Regional Plan Association is privileged to welcome six outstanding individuals to our Board of Directors - prominent leaders in construction, planning, finance, technology, and workforce development who will help set the strategic direction for the organization. Our newest Board members have made their mark on the region and will continue to do so as members of the RPA community. We look forward to advancing RPA’s priorities together and building a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable region. Get to know them below!
Cheryl McKissack Daniel, President & CEO, McKissack & McKissack
Cheryl McKissack Daniel has more than 25 years of experience in all phases of the design and construction industry including major project work in commercial, healthcare, education, and transportation sectors. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Cheryl comes from a long lineage of architects and builders that began with an enslaved Ashanti ancestor in 1790. Today, Cheryl represents the fifth generation of the McKissack family’s century old business, McKissack & McKissack, the oldest minority and woman-owned design and construction firm in the nation.
McKissack is involved with some of New York’s largest projects including: the New Terminal One at JFK International Airport; LGA Central Terminal Building Redevelopment; and Atlantic Yards (Pacific Park) LIRR Yard Relocation. McKissack also serves as the MTAs Independent Engineer Consultant overseeing the Capital Construction Program of the nation’s largest transportation system. Cheryl serves on numerous corporate, charitable and community boards. As a board member, Cheryl focuses on strategic planning as part of good governance. She believes strategic planning is critical to a board’s mission and formulating good strategy ensures long-term value creation, building an ethical culture and managing risk. Cheryl has been honored as a “Hero of Liberty” for her support of humanitarian initiatives and for promoting the responsibilities of a free and diverse America.
Shari Hyman, Director of Government Affairs & External Relations, Turner Construction
Prior to her role with Turner, Shari served as the Vice President of Westfield World Trade Center for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW). Before entering the private sector, Shari had a distinguished public service career. From 2014-2017, she was the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Battery Park City Authority – a public benefit corporation responsible for the development, community programming and operations of Battery Park City. From 2004-2014, Shari held various senior level positions in New York City government. Notable accomplishments during her tenure in City government include the design and implementation of the New Business Acceleration Team (NBAT), the successful enactment of legislation defining short vs. long-term occupancy to preserve affordable housing from illegal hotel conversion, the complete redesign of indigent defense provider contracts to ensure greater access to holistic legal services for the indigent, and legislation to reduce emissions by commercial waste-hauling trucks by 2020. Shari also serves on the boards of the Citizen Budget Commission, the Friends of Hudson River Park and Stacks & Joules.
David Kooris, President, Stamford Downtown
David Kooris is President of the largest business improvement district in Connecticut, representing the major property owners, companies, and residents of that neighborhood. Stamford Downtown is the primary voice for responsible development policy in the city, ensuring public infrastructure and private investment work together to continue to make Stamford’s downtown the most vibrant urban neighborhood in the state and the region. Mr. Kooris is also Chair of the Board of the Connecticut Port Authority and a lecturer at Yale University’s School of Environment and prior to January of 2020, Mr. Kooris was Deputy Commissioner at the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.
Before DECD, Mr. Kooris was Director of Resilience for Connecticut’s Department of Housing. Before state service, Mr. Kooris was the Director of the Office of Planning and Economic Development and Executive Director of the Redevelopment Agency for the City of Bridgeport. Mr. Kooris began his career at the Regional Plan Association where he held several positions, most notably Vice President and Connecticut Director. As an independent consultant, Mr. Kooris has worked on high-speed rail-oriented development, sustainable communities, and urban revitalization projects throughout the Northeast corridor as well as in Canada, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey. Mr. Kooris was a local elected official in Stamford and remains active on many local Boards including that of the Mill River Collaborative, the Stamford Partnership, and the Veterans’ Park Partnership.
Jose Ortiz, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, New York City Employment and Training Coalition
Jose Ortiz, Jr. was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC), the nation’s largest city-based membership association for the workforce development industry, in February 2018. An accomplished New York City nonprofit leader, Jose has spent his career building and overseeing programs and initiatives at premier social sector organizations across education, leadership, innovation and workforce development.
Immediately prior to joining NYCETC, Jose served as the Managing Director of External Affairs, Partnerships, and Business Development at Pursuit, a Long Island City based workforce nonprofit that prepares underserved and underprivileged individuals without college degrees for software development jobs at some of the world’s most innovative companies. Prior to Pursuit, Jose spent more than a decade at 92Y, a world-class cultural and community center, where he led youth & family programs, leadership initiatives, conferences, and was a founding member of the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact which created the global day of philanthropy called Giving Tuesday. Jose was the youngest person to be named to City & State’s 2019 Nonprofit Power 100, and named again in 2021. Recently, Jose was named to the inaugural class of the Robin Hood Power Fund, which invests in leaders of color who are “tackling inequities and driving solutions across New York City, while bringing perspective, proximity, and expertise to the fight against poverty.”
Gagandeep Singh, Senior Vice President, Head of Global Real Estate & Workplace Experience, American Express
Gagan leads a team that manages American Express’ real estate strategy and facilities in 41 countries around the globe, providing a safe, productive, flexible and engaging work environment. Gagan is an experienced corporate real estate leader who drives colleague engagement through workplace enhancements. Before joining American Express, he was Group Vice President of Real Estate and Workforce Planning at Gartner, a leading research and advisory company with operations in more than 40 countries. At Gartner, Gagan’s team significantly expanded the firm’s global footprint, mitigated business disruption risks, and improved the colleague experience with a focus on productivity, health and sustainability. Previously, Gagan served as Vice President of Real Estate Strategy for Goldman Sachs, and he spent more than 15 years in real estate and workforce strategy consulting at companies like Deloitte and HOK Consulting/Advance Strategies.
Gagan holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and a master’s degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Samira and two children: Kesar and Kabir. Gagan is a published industry thought leader, teacher and a cook worth his salt with prize-winning BBQ to his credit.
Marsha Smith, Chief Financial Officer, Siemens USA
Marsha has more than 20 years’ experience with Siemens’ businesses across North America. She started her career in the Marine business in Canada, moved to the Metals and Pulp & Paper industries and in 2004 transitioned into the Transportation industry where she successfully led key projects and proposals for the U.S. Mobility group. In 2008, she was asked to head the finance organization for Siemens’ U.S. Rail Automation Business Unit, and in 2013 she led the local integration of the newly acquired Invensys business. She was named CFO of Siemens Mobility’s U.S. business in 2017, where she spearheaded the creation of Siemens Mobility, Inc. Marsha also serves on the Board of Directors of the Siemens Foundation which focuses on narrowing the opportunity gap for young people in the U.S. She lives in New York City with her family. She also continues to serve as CFO of Siemens Mobility, North America.
