New York Building Congress Welcomes Cheryl McKissack Daniel as Historic Next Chair

Chair of the Board for McKissack & McKissack, the oldest minority- and woman-owned professional design & construction firm in the U.S., will be NYBC’s first African-American Chair, as well as the third woman Chair

Board of Directors Class of 2028 members elected for a three-year term

Emeriti Class of 2028 renominated with one retirement; several new members in various classes also announced

New York Building Foundation Board of Governors announces Class of 2028 members 

New York, NY — Yesterday, at the Annual Membership Meeting & Construction Industry Luncheon, the New York Building Congress welcomed Chair of the Board for McKissack & McKissack Cheryl McKissack Daniel as the organization’s next Chair. The Building Congress also welcomed new members to its Board of Directors’ Class of 2028, its 2028 Emeriti, and acknowledged a retirement. In addition, the New York Building Foundation, the charitable arm of the Building Congress, announced its Board of Governors’ Class of 2028 members.

McKissack Daniel replaces STV President and Chief Executive Officer Gregory A. Kelly after a two-year term as Chair. She will be the first African-American Chair for the Building Congress, and follows Marilyn Taylor Jordan and Elizabeth Velez as the third woman Chair of the organization.

“This moment is deeply personal to me,” McKissack Daniel said at the event. “I first attended a Building Congress event over 30 years ago, as a young professional navigating an industry where few faces looked like mine. It has made me proud to watch this organization evolve — becoming more inclusive, more influential, and more aligned with the city we hold dear. To serve as chair of this incredible institution is not just a professional milestone — it’s a generational one. The moment we’re in now demands even more from us. New York is facing complex, interwoven challenges – climate change, housing affordability, aging infrastructure, and workforce transformation. The Building Congress must not just react to these issues – we must lead on them.”

 “This organization is in such great hands with Cheryl stepping up to be our next Chair,” said Carlo A. Scissura, Esq., President & CEO of the New York Building Congress. “Representing the fifth generation of the nation’s oldest minority- and woman-owned construction firm, one with such a rich history and iconic projects, Cheryl has seen first-hand how the industry has changed since she first joined the Building Congress. Now, we can’t wait for her to help us make even more progress, and give prominence to the breadth and diversity of our membership as she leads us into an extraordinary future.”

 In addition, the organization installed:

 The directors in the Class of 2028:

 Franklin R. Alvarado, Turner Townsend

Charles D. Avolio, Shawmut Design & Construction

Altin Batska, Batska Network

Rachel Birnboim, Perkins Eastman

Andrew Catapano, Alliant Specialty

Joseph Chan, YMCA of Greater New York

Cheryl McKissack Daniel, McKissack & McKissack

Michael Giaramita, Group PMX

David M. Greenberg, Columbia University

Cyrus Izzo, Syska Hennessy Group, Inc.

Marian Klein, Park Tower Group

Joseph Lauro, Gensler

Jill N. Lerner, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, P.C.

George E. Leventis, Langan

Edward V. Piccinich, SL Green Realty Corp.

Sheila Pozon, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Todd Rechler, RXR Realty

David Rothstein, Extell Development Company

Carlo A. Scissura, Esq., New York Building Congress

Sevinc Yuksel, Rudin Management Company

Michael S. Zetlin, Zetlin & De Chiara LLP

Class of 2028 Emeriti

Richard T. Anderson, RTA Advisory Services *

John M. Dionisio, Global Infrastructure Solutions*

Thomas Iovino, Iovino Enterprises

Jeffrey M. Levy, J.J Ryan Associates *

Marilyn Jordan Taylor *

Elise Wagner

(*Past Chair or President)

New Directors

Daniel J. Baker, MD, Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital

Sofia Berger, WSP USA

Brendan Griffith, NYC Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO

Shari Hyman, Turner Construction Co.

Sheila Pozon, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Retiring from the Emeriti Class of 2028

William A. Marino, Tikehau Star Infra

Welcoming to the Emeriti Class of 2028

Elise Wagner

The New York Building Foundation Board of Governors Class of 2028

Jeffery R. Capazzi, The Jobin Organization

John M. Dionisio, Jr., Global Infrastructure Solutions

Christian Esteban, A. Esteban & Company

Kelly Heuer, Ankura

Elias Matar, LERA Consulting Structural Engineers

Jay Quackenbush, Swinerton – NY Division

Deborah Romano, JLL

Kirsten Sibilia, Dattner Architects

Michael Shamma, TY Lin Company

Christopher Shaw, LF Driscoll Healthcare, Structure Tone LLC

Andrew Simmons, A&S Rebar

Michael Smithers, Marsh

Chris Terceira, P.E., Cumming Group

Palmina M. Whelan, PWSS

Maria Wilpon, DLR Group