Meet 6 key members of Mayor-elect Ben Walsh’s transition team
Josh Shub-Seltzer | Staff Photographer
Ben Walsh was elected mayor of Syracuse on Nov. 7. He recently announced his transition team.
Mayor-elect Ben Walsh is building his transition team as he prepares to enter office this winter. He’s enlisting 86 prominent local business, nonprofit and educational leaders, among others from across the area, to serve on the team and help him focus on some of his key policy goals of economic development.
Here’s a rundown on six key members of the transition team, including one official connected to Syracuse University and the chair of the University Hill Corporation.
Robert Simpson, president and chief executive officer of CenterState CEO
Courtesy of Colgate University
Robert Simpson will be the head of the organization formed by the merger of the Metropolitan Development Association and the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce.
Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, an economic development organization, will work on the Economic Inclusion team as part of Walsh’s transition into office.
CenterState CEO was the result of a merger between the Metropolitan Development Association, where Simpson was previously the president and CEO, and the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce. Walsh started his career at the Metropolitan Development Association shortly after graduating from SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
According to New York Board of Elections campaign financial disclosures, Simpson donated $5,563 to Walsh’s mayoral campaign.
David Van Slyke, dean of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School
Courtesy of Syracuse University
Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School, will work on the City Finances team.
He also serves as SU’s Louis A. Bantle Chair of Business and Government Policy. His focus areas include public-private partnerships, government contracting, policy implementation and public and nonprofit management, according to his faculty webpage.
While the mayor-elect was enrolled as an SU master’s student, Van Slyke was working as a professor, Walsh spokeswoman Stephanie Crockett said in an email. Van Slyke has worked with several federal government and international agencies including the United States Coast Guard, Office of Management and Budget and the World Bank.
In 2010, Van Slyke was also elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a nonprofit that focuses on government and public administration trends.
Kimberly Boynton, president and chief executive officer of Crouse Health
Courtesy of Crouse Hospital
Boynton will also serve on Walsh’s City Finances team along with Van Slyke. Boynton, a Syracuse native, has served on the boards of several organizations, such as United Way of Central New York and the American Red Cross. She worked as the chief financial officer of Crouse Hospital for 11 years before assuming the role of chief executive officer in 2014.
Boynton is also the chair of the University Hill Corporation, a 501(c)(3) that aims to promote growth through development and cooperative projects, according to its website. Chancellor Kent Syverud serves as a vice chair of University Hill Corporation.
Prior to joining Crouse Health as a financial analyst in 1998, Boynton worked at Coopers & Lybrand, which eventually merged with Price Waterhouse to form PricewaterhouseCoopers, a multinational professional services network.
Sharon Owens, chief executive officer of Syracuse Model Neighborhood Facility
Courtesy of Gifford Foundation
Owens will serve as one of the three co-chairs of the transition team. An SU graduate, Owens has held several positions at nonprofits in the area. She was also recently appointed deputy mayor by Walsh.
She’s planning to leave her current role as CEO of Syracuse Model Neighborhood Facility, a nonprofit that runs the Southwest Community Center and provides educational, recreational and employment support to Onondaga County residents.
She previously served as deputy commissioner of the department of neighborhoods and business development. Walsh served as the other deputy commissioner at the time. Syracuse.com reported in late October that Paul Driscoll, the current commissioner of the department, lashed out at Owens over Facebook for supporting Walsh.
Howie Hawkins, Green Party candidate from the 2017 mayoral race
Courtesy of Howie Hawkins For Mayor
Hawkins ran against Walsh during the mayoral race as a Green Party candidate. Hawkins has run for public office 20 times for positions including governor, senator, city councilor and mayor. In the election, he garnered about 4 percent of the total electorate — 970 votes. Hawkins will serve on Walsh’s City Finances team as well.
Hawkins currently works at UPS unloading trucks and is on the Eat to Live Food Cooperative’s board. He’s also treasurer of the Southside Community Coalition, an organization that aims to revitalize the South Side neighborhood.
A major aspect of Hawkins’ mayoral platform was aiming to improve the city’s finances by implementing a city income tax to generate more revenue.
Linda LeMura, president of Le Moyne College
Courtesy of Le Moyne College
Linda LeMura is currently the president of Le Moyne College. Prior to her appointment in 2014, she served as the school’s provost and vice president of academic affairs. She also worked at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania for eleven years before moving to Le Moyne.
LeMura is a Syracuse native and serves on the board of the Syracuse Symphony, Everson Museum of Art and the Syracuse International Film Festival. She served on the transition team for U.S. Congressman Dan Maffei. LeMura will serve alongside Sharon Owens as one of the three co-chairs of the transition team.
Published on December 10, 2017 at 5:40 pm
