Board Members of the Archives Partnership Trust
Current Board Members
John Hanna, Jr., Chair
George R. Hearst, III, Vice Chair
Lawrence A. Staub, Jr., Treasurer
Barbara A. Brinkley, Secretary
Dr. Nedda C. Allbray
Tom Birdsey
A. Laurie Brosnahan
Hon. Saul B. Cohen
Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel
Dr. Kimberly Gilmore
Bronwyn N. Hannon
Huyler C. Held, Esq.
Harold Holzer
William F. Howard
Hon. John J. McEneny
Avi Schick, Esq.
Gary Smith
Rosemary S. Vietor
John Hanna, Jr., of Chatham, is the Trust Board Chair. He is an arbitrator-mediator and partner in the law firm of Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna LLP in Albany. He is a member of a number of organizations devoted to international and domestic U.S. commercial and environmental arbitration and is Adjunct Professor of International Environmental Law at the John Marshall Law School. He was formally the Counsel to the State Office of Employee Relations on Governor Rockefeller's staff, Deputy Commissioner an General Counsel of the State Department of Environmental Conservation and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Hanna was co-editor of the New York State Bar Association's Environmental Handbook and has chaired its Environmental Law Section and serves on the Executive Committee of the International Practice Section. He is on the board of the Olana Partnership. He has served on boards including The Eastern Chapter of The Natural Conservancy the Princeton Alumni/ae Schools Committee and the Shaker Museum and Library. He is listed in Who's Who in America. (Appointing Authority: Governor) (Return to top)
George R. Hearst III, of Menands, is the Trust Board Co-Vice Chair , was appointed by the Senate Majority Leader to the Partnership Trust Board. Mr. Hearst is a fifth generation California native, who moved to the Capital Region in the fall of 1989 to join the Times Union and now serves as Associate Publisher. Over the last decade, Mr. Hearst has been instrumental in leading several multi-million dollar capital renewal programs, including the implementation of digital publishing standards and content systems at the Times Union. An advocate for the community, Mr. Hearst is an active board member in several local organizations covering health and human services, education and cultural arts. He recently chaired the very successful Heritage Campaign for the Albany Institute for History and Art, as well as serves on the boards including St Peter's Hospital, University at Albany Foundation, Inc., Double H - Hole in the Woods Ranch, and the Community Foundation for the Capital Region. Mr. Hearst is a graduate of Pepperdine University and is the recipient of numerous distinguished service awards for his community work. He resides in the Village of Menands with his wife Christine and daughter Emma.(Appointing Authority: Senate Majority Leader) (Return to top)
Lawrence A. Staub, Jr., of Rochester, is Trust Board Treasurer. He is the Deputy Monroe County Clerk and manages the day-to-day operation, a $54 million per year business responsible for the recording, maintenance and preservation of land records, court documents, legal filings and licenses. He helped establish the On-line Office of the Monroe County Clerk, which allows instant on-line records access and document image retrieval of court and land records over the Internet. He has contributed to projects that have preserved historically significant, at-risk documents, ledgers and indexes. A member of the Monroe County Information Management Planning Board, Mr. Staub is also the Chairman of the Monroe County e-Government Business Office. Previously, he served as Chief of Staff to New York State Senator James S. Alesi and has held a number of positions with the Monroe County Legislature, including Chief of Staff to the Legislature Majority. (Appointing Authority: Governor) (Return to top)
Barbara Brinkley of Jay, NY is a descendent of 1st NYS Governor George Clinton. Retired from her position as Senior Vice President at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in 2001, Barbara serves as Directress General, Society of Daughters of Holland Dames; Trustee, The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York; and Trustee, St. Mark’s Historic Landmark Fund (NYC). She previously served as Regent, New York City Chapter, National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution; Board Member, Daughters of the Cincinnati; Board Member, Brooklyn Heritage, Inc; and was named Conference of Historical & Patriotic Societies “Volunteer of the Year 2004”. Barbara initiated and organized a number of volunteer projects and activities, including Renaming the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge for 1st NYS Governor George Clinton; the 225th Anniversary of the NYS Constitution of 1777; Alliance Day, 2003; and the 100th Anniversary Gala for a Stained Glass Window honoring Petrus Stuyvesant. (Appointing Authority: Board of Regents) (Return to top)
Dr. Nedda C. Allbray, of Brooklyn, is an independent scholar and author whose current research interests include cultural, historical and sociological considerations of the urban built environment. Dr. Allbray has served on the faculties of Brooklyn College, Baruch College, Queens College, and St. Peter’s College and also as a contributing editor/writer for Jewish World, a contributing editor for The Phoenix, and Director of Public Information for The Williamsburg Community Corporation. She is President of the Prospect Park South Association and active in the New York City landmark preservation community. Dr. Allbray has also served as the Director of the Fort Greene Non-Profit Improvement Corporation and is a frequent contributor to professional association journals. Dr. Allbray is the author of Flatbush: The Heart of Brooklyn (“The Making of America Series”, Arcadia, 2004). (Appointing Authority: Assembly Speaker)(Return to top)
Tom Birdsey is President and CEO of Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, Architects & Engineering, an integrated architecture and engineering firm with a global reach. For more than 30 years, he has prominently contributed to the firm’s growth and prestige, leading its higher education practice to national prominence and forging strategic partnerships with higher education, government, and business.Under Birdsey’s leadership, EYP has successfully secured and/or completed projects for an impressive array of clients including: the United Nations; the country of Azerbaijan; the National Park Service; Harvard and Princeton Universities; the National Archives and Records Administration and their entire Presidential library system; and the Department of State; as well as others in the industrial, higher education, commercial, government, and healthcare sectors. A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he is a frequent speaker who advances the local and national discourse on the role of architects in creating a sustainable world. Birdsey’s projects have been featured in national media including: The New York Times; The Wall Street Journal; Preservation Magazine; National Geographic; The Chronicle of Higher Education; Business Week; Building Design & Construction; National Public Radio; and the History Channel. He was appointed to the Archives Partnership Trust Board by Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith.(Appointing Authority: Senate Majority Leader)(Return to top)
A. Laurie Brosnahan, of Buffalo, she serves on the Buffalo State College Council and is President of the Koessler Family Foundation, Inc. (Appointing Authority: Governor)(Return to top.)
Hon. Saul B. Cohen,of New Rochelle, is President Emeritus of Queens College of the City University of New York, University Professor Emeritus at Hunter College, and past Director of the Graduate School of Geography of Clark University. Dr. Cohen is a member of the State Board of Regents, and Chair of the Regents Committee on Policy Integration and Innovation, a member of the Regents visiting Committees for the State Archives and the State Library, past Chair of the Regents Committee on Elementary, Middle and Secondary Education, and past Chair of the Regents Committee on Higher Education. Past president of the Association of American Geographers, he has chaired national, state and municipal academic and civic commissions, including the New York State Governor's School and Business Alliance. Author of 13 volumes and over 100 scholarly articles, his most recent works are The Geopolitics of the World System and Editor-in-Chief of the three-volume Columbia Gazetteer of the World.
(Appointing Authority: Governor)(Return to top)
Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, of New York City, is a writer, curator, television interviewer, and producer. A former White House assistant and first Director of Cultural Affairs of New York City, she served on the City Landmarks Preservation Commission from 1972-1987. From 1987 until 1995, she was Chairperson of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Foundation, and, from 1990-1994 was a member of the Art Commission of New York City. She became Chair of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center in 1995, and is on the boards of the Fresh Air Fund, the Museum of Women/Leadership Center and the Drawing Committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has also served on the boards of the Central Park Conservancy, the Corcoran Museum of Art, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, and the New-York Historical Society. In 1987, she was appointed by the President to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Commission, and served as Chair of its Subcommittee on Art for Public Spaces. Appointed by the President to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in 1996, she was elected Vice-Chair in 2002. Author of 19 books on historic landmarks, art, architecture, artists, museums, collectors and dealers, she also has been the curator of six international museum exhibitions and was interviewer/producer for 6 TV series on arts and architecture. She was the first woman to be honored with the Pratt Institute's Founder's Award, and in 1995, she received the Museum of Contemporary Crafts “Visionary in the Arts” award, and the Heritage Trails Award in 1998. In 2003, she was honored with the Gen. Milan R. Stefanik Award for the advancement of public knowledge about the Slovak nation and the Slovak cause. Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel holds a doctorate from New York University, an honorary doctorate from the Maryland Institute, College of Art, and an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Longwood College in Virginia.(Appointing Authority: Governor)
(Return to top)
Dr. Kimberly Gilmore, is Director of History and Corporate Outreach at The History Channel and A&E Television Networks. Dr. Gilmore received her doctorate in American History from New York University in 2005. As an on-staff historian, her primary focus is to create curricula and education outreach initiatives for middle and secondary school classrooms, museums, and cultural institutions. She serves as an editor of The History Channel’s Save Our History publications and the Idea Book for Educators, and has written lesson plans in American and Global history. Gilmore has collaborated with school districts throughout the country as part of the Teaching American History grant program to help design course units emphasizing critical thinking, reading comprehension, and media literacy skills. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Organization of American Historians Magazine of History and is active in numerous historical and educational professional organizations including the National Council for History Education, the Organization of American Historians, the International Society for Technology in Education, and the American Historical Association.(Appointing Authority: Board of Regents) (Return to top)
Bronwyn N. Hannon of Garden City, is Curator of Rare Books, Long Island Studies Institute for Hofstra University, Hempstead, Long Island. (Appointing Authority: Senate Majority Leader) (Return to top)
Huyler C. Held, of New York City and Oyster Bay, is a partner of McLaughlin & Stern, LLP, New York City. He is a long time member of the Board of Trustees as well as past President of the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, a founder of the Preservation League of New York State and now a member of the Trustees' Council. Mr. Held is a member of the Board of Fountain House, Inc. and a past President thereof. He also sits on other not-for-profit Boards and is a Trustee of several charitable foundations. (Appointing Authority: Governor) (Return to top)
Harold Holzer, of Rye, is Senior Vice President for External Affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and is one of the country's leading authorities on Lincoln and Civil War iconography and the political culture of 19th Century America. Author or co-author of 22 books and more than 300 articles for popular magazines and scholarly journals, Mr. Holzer is co-chairman of the U.S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and has served as consultant to ABC, PBS and A&E documentaries. For eight years prior to joining the Metropolitan Museum staff, he was Special Counselor and Director of Communications for the State Director of Economic Development. (Appointing Authority: Board of Regents) (Return to top)
William F. Howard, of Albany, is a graduate of Manhattanville College (B.A., American Studies, 1983) and the Rockefeller Graduate School of Public Affairs (M.A., Political Science, 1984), where he was a Herbert Lehman Fellow, Mr. Howard is a lifelong student of American history.(Appointing Authority: Governor) (Return to top)
Hon. John J. McEneny, of Albany, State Assembly member representing the 104th District of Albany County. He began his public service in 1965, led employment and training programs for the City of Albany under Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd, was appointed overseer of the 1980 Census for the four-county Capital District, and then became Assistant County Executive and County Historian for Albany County. He is a well-known teacher, writer and speaker on local history, ethnicity and related fields. He wrote and narrated WMHT Public Television's Tricentennial Documentary of Albany and authored Albany, Capital City on the Hudson. (Appointing Authority: Assembly Speaker)(Return to top)
Gary Smith, of Clifton Park, brings over 40 years of Hotel Marketing and Operations experience to the Albany, NY, hotel scene. Mr. Smith founded Hospitality Management Group (HMG) in 2000, when he formed a consulting group advising various Hospitality and Food Service Operations around the state. He founded the Desmond American Wine Festival in 1987, and the Saratoga Wine and Food Festival in 2001. He spent fourteen years with the independent Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany, New York, as General Manager and concurrently nineteen years as Vice President of Marketing for Village Square of Penna Inc, the parent company of The Desmond. Mr. Smith was employed as Director of Sales with Marriott’s Marco Beach Hotel in 1984 and 1985.Through HMG, Mr. Smith in collaboration with is two sons, Garrick and Justin, developed concept design, participated in construction, and provided management of 74 State, a 74 room boutique hotel and conference facility constructed within and historic building in downtown Albany, NY, opening in January of 2007. He has worked with a variety of hotel openings and management of third party hospitality investments since 2002. Mr. Smith served in many community and civic endeavors including Chairing the Eastern New York Nature Conservancy, Chairing the Albany – Colonie Chamber of Commerce, and serving on numerous boards throughout New York’s Capital Region.(Appointing Authority: Assembly Minority Leader) (Return to top)
Avi Schick, Esq. , of Brooklyn, is deputy counsel to the Attorney General, New York State Department of Law. (Appointing Authority: Assembly Speaker)(Return to top)
Rosemary S. Vietor, of New York City, is President of the Bowne House Historical Society. Bowne House, which dates from 1661, is the oldest surviving structure in Queens. Bowne House has been a museum open to the public since 1947 and is known for its association with the principle of freedom of conscience in America. Mrs. Vietor also serves on the Boards of the Colonial Dames of America; the Society for the Relief of Women and Children (one of New York’s oldest charities); and the Millbrook Garden Club. Prior to retirement, she was an investment manager and Vice President of JP Morgan; Clariden Bank (a subsidiary of C. S. First Boston); and the Mathes Company. (Appointing Authority: Senate Minority Leader)(Return to top)
To report technical problems with this web site, please contact the New York State Archives at ARCHINFO@mail.nysed.gov