector. He also has served as an appointee to commissions and boards by former Mayors Bill de Blasio and Mike Bloomberg. Greenspun engages in civic stewardship on the boards of the New York City chapter of the League of Conservation Voters and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.

60. Joshua Cortes

Vice President, Corporate and Legislation, Kasirer

After a career in public service, including stints as the deputy chief of staff at the New York Power Authority and as the Bronx borough director for then-Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Community Affairs Unit, Joshua Cortes joined Kasirer last year to bring his deep knowledge of city and state government to the firm’s corporate and legislation team. Other previous government roles include senior positions at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the city Department of Design and Construction and former Bronx City Council Member Fernando Cabrera’s office.

61. Winston Peters

Interim President, Bronx Economic Development Corp.

Winston Peters was appointed last fall to serve as interim president of the Bronx Economic Development Corp., the nonprofit organization tasked with fostering the borough’s small-business community with microloans, grant funding and assistance facilitating access to capital. A man of many hats, Peters also runs Manhattan University’s entrepreneurship program and is an adjunct professor at its business school. For two decades, Peters has consulted companies, creators and nonprofits on branding, marketing and growth through his firm MyÜberLife Consulting Group.

62. Davon Russell

President, WHEDco

For nearly 30 years, Davon Russell has strived to improve the economic and health conditions for Bronx families at the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corp., now known as WHEDco. Since becoming president of the institution in 2017, Russell has overseen the development of the organization’s third affordable green homes project in the Bronx Commons, a mixed-use project with 305 permanent affordable housing units in Melrose. More recently, he helped secure funding to open the Bronx Music Heritage Center, the first newly constructed music venue in the borough in decades.

63. Joe Simone

President, Simone Development Companies

Joe Simone and his company are constantly building and developing new properties in the Bronx, as well as the other four boroughs, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, Connecticut and New Jersey. Among its portfolio of over 7 million square feet of properties, Simone Development Companies was selected by the New York City Department of Education to house the 50,000-square-foot Bronx STEAM Center for 11th and 12th graders at the massive Hutchinson Metro Center. It’s the borough’s first STEAM school and only the second in the city.

64. Gary Axelbank & Michael Max Knobbe

Host of “BronxTalk”; Executive Director, BronxNet

In his 50th year of broadcasting, Gary Axelbank continues to be a key voice in Bronx politics, elevating the concerns of his neighbors in a borough that has seen a decline in local journalism. Through 1,500 weekly editions of “BronxTalk” since 1994 and more than 100 political debates, Axelbank has covered virtually every issue facing the Bronx. Last year, the Bronx native and Kingsbridge resident was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame. Michael Max Knobbe runs BronxNet and has spearheaded its growth, producing shows on health, the arts, business and more. He opened a new studio in the South Bronx as BronxNet trains the next generation of broadcasters, television operators and public servants. Knobbe serves on the Bronx Chamber of Commerce’s board.

65. Juval Scott

Executive Director, The Bronx Defenders

As they represent impoverished individuals in Bronx criminal courts, Juval Scott and The Bronx Defenders have sued the New York City Police Department for allegedly targeting Black and Latino drivers, demanded then-Mayor Eric Adams pursue reform after far too many deaths in police custody and celebrated the departure of the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center jail barge – a “modern-day slave ship owned by the City of New York,” Scott called it – from the shores of the South Bronx once and for all. In August, she successfully negotiated a new contract with her staff attorneys, avoiding a prolonged dispute.

66. Rita Santelia

CEO, Mosholu Montefiore Community Center

Each year, Mosholu Montefiore Community Center provides care for 35,000 preschoolers, school students and adults across the Bronx through its beloved after-school programs and summer camps, senior centers, college counseling and workforce development offerings, case management programs and mental health services. Rita Santelia first joined the center in 1991 and became CEO in 2017, expanding its scope to address the many needs of the underprivileged families and individuals it serves. Earlier this year, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand secured $1.37 million to upgrade its main facility in Norwood.

67. Charles Moerdler

Of Counsel, Patterson Belknap

There are few nonagenarians who make lists like these, but Charles Moerdler is still an influential voice and player in the Bronx 60 years after John Lindsay appointed him New York City commissioner of housing and buildings. An active player in Riverdale politics and ally of the Dinowitz father-and-son operation, Moerdler represented Bronx Community Board 8 in testimony to then-Mayor Eric Adams’ second Charter Revision Commission. Through his legal practice at Patterson Belknap, Moerdler represents teachers unions, making oral arguments in a federal appeals court case just last year.

68. Daniel Barber

Chair, Citywide Council of Presidents, New York City Housing Authority

For more than two decades, Daniel Barber has represented and advocated for his neighbors in the South Bronx’s Jackson Houses as the resident association president – and for New York City Housing Authority tenants across the five boroughs as chair of the Citywide Council of Presidents. A prominent tenant leader in North America’s largest public housing authority, Barber has had the ear and allyship of governors and mayors in his pursuit of better living conditions. At Jackson Houses, Barber helps feed hundreds of families each Thanksgiving and organizes annual trips to Sesame Place for children in the community with autism.

69. Marc Jerome

President, Monroe University

Marc Jerome is 30 years into his work at Monroe University and nearly a decade into his tenure as its president. He continues to drive the institution, which has locations in the Bronx and in New Rochelle, as it offers an affordable private college education to thousands of students, many of whom graduate debt-free. Jerome has also led the university as it has built deep connections with Caribbean communities, offering dozens of scholarships and opening a campus in St. Lucia. In 2024, the school officially elevated its status from a college to a full-fledged university.

70. Liz Neumark

Founder and CEO, Great Performances

Liz Neumark’s Great Performances catering and event management empire has become a Bronx institution since she moved the company to Mott Haven amid a significant expansion in 2019. Her team has established partnerships with some of the city’s most iconic institutions, including The Apollo, The Plaza and Wave Hill in Riverdale. A vice president on the Bronx Chamber of Commerce’s board, Neumark also serves on the boards of the fresh food nonprofit GrowNYC and NYC Tourism + Conventions.

71. Thomas Brown

Vice President of Development, Trinity Financial

As New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani looks to tackle the city’s homelessness crisis, one option he is considering is the wraparound supportive housing model like the development at 425 Grand Concourse in Mott Haven built by Trinity Financial. Thomas Brown oversees Trinity Financial’s New York City operations after running housing development for Acacia Network and working at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Brown serves on the board of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council.

72. Andrew Joblon & Ryan Nelson

Founder and Managing Principal; Managing Principal, Turnbridge Equities

Under the leadership of founder Andrew Joblon and Managing Principal Ryan Nelson, Turnbridge Equities has built a massive portfolio of sprawling industrial properties across the city and the country, including the impressive and state-of-the-art Bronx Logistics Center, which finished construction in late 2024. The 1.3 million-square-foot complex in the South Bronx is the city’s largest industrial development. It’s strategically located near major interstates, Hunts Point Cooperative Market and has the ability to connect tenants with access to freight rail. The Adams administration was looking at purchasing the facility and, though any potential deal was put on hold, the industrial behemoth is set up to be a vital cog of logistics and economic activity in the South Bronx.

73. Rocky Bucano

Founder and CEO, The Hip Hop Museum

The Hip Hop Museum is slated to open later this year, realizing Rocky Bucano’s dream after years of work. The museum had buy-in from key New York elected officials, and Bucano was included on the arts and culture transition committee of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani – himself a former rapper – reflecting strong support from the powers that be as the institution prepares to launch. Bucano’s dedication to the global genre born in the Bronx earned a $1 million pledge from Nas, major funding from Microsoft and the co-signing of some of hip-hop’s biggest and most foundational artists.

74. Ray Oladapo-Johnson

President and Executive Director, Wave Hill

Wave Hill, the 28-acre oasis in the northernmost corner of Riverdale, celebrated its 60th anniversary last year. In the years since Ray Oladapo-Johnson took the top job at the public garden and cultural center, he has focused on increasing access to one of the Bronx’s most beautiful locales. Overlooking the Hudson River, Wave Hill is pushing to attract broader audiences from across the borough and the city, with Oladapo-Johnson raising more than $30 million for renovations and developing programming for students and young people.

75. Sean Ebony Coleman

Founder and CEO, Destination Tomorrow

With transgender rights in jeopardy, Sean Ebony Coleman and Destination Tomorrow have only proven more vital for the transgender and broader LGBTQ+ communities in the Bronx and beyond. The borough’s only LGBTQ+ center is a lifeline for those communities. Last summer, it helped open Ace’s Place, the nation’s first city-funded shelter for homeless transgender and gender-nonconforming people, in Queens. Coleman has remained vocal, strongly criticizing the Trump administration’s restrictions on listed gender on passports and slamming NYU Langone Health for ending its gender-affirming care program for transgender youths.

76. Ninfa Segarra

Senior Vice President of Community and Government Affairs and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, SBH Health System

The last president of the New York City Board of Education before it was abolished in 2002, Ninfa Segarra has served as the senior vice president for community and government affairs and the chief diversity and inclusion officer at SBH Health System. The system’s 225-plus doctors and nearly 500 nurses serve thousands of Bronxites each year across six locations, including St. Barnabas Hospital. Segarra brings a lifetime of experience to the role, including time as a deputy mayor and serving on the board of directors of the annual Somos conference.

77. Matt Abrams Gerber, Jessica Haller & Bob Kaplan

Vice President, Center for Shared Society; Board Member; Senior Adviser, Center for Shared Society, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York

The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York is carrying out its mission of supporting and protecting the Jewish community in a challenging time, facing rising antisemitism and eroding support for Israel. The organization applauded the Hochul administration last year for signing legislation targeting hate speech on college campuses and recently joined a successful push for buffer zones around houses of worship. Bronx Jewish leader Matt Abrams Gerber has run the organization’s Center for Shared Society since 2024, while Rabbi Bob Kaplan is the center’s senior adviser. Board member Jessica Haller, who unsuccessfully ran for a New York City Council seat in the Bronx in 2021, is a notable political player and campaign strategist in the borough who’s known for spurring strong turnout. She led what’s now called The New Majority NYC in electing a majority of women to the New York City Council.

78. John Okon

President, SUNY Maritime College

The Bronx’s very own admiral, retired Rear Adm. John Okon, leads his alma mater, SUNY Maritime College in Throggs Neck, as it trains the next generation of maritime professionals. The school boasted a 20% increase in applications for the 2026-27 school year and welcomed students from across the globe. The college is investing in upgrades to campus facilities and infrastructure. In February, U.S. Air Force Gen. Randall Reed, the commander of U.S. Transportation Command, visited campus.

79. Curtis Palmore

CEO, United Charter High Schools

With seven charter high schools across New York City, including four in the South Bronx and Marble Hill, United Charter High Schools and its CEO Curtis Palmore have provided underserved student populations with pathways to higher education and economic mobility. Palmore has forged ties with historically Black colleges and universities, bringing his students on a tour of seven schools earlier this year. And before state lawmakers banned smartphones during the school day, Palmore’s schools led the charge and instituted that policy to great effect.

80. Jodi Morales

President, New York City Board of Elections

Jodi Morales is the president of the New York City Board of Elections, the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in the role. She works with the other nine commissioners to appoint staff and oversee voter registration, candidate petition processing and poll site operations – critical tasks at a time when elections are facing partisan political attacks. The Bronx attorney brings her legal experience to the job, as a criminal defense lawyer who has run her own firm since 2018.

81. Frederick Bonato

President, Manhattan University

Last summer, Frederick Bonato’s leadership of Manhattan University got the endorsement of the Riverdale institution’s board, affirming him as president after he held an interim role since 2024. On his watch, the school has expanded its STEM programs, with a focus on artificial intelligence, finance and health sciences and a new partnership with IBM SkillsBuild. In December, Charles Gargano – the former Empire State Development chair who oversaw the reconstruction of lower Manhattan after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks – donated $1 million to the school.

82. Tomas Ramos

Founder, CEO and President, Oyate Group

Nearing its sixth year, the Oyate Group has evolved from its COVID-19 pandemic origins to continuing tackle the root causes of poverty in the Bronx and across the city, forming paid internship programs for undocumented youths, funding grants for business owners of color, connecting high school students with internships and scholarships, and establishing its own scholarship named for Brandon Hendricks, a Bronx high school basketball player killed in 2020. Founder Tomas Ramos has expanded operations to the Dominican Republic and opened a restaurant in Mott Haven last year to fund Oyate Group’s efforts.

83. Michael Fosina

President, Calvary Hospital

Michael Fosina leads Calvary Hospital, which serves terminally ill patients through its CalvaryCare end-of-life program at a 200-bed facility in the Bronx’s Morris Park neighborhood as well as smaller locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. Fosina took over as president of Calvary Hospital last year after serving as chief operating officer. The award-winning health care executive previously was president of what’s now called NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester in Bronxville, and he also has past experience with hospice and home care.

84. Larry Johnson Jr.

President, Bronx Community College

A veteran community college leader, Larry Johnson Jr. was chosen by the CUNY system to lead Bronx Community College last summer after a successful four years atop Manhattan’s Guttman Community College. Johnson will see the school through its next era as it seeks to implement its next strategic plan dubbed “The Bronx Renaissance 2031.” He serves on the boards of CUNY’s Research Foundation and the American Association of Community Colleges.

85. Melissa Sigmond

CEO, Riverdale Y

Melissa Sigmond has helped the Riverdale Y grow and prosper since taking over in 2022. Rep. Ritchie Torres and Sigmond developed a close working relationship, with the Bronx lawmaker honoring her last year in Congress during Women’s History Month and giving her an award at the New York Botanical Garden. Sigmond and Torres also traveled to Israel together as part of a Bronx delegation to the country in 2024. In partnership with the New York City Mayor’s Office and Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz and New York City Council Member Eric Dinowitz, she launched the We Are The Bronx Fellowship Against Hate.

86. Steven Westreich

President, Westbridge Realty Group

Based in Riverdale, Steven Westreich and his Westbridge Realty Group launched a flurry of projects across the Bronx in 2025. He filed permits for a 12-story, 99-unit mixed-use building in Wakefield, for two buildings in Kingsbridge totaling 164 units and for another residential building in Williamsbridge. He secured millions in construction loans for a 90-unit development in Belmont and a 99-unit development in Tremont, and bought lots for projects in Harlem and Brooklyn.

87. Pedro Suarez

Executive Director, Third Avenue Business Improvement District

A native Bronxite, Pedro Suarez continues to work diligently to support the businesses and communities within the Third Avenue Business Improvement District, dubbed “The Hub.” Suarez recruited Rep. Ritchie Torres to his cause, getting the South Bronx lawmaker to speak out loudly and implore the Adams administration to help combat the drug trade in The Hub. Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson allocated $600,000 last year to help Suarez tackle the opioid crisis in the area in hopes of alleviating the disruption to local businesses.

88. Denise Rosario Adusei

Executive Director, Bronx Children’s Museum

A children’s book author who has dedicated her life to developing more diverse representation in art and children’s books, Denise Rosario Adusei has led the Bronx Children’s Museum into a new era as a cultural anchor in the borough. Last year, Adusei secured the museum’s designation as a member of New York City’s exclusive Cultural Institutions Group, the first Bronx institution to do so in nearly half a century. In addition to building the museum’s financial strength and long-term viability, Adusei has overseen the distribution of thousands of books to Bronx children and families.

89. John Doyle

President, City Island Rising

A longtime Bronx Democratic district leader and a City Island civic leader, John Doyle helped Shirley Aldebol win a New York City Council seat, ousting Kristy Marmorato, one of the rare Republicans to hold office in the 21st-century Bronx. The maxim that all politics is local has never been more true than on City Island. Beyond his day job at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, Doyle leads the civic group City Island Rising and the Chippewa Democratic Club, serves on the 45th Precinct Community Council and is a member of the Bronx Solid Waste Advisory Board.

90. Ronald Day

Chief Operating Officer, The Fortune Society

As a formerly incarcerated person, Ronald Day is helping incarcerated and formerly incarcerated New Yorkers survive and thrive through The Fortune Society, which offers comprehensive services and advocacy for those populations. Day oversees the David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy; the Center for Research, Inquiry and Social Justice; and the organization’s admissions, education, employment and transitional services programs. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani embraced a planned Fortune Society-run supportive housing project at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi for New Yorkers leaving Rikers Island – and also appointed the organization’s previous president and CEO, Stanley Richards, as his Department of Correction commissioner.

91. Sally Connolly

Chair, City Island Oyster Reef

Sally Connolly and the City Island Oyster Reef team are fighting the good fight for coastal resiliency on the Bronx’s eastern shores. Backed by a small army of volunteers, the nonprofit collaborates with Bronx schools, universities and research institutions to gather data on the waterways around City Island, help protect the oyster and fish populations, and build reefs to keep the water clean and the coasts protected. Connolly has helped launch educational programs at over 10 Bronx public schools and secured funding from the New York City Council and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

92. J.C. Polanco

Assistant Professor, University of Mount Saint Vincent

A frequently sought-after political commentator, J.C. Polanco draws on his years of experience leading the New York City Board of Elections and working on city policy in the Assembly – as well as his past experiences running for New York City public advocate and running the Council on Legal Education Opportunity – to offer insights to the public and his students at the University of Mount Saint Vincent. On top of his business and law degrees from Fordham, the lifelong Bronxite and lifelong learner is now pursuing a master’s degree in history at SUNY Cortland more than 20 years after he last was a student.

93. Jerelyn Rodriguez

Co-Founder and CEO, The Knowledge House

After a decade of providing high-tech training to students in the South Bronx, Jerelyn Rodriguez has expanded The Knowledge House’s scope across the city and beyond, including to Newark, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Thousands of students have benefited from The Knowledge House’s training, and the organization is constantly evolving to prepare its students to enter a workforce that is rapidly integrating new technologies and artificial intelligence. Gov. Kathy Hochul distributed $1.4 million for clean energy workforce development to The Knowledge House in February and OpenAI awarded Rodriguez’s organization grant funding last year.

94. Dan Leventhal

Founder and Executive Director, Bronx Lacrosse

Dan Leventhal has built up his Bronx Lacrosse organization to serve hundreds of middle school and high school students, providing them with year-round academic support and athletic development. The program recently produced its first four-star college recruit and consistently earns praise for its academic approach that has increased school attendance, improved grades and sent dozens of students to college – boasting a 100% higher education enrollment rate within six months of graduation.

95. Andrew So

Executive Director, South Bronx United

A former Bronx teacher, guidance counselor and athletic coach, Andrew So founded South Bronx United more than 15 years ago to provide robust soccer instruction and build community for Bronx youths. The program works with nearly 2,000 kids annually and emphasizes academics, resulting in four- and five-year high school graduation rates far above the average in the neighborhoods it serves. South Bronx United also specifically supports immigrants, providing legal services to students and families it works with to navigate the immigration system and secure legal permanent residency.

96. Siddhartha Sánchez

Executive Director, Bronx River Alliance

Siddhartha Sánchez first began working protecting the Bronx River region as an environmental adviser to then-Rep. José E. Serrano in 2004. Two decades later, he was selected to be executive director of the Bronx River Alliance, where he has continued to fight for the river’s ecological protection and the communities beside the waterway. Last year, the organization celebrated the return of beavers to the Bronx River for the first time since 2018. And this year, the organization has hit the ground running while seeking new leaders for its environmental justice and development teams.

97. Joel Feliciano

Chief Operating Officer, Yemeni American Merchants Association

Joel Feliciano has helped guide the Yemeni American Merchants Association to a sustained period of political influence and growth. The East Bronx-based organization has gained key partners and allies at all levels of city and state government to further its goals supporting Yemeni American merchants in the years since the 2017 bodega strike that birthed the association. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, city Comptroller Mark Levine and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson were all featured speakers at its annual gala in February.

98. Diya Basu-Sen

Executive Director, Sapna NYC

A first-generation Bengali American social justice advocate, Diya Basu-Sen leads Sapna NYC in its dedicated service to Bronx South Asian immigrant women. Sapna NYC is one of the few organizations working with women in this cohort, who often face language barriers and other hurdles to receiving the services and care they need. Sapna NYC serves about 2,000 clients a year, offering health services and education in multiple languages, including Bangla, Hindi and Urdu. Under Basu-Sen, the organization also offers assistance with financial literacy, domestic violence prevention and learning English.

99. Rose DeStefano

Co-Founder, CannaBronx

Relying on her years of experience advising nonprofits, serving in senior positions at Children’s Aid and working in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, Rose DeStefano co-founded CannaBronx to promote socioeconomic equity in the burgeoning cannabis industry. CannaBronx partnered with the Pratt Institute to chart a path forward for legal cannabis in the South Bronx, which long suffered from the ill-fated war on drugs. DeStefano has laid a foundation for the industry and advocated for the communities most impacted by the prohibition on cannabis.

100. Mirtha Colón

Founder and Chair, Casa Yurumein

A longtime champion of the Bronx’s Honduran and broader Afro-Central American communities, Mirtha Colón founded Casa Yurumein as Hondurans Against AIDS in 1992 and has built it into a home for the borough’s Garifuna community. It was Colón who inspired Rep. Ritchie Torres to launch a Garifuna Caucus in Congress. In 2023, Colón reopened Casa Yurumein’s South Bronx cultural center after it was forced to close during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her organization’s work spans nine countries, and Colón traveled to Colombia in December to advocate for Garifuna peoples at a summit for the peoples of the western Caribbean.