NEW YORK – Regional Plan Association announced the addition of nine directors to the organization’s board. Joining RPA’s board are Eugénie L. Birch, Lawrence C. Nussdorf Professor of Urban Education and Research, School of Design, University of Pennsylvania; Robert Blumenthal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Deutsche Bank; Jo Ivey Boufford, President, the New York Academy of Medicine; Jun Choi, Chief Executive Officer, Menlo Realty Ventures; Kerry Hughes, Senior Vice President, PNC Bank; Andrew Mathias, President, SL Green Realty; Josh Mohrer, New York General Manager, Uber; Todd Richman, Managing Director and Financial Advisor, J.P. Morgan Securities; and Jane Veron, Chief Executive and Co-Founder, The Acceleration Project (TAP).

This group joins the board as RPA has been adding new directors in recent months, including Mark Blumkin; Kevin Chavers; Seth Pinsky; and Robert K. Steel. Scott Rechler, a veteran real estate executive, was elected chairman of RPA in October.

“We’re honored to welcome such a distinguished group of new board members, and we look forward to working together with them to ensure the region’s continued success,” said RPA President Tom Wright.

“On behalf of the board of directors of RPA, I would like to welcome our new members, who represent both a breadth and depth of expertise on the issues facing the New York region,” said Mr. Rechler, chairman and chief executive of RXR Realty LLC.

Eugénie Birch, the Lawrence C. Nussdorf Professor of Urban Education and Research, School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, is the founding co-director of Penn Institute for Urban Research and co-editor of Penn Press’s ​“The City in the 21st Century” series. Dr. Birch is a scholar and researcher on matters of urban revitalization in the U.S. and abroad. Her publications include 10 books, edited or authored, and more than 70 chapters, journal articles and reviews.

Robert Blumenthal joined Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (then Bankers Trust) in 1987 as vice president and was elected managing director in 1990. In 2015 he was promoted to vice chairman and managing director, Real Estate, Gaming, Lodging and Leisure Group, Americas. Mr. Blumenthal has advised on or completed in excess of $20 billion in real estate assignments or transactions.

Jo Ivey Boufford, M.D., is the president of the New York Academy of Medicine. She is a professor emeritus of public service, health policy and management at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a clinical professor of pediatrics at the New York University School of Medicine. She is co-director of the National Program Office of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholars Program. She served as dean of the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University from June 1997 to November 2002.

Jun Choi is CEO of Menlo Realty Ventures, an industrial real estate development firm focused on converting brownfield sites to modern warehousing. He has held leadership roles in business and government. Before entering real estate, he served as mayor of New Jersey’s fifth-largest municipality, Edison Township, where he led a good government movement to stabilize the city’s finances, create jobs, improve public safety and build a stronger sense of community.

Kerry Hughes is senior vice president, business banking sales manager at PNC Bank. Ms. Hughes, a 26-year veteran of the banking industry, is responsible for the strategic direction and tactical execution of small business banking for PNC in both New York City and Bergen County, New Jersey. Prior to joining PNC in 2012, she spent nearly two decades working, leading and managing in the major metropolitan areas of Chicago for BMO Harris Bank and in Boston and New York City for Citibank North America.

Andrew Mathias serves as president of SL Green Realty Corp., New York City’s largest commercial office landlord and one of the nation’s leading real estate investment trusts. He also serves on the New York-based company’s board of directors. He has been with the company since 1999, when he joined as vice president. Among other notable recognitions, Mr. Mathias has been named to the New York Commercial Observer ​“Power 100” several times, sharing the #1 ranking with SL Green CEO Marc Holliday in 2012, and was featured in the Crain’s New York Business ​“40 Under 40” in 2007.

Josh Mohrer is the general manager of Uber’s New York metropolitan area business. He joined Uber in 2012 shortly after the company began expansion outside of San Francisco. Mr. Mohrer started his first business in his college dorm room as an eBay Platinum Powerseller while studying math at Columbia University. Mr. Mohrer holds an MBA from New York University and is a member of the board of directors of the Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association. He also is on the advisory board of Breather and Tusk Ventures.

Todd Richman is managing director and financial advisor for J.P. Morgan Securities. Previously, Mr. Richman held various leadership positions in the civic sector. He served as the northeast regional deputy director of AIPAC and the New York director of the American Jewish Congress. Mr. Richman also worked as a campaign manager and finance director for several congressional campaigns, including those for Rep. Gary Ackerman and Rep. Steve Rothman.

Jane Veron is CEO and co-founder of The Acceleration Project (TAP), a nonprofit that harnesses the talent of professionals to accelerate small business growth. She also is CEO of TAP Growth Advisors, a firm devoted to career re-entry and entrepreneurship. Ms. Veron is mission-driven, seeking to mobilize women for economic impact, and merges her business acumen with hands-on management expertise. Ms. Veron has spent her career in strategic planning and marketing, working at Bain & Company and American Express.

RPA also recognizes seven directors who are stepping down from the organization’s board: Manju Chandrasekhar; Marcia Keizs; Robert Knapp; Christopher Levendos; Debra McDowell; Peter Miscovich; and Patricia Ornst.