2023 Power Players Rising

Meredith Korda is a vice president and the digital director of Red Horse Strategies, where she leads the digital persuasion, acquisition, and fundraising practice. From statewide campaigns to congressional leaders, Korda guides the team of skilled writers and designers, helping to craft and execute cross-medium strategies and develop targeted, compelling messages. She is the lead digital strategist for Congress Member Nydia Velázquez, Congress Member Ted Lieu, and Congress Member Grace Meng. She brings robust knowledge and digital know-how to clients across the country.

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in 2023?
I’m proud of the work our team has done here in New York and beyond in Pennsylvania, California, and more. We had an incredibly successful primary night, working with numerous leaders across NYC. 

What advice would you give to someone starting off in your industry?
See every opportunity as a chance for growth and seek out mentors. 

If you weren’t in your current career, what else would you be doing?
I’d like to be a ski bum. 

Ya-Ting Liu is the chief public realm officer for the City of New York, working under deputy mayor for operations Meera Joshi. Liu brings over 15 years of policy, community organizing, and government affairs experience to the Adams administration. She has dedicated her career to building coalitions and partnerships to deliver projects across a range of issue areas, including transportation, sustainability, and technology. Liu earned a BS in conservation studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in 2023?
Since the appointment of the position, we have been hard at work coordinating across city agencies to deliver projects and advance policy initiatives to improve public spaces. With $375M in investments announced during the Mayor’s State of City, we have delivered a new phase of the Broadway Vision, opened the Arches under the Brooklyn Bridge in Manhattan, kicked off streetscape improvements in Downtown Brooklyn, and outlined the “Get Sheds Down” plan to remove unsightly scaffolding.

What advice would you give to someone starting off in your industry?
Advancing policy in a city as complex and opinionated as NYC rarely happens without the support and work of many people inside and outside government. How you show up, build support, and work with colleagues and people you are meeting for the first time can make or break your project. Kindness and competence wins the day. 

If you weren’t in your current career, what else would you be doing?
People’s personal style is such a creative form of self-expression and no other place beats New York City when it comes to street style. I’d like to think there’s an alternate universe where I may have become a stylist or creative director. 

Angel ‘Monxo’ López, PhD, is a museum curator, educator, and South Bronx-based environmental and urban justice activist. He works as the curator of community histories at the Museum of the City of New York. López is a proud founding member of the environmental justice coalition South Bronx Unite, and currently serves on the boards of both the Mott Haven and the Cooper Square Community Land Trust in the Lower East Side.

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in 2023?
I am proud of having been named the Curator of Community Histories at the Museum of the City or New York. I am the first permanent curator of color in the museum’s 100 years. I am also very proud of having been part of the curatorial team that put together the exhibition “This is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture.”

What advice would you give to someone starting off in your industry?
Patience! Grow a sense of humor. Be compassionate. Never assume the worst in people, but the opposite. Be willing to converse across differences. Listen intently. Take as much time as possible making important decisions. Don’t send emails while angry. Find friends among your colleagues. Cultivate those friendships. Do meaningful things beyond the work you do at your job. Always look both ways.

If you weren’t in your current career, what else would you be doing?
College professor. Sustainable energy expert. Brewer. Professional guitarist. Recording engineer.

Lane Marsh has worked on Broadway for over 30 years. Lane is a member of The Broadway League and served on the board of directors of the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus. Marsh’s past productions include Grey House, The Piano Lesson, Thoughts of a Colored Man, Diana, The Prom, Gigi, Million Dollar Quartet, The Boy from Oz, The Phantom of the Opera, Hollywood Arms, Dance of Death, Fosse, Chicago, Master Class, Les Misérables, and Miss Saigon. 

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in 2023?
This year I was promoted to director of operations at Foresight Theatrical. In addition to this rewarding and challenging new position, I managed the highest grossing August Wilson play to play Broadway, “The Piano Lesson”, starring Samuel L. Jackson, and reintroduced Broadway to the horror genre with the new play Grey House starring Laurie Metcalf.    

James V. McDonald M.D., M.P.H., was appointed in January and confirmed in June. Previously, he served at the Rhode Island Department of Health. He earned his M.D. from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, his pediatric residency in the US Navy, and his preventive medicine residency from the State University of New York. He earned his MPH from UNC Chapel Hill, and his B.S. in Biology from Siena College. Dr. McDonald is board certified in pediatrics and preventive medicine.

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in 2023?
I am most proud of the work we have accomplished in rebuilding the department, increasing recruitment, improving retention, and improving workplace culture, emphasizing the importance of work-life balance. 

What advice would you give to someone starting off in your industry?
First, it is important to work well with others. Second, it is important to recognize you are rarely the smartest person in the room, so listen. Third, we spend the best hours of our day at work, so don’t be a jerk.

If you weren’t in your current career, what else would you be doing?
Trying to find a way to make a positive difference with what little time I have on this planet. Every day matters, so a chance to serve is a chance to excel.  

Born in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Patricia McGregor is the artistic director of New York Theatre Workshop, as well as a director and writer working across disciplines. McGregor has twice been profiled by The New York Times for her direction of world premieres. She was inaugural Artist in Residence for Arts in the Armed Forces and an Old Globe Resident Artist, as well as a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow at Yale School of Drama.

Suzanne Miles-Gustave, Esq., became acting commissioner of OCFS in December 2022. Miles-Gustave is also the agency’s executive deputy commissioner. She joined OCFS in 2014 as general counsel/deputy commissioner. Earlier in her career she clerked on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and spent time in private practice and local municipal practice for NYC. She graduated from SUNY Buffalo and obtained her Juris Doctor at Fordham University School of Law.

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in 2023?
Being asked to lead OCFS in 2023 was a true honor. Our executive team is transforming our human services work to focus on child, family, and community strengthening, as we swiftly dismiss the deficit thinking that has plagued the industry for years. This “North Star” mission spurs innovation that will bring true equity to the delivery of our supports and services.  

What advice would you give to someone starting off in your industry?
My hope is that all who enter the human services field do so with equity as their core belief so that the industry can focus on recognizing the humanity of all people who are served by human services professionals. If honoring that humanity is your top priority, not only will you be successful, but you will be infinitely fulfilled.

If you weren’t in your current career, what else would you be doing?
I’m an artist turned lawyer turned human services leader. One would think I would pursue one of those careers if not in my current role. But, I often think about operating a small country estate focused on serving others and curating experiences that promote health and happiness while surrounded by beauty and nature. Sounds like my post-retirement plan!

Linda G. Mills is the 17th president of NYU and the Lisa Ellen Goldberg Professor of Social Work, Public Policy, and Law. A social worker and NSF- and NIJ-funded social scientist who has reshaped the treatment of domestic violence; an attorney who advocated for people entitled to Social Security benefits; and an award-winning filmmaker, Mills has been a long-time member of NYU’s senior leadership team and a faculty member since 1999. She holds a PhD, a JD, an MSW, and a BA.

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in 2023?
I am very proud to have been named NYU’s president, grateful for the roughly 2,000 people who have responded to my request that they share with me their dreams for NYU, and moved and honored by the special pride many have expressed about my being the first woman president.  After 20 years here, I remain amazed by how many wonderful people this great university continues to bring together.

What advice would you give to someone starting off in your industry?
No endeavor or pursuit will give you smarter colleagues, more hope, more chance to shape the future, more opportunities to see young people from all backgrounds at their best, or, in the end, more satisfaction or a fuller heart than higher education.

If you weren’t in your current career, what else would you be doing?
I don’t think of myself as having one career! It’s one of the joys of higher education that it encourages personal and intellectual exploration. Lawyer, researcher, social worker, teacher, policy expert and advocate, filmmaker, and now university president — higher education has permitted me to be all of them, and there isn’t any one I would abandon. 

Jacob R. Moore comes to the Architectural League after serving as the associate director of Columbia GSAPP’s Buell Center. During his time there, he organized a wide array of public programs that advanced critical understandings of the built environment and its role relative to climate change and social justice. An accomplished writer, editor, and publisher, Moore is also a founding editor of the Avery Review. Earlier in his career, Moore spent two years in the Peace Corps as a municipal development advisor in Tacaná, Guatemala.

Madison Mounty is in her fourth year at Kasirer and has been a crucial part of the team which has secured millions of dollars to enable vital organizations to better serve our city. Mounty has a range of diverse clients, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hot Bread Kitchen, The Public Theater, and JCCA. Mounty has developed a real passion for helping NYC’s nonprofits, and has an unwavering commitment to her work and expertise in a wide range of issues impacting the nonprofit sector.

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in 2023?
Among many successes during a challenging year for New York City, I am immensely proud that I, together with the nonprofit team and Kasirer as a whole, was able to secure and maintain funding for the fantastic nonprofits we serve. These organizations are made up of individuals who are on the front lines, providing critical services and programming to New Yorkers across the five boroughs. I am honored to work with such impressive organizations. 

What advice would you give to someone starting off in your industry?
I have found it important to join a firm like Kasirer where your colleagues support and collaborate with each other. Another big piece of advice is to surround yourself with people who are willing to help you develop relationships with key elected officials and members of their teams. Being able to email, call, and text those who are making decisions impacting your clients makes all the difference, especially knowing that they will respond.