Wes Moore is the CEO of Robin Hood, one of the largest anti-poverty forces in the nation. He is a bestselling author, a combat veteran, and a social entrepreneur. Wes’ first book, “The Other Wes Moore,” a perennial New York Times bestseller, captured the nation’s attention on the fine line between success and failure in our communities and in ourselves. That story has been optioned by executive producer Oprah Winfrey and HBO to be made into a movie. He is also the author of the bestselling books “The Work,” “Discovering Wes Moore,” and “This Way Home.”

Before becoming CEO at Robin Hood, Wes was the founder and CEO at BridgeEdU, an innovative tech platform addressing the college completion and job placement crisis. BridgeEdU reinvents freshman year for underserved students. Wes remains chairman of the board of directors at BridgeEDU. He has also worked in finance as an investment banker with Deutsche Bank in London and with Citigroup in New York.

Kathy Hochul is the 77th Lieutenant Governor of New York.

As Lieutenant Governor, Hochul serves as the President of the NYS Senate and Chairs the Regional Economic Development Councils and NYS Women’s Suffrage 100th Anniversary Commemoration Commission. She Co-Chairs the NYS Heroin and Opioid Abuse Task Force and Community College Councils. She also chairs 10 Regional Economic Development Councils that have transformed the State’s economy by building upon regional strengths through long-term strategic plans. 

Lieutenant Governor Hochul served as County Clerk from 2007 to 2011. Before that, Hochul worked for 14 years as a Hamburg Town Councilmember. She served as liaison to the local economic development agency and worked to attract new businesses and create jobs following the loss of the WNY manufacturing base.

Maria Torres-Springer is vice president for US programs. She oversees the foundation’s domestic programming for Civic Engagement and Government, Creativity and Free Expression, Just Cities and Regions, Technology and Society, Future of Work(ers), and Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice. Previously, Maria spent almost 15 years in public service with the City of New York. She has led three agencies with over 3,000 employees and approximately $2 billion in annual operating budgets, addressing some of the city’s most significant public policy challenges. Throughout her tenure in government, she worked to create powerful partnerships among communities, business, and the agencies she has led in pursuit of expanded economic opportunity for all New Yorkers.

Previously, Maria served as first female president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation; the commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the nation's largest municipal housing agency; and the commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services.

In 2013, Brooklynites elected Eric as the first person of color to serve as their borough president; he is currently serving his second term as Brooklyn’s chief executive. In 1995, Eric co-founded 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, an advocacy group that rose to nationwide prominence speaking out against police brutality, racial profiling, and departmental diversity. He also served at one time as president of the Grand Council of Guardians, a statewide fraternal society for African-Americans in law enforcement. Through leadership roles in these organizations, Eric helped raise thousands of dollars for worthy causes across New York City. Eric was elected to the first of four terms in the New York State Senate in 2006, where he represented a diverse range of neighborhoods across brownstone and central Brooklyn. During his tenure in the State Legislature, he chaired both the Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs Committee and the Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee. 

Been is a nationally recognized expert on land use, urban policy and affordable housing and is the former Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. As HPD Commissioner from 2014 to 2017, Been helped craft Housing New York, the Mayor’s plan to tackle the affordability crisis and create and preserve 200,000 affordable homes by 2024. 

Been previously served as the Director of NYU's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, the Boxer Family Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, and an Affiliated Professor of Public Policy of the NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. 

Gale A. Brewer is the 27th Borough President of Manhattan. 

Brewer previously served on the City Council for 12 years, serving as the founding chair of the Technology Committee and leading the Government Operations Committee. There, the Council passed her legislation guaranteeing paid sick leave for most hourly employees, requiring all City data be published online, and protecting domestic workers from abusive practices. Prior to that, she served as Chief of Staff to Council Member Ruth Messinger, NYC Deputy Public Advocate, Director of the city’s Federal Office, and Executive Director of the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women.

Ruben Diaz Jr. first entered public office as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1997, and is currently serving his third full term as Bronx Borough President, having been reelected in November 2017 with more than 88 percent of the vote.

Prior to his current role Borough President Diaz served seven terms in the State Legislature. In the State Assembly, Ruben Diaz Jr. served as Chair of the Committee on Election Law and on the Assembly’s Standing Committees on Education, Ways & Means, Children and Families, Environmental Conservation and Transportation. He was also a member of the Assembly’s Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force and the Black/Puerto Rican and Asian Legislative Caucus.

The President and CEO of New York City Economic Development Corporation, James Patchett has spent his career building stronger cities through investments in affordable housing, innovation, and 21st century infrastructure. In his current role overseeing job growth and economic development for the City of New York, James taps into his deep experience in real estate, finance, government, and urban planning. During his tenure, he has overseen some of the city’s most ambitious projects, including launching a citywide ferry system, developing Mayor de Blasio’s 100,000 jobs plan, and optimizing NYCEDC’s 60 million square feet of real estate.

Prior to his appointment as NYCEDC President in 2016, James served as chief of staff to Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen, where he helped oversee more than 25 city agencies and played a pivotal role in preserving thousands of affordable homes. Before moving to City Hall, James was a vice president in Goldman Sachs’ Urban Investment Group, where he spent seven years providing equity and debt to projects ranging from commercial developments to housing to charter schools.

Appointed Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives in February 2018, Deputy Mayor Thompson is responsible for spearheading a diverse collection of priority initiatives. He oversees New York City’s signature Pre-K for All program, which provides free, high-quality pre-kindergarten to 70,000 four-year olds each year, and the continued expansion of the nation’s first-ever 3-K for All. He will also ensure the continued success of the Community Schools and Young Men’s Initiatives and ThriveNYC, the nation’s most comprehensive approach to mental health.

Deputy Mayor Thompson has an extensive background in New York City Government. In 2003 and 2010 he served as an expert on the NYC Charter Revision Commission, and before that served in the Dinkins Administration as the Deputy General Manager for Operations and Development, where his portfolio included the New York City Housing Authority. Before that he had roles as the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing Coordination as well as the Mayor’s Liaison to the NYC Districting Commission. He also served previously in the Manhattan Borough President’s Office as an advisor and assistant to the chief of staff.