Monday, October 31, 2011

Cuomo Announces New Appointments


Leecia Eve Appointed and Gil Quiniones Recommended for Key Position

Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced his appointment of Leecia Eve to Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and his recommendation of Gil Quiniones to be President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Power Authority (NYPA).

“Economic development and creating jobs have been my number one priority since I took office, and Leecia is the perfect candidate to continue putting New York back on the path to prosperity,” said Governor Cuomo.

“Her extensive credentials and years of public service make her especially suited for this position. Together with the ESD team, I am certain Leecia will play a major role in creating jobs and growing our state’s economy. This is a critical time for New York, and I look forward to working with Leecia.”

“He is a dedicated public servant who knows every aspect of the Power Authority- from the power lines to the extraordinary potential to harness New York’s energy resources to support economic development and job creation. In addition, Gil will ensure that NYPA continues to forge a path towards making our state more energy efficient,” Governor Cuomo added.

Leecia Eve stated, “At a time when Governor Cuomo has made rebuilding our state economy one of his top priorities, I am honored to be appointed to the position of Deputy Secretary for Economic Development. We have already made incredible progress towards changing the economic trajectory of the state while I was at ESD, and I look forward to continuing our work together to invest in the state, create jobs and make New York the Empire State once again.”

“Being a part of the New York Power Authority team for the last few years has been both challenging and fulfilling. I thank Governor Cuomo for nominating me for this prestigious position at the authority, and together we will continue providing the best in class and crucial service to New Yorkers across the state,” noted Quiniones.

Eve most recently served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel to Empire State Development (ESD), the primary economic development agency for the State of New York.

Prior to joining ESD, she was the Vice President for Policy of the No Limits Foundation, a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, DC that promotes economic issues at home and abroad and advocates transforming American foreign policy around the world, including advancing the rights of women.

Eve has spoken nationally about the need to address the youth unemployment crisis and to invest in the nation's infrastructure to improve economic competitiveness and create jobs.

From 2007 to 2008, she was a Senior Policy Advisor for the Hillary Clinton for President campaign. Previously, Eve served as Senate Counsel and Homeland Security Advisor to Senator Clinton from 2001 to 2005.

Prior to joining Senator Clinton’s office, she practiced law for five years at Hodgson Russ, Western New York’s largest law firm, where she later became the first African-American general equity partner in the firm’s history.

In 1995, Eve served as Counsel to Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., then the ranking member of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, advising him on immigration, intellectual property, securities and antitrust law.

From 1992 to 1995, she was an associate at Covington & Burling. Upon graduating from Harvard, she served as judicial clerk for New York State Court of Appeals Judge Fritz W. Alexander II, the first African American appointed to a full term on the State’s highest court.

Eve graduated from Smith College in 1986 with a A.B. in Government and Afro-American Studies. She earned both her J.D. and Master in Public Administration degrees in 1990 from Harvard University.

She is lifelong member of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Buffalo and has served on the board of directors of the Greater Buffalo Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Society.

She is a former Vice President of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York and is a member of Buffalo Chapter of The LINKS Incorporated and of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Governor Cuomo also announced his recommendation of Gil C. Quiniones to serve as President and CEO of the New York Power Authority (NYPA).

Gil C. Quiniones currently serves as acting president and CEO of the New York Power Authority, the nation’s largest state electric utility. He has been the chief operating officer since June 2008.

As COO, Quiniones was responsible for managing and monitoring the day-to-day activities of the Power Authority, which owns and operates 17 power plants and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines in various parts of New York State.

He oversees operations in such areas as power generation and transmission; project development and licensing; regulatory compliance; power resource planning and acquisition; energy efficiency and technology; power marketing and economic development; and corporate services and administration.

Quiniones is a member of the Board of Directors of the Electric Power Research Institute, the electric power industry’s international research and development organization.

He is also active in the affairs of two national public power organizations, serving on the Steering Committee of the Large Public Power Council and as the Power Authority’s principal representative to the American Public Power Association.

Before joining the Power Authority staff in October 2007 as executive vice president of energy marketing and corporate affairs, Quiniones served for more than four years as senior vice president of energy and telecommunications for the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

In that capacity, he was the city’s chief consultant on energy policy issues and established and led Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s Energy Policy Task Force, a public-private group that developed a comprehensive strategy for meeting future energy needs and helped formulate the energy-related initiatives in PlaNYC, the city’s long-term sustainability plan.

He also represented the city on then-Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson’s Renewable Energy Task Force and was the Chairman of the group’s Subcommittee on Distributed Generation.

Also during his tenure at the EDC, Quiniones was co-chair of the New York City Telecommunications Task Force and of the city’s Telecommunications Policy Advisory Group. He previously worked at Consolidated Edison and was one of four co-founders of Con Edison Solutions, the utility’s unregulated energy services company.

Quiniones received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from De La Salle University in Manila and has completed graduate courses in engineering management and technology management at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. He has also participated in executive education programs at the Columbia University Business School.

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