THE CITY IS HERE FOR YOU. BE HERE FOR US TOO.

Sarah Bartlett

Co-Chair

Sarah Bartlett was the dean of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York through 2022. Bartlett ed CUNY in 2002 as the Bloomberg Chair of Business Journalism at Baruch College and helped found the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism’s Center for Community Media. 

Bartlett has previously reported and served as editor at Fortune Magazine, BusinessWeek, The New York Times, Inc. magazine and Oxygen Media. Along with hundreds of articles, she has written two books: Schools of Ground Zero: Early Lessons Learned in Children’s Environmental Health (2002), co-authored with John Petrarca; and The Money Machine: How KKR Manufactured Power and Profits (1991). She currently serves as Co-Chair of THE CITY and is a member of the advisory board of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting.

Jamie Alter Lynton

Co-Chair

Jamie Alter Lynton is the founder of LA School Report. She was previously a journalist and television news producer and executive for 15 years, working at CNN, CBS and CNBC. She also served as a VP and LA Bureau Chief of Court TV. 

Lynton has spearheaded a number of civic projects both in the political and non-profit arenas. In addition to serving as the Co-Chair of THE CITY’s Board of Directors, she is a board member of Friends of the High Line and served on the National Finance Committee for Obama for America. She’s previously been a trustee of California Institute of the Arts and Injustice Watch, and a board member at Courage Campaign and the Los Angeles Fund for Public Education.

Mark Colodny

Vice Chair

Mark Colodny is a Managing Director, Co-Head of U.S. Private Equity, Head of the Technology group, and a member of the Executive Management group at Warburg Pincus. Prior to ing Warburg Pincus in 2001, he worked at Primedia where he ran the Mergers and Acquisitions group. Mark began his career as a journalist at Fortune Magazine. Colodny is the Vice Chair of THE CITY’s Board of Directors and a long-time New Yorker. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Helix, ProPublica, and Internet Brands, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Fannie Chen

Treasurer

Fannie Chen is the COO and General Counsel at 25madison, an NYC venture platform. She was previously VP, Deputy General Counsel at Casper and Director, Counsel – Corporate and Commercial at Blue Apron. Chen began her career as a Senior Policy Analyst at The American Chamber of Commerce in China and has recently become a member of THE CITY’s Board of Directors. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Don Baer

Don ed Brunswick Group in 2021, based in Washington, DC, building on a career that has spanned leadership roles in business, media, government, politics and the non-profit sector.
He has deep experience creating long-term value for and helping manage the reputations of major enterprises across the world. Don works with Brunswick’s clients on their most critical issues, drawing on his background as a communications and policy strategist for leading clients, especially technology, communications, media, consulting and financial services businesses.

Marsha Cooke

Marsha Cooke currently serves as vice president & executive producer for ESPN Films and 30 for 30. She ed ESPN from VICE Media Group, where she served as senior vice president of global news and special projects. Cooke was instrumental in leading VICE News’ first-ever live coverage of the 2020 Iowa Brown and Black Forum, the nation’s oldest and only non-partisan presidential forum dedicated exclusively to addressing issues facing communities of color. The program won a national news Emmy. 

Prior to Vice, Cooke spent 24 years at CBS. During her time at CBS, Cooke was the recipient of a News & Documentary Emmy Award and a Gracie Award. She is on the Board of Directors at THE CITY, Solutions Journalism, Capital B, and the Alliance of Women in Media, as well as a founding member of The Meteor. Cooke is a born and raised New Yorker who grew up in the Bronx.

Mark Winston Griffith

Mark Winston Griffith is a third-generation resident of Crown Heights. Until April 2022, he was the Executive Director of the Brooklyn Movement Center, a Black-led community organizing group based in Central Brooklyn that he co-founded in 2011. He’s the creator, host, and writer of the podcast School Colors along with Max Freedman.

Over three decades, Griffith has led a combination of social justice organizations, cooperatives institutions, community organizing campaigns and economic justice projects. He teaches a graduate course in community organizing at CUNY’s Murphy Institute and has served as an adjunct professor of urban reporting at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. In addition to being a board member of THE CITY, Griffith sits on the boards of City Limits Magazine and Free Speech TV.

Susan Kane

A former lawyer and long-time board member for organizations of different sizes and reach, Susan Kane works as a consultant with non-profit organizations to develop strong boards and facilitate solid partnerships between executive leaders and their boards of directors. Kane sits on the board of THE CITY and most recently served as the Interim General Counsel for Drug Policy Alliance. She was also a member of the board of Drug Policy Action and The Door. 

Previously, Kane sat on the international Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch and co-chaired HRW’s Policy Committee, its New York Committee, and was a member of advisory committees for HRW’s US Program and Women’s Right Division. She started her career in law, working as a commercial litigation attorney and clerk with the Hon. Richard K. Eaton at the United States Court of International Trade.

Elizabeth McNamara

Elizabeth McNamara is a Partner at Davis Wright Tremaine, specializing in complex media, intellectual property and internet law. She represents a broad spectrum of media and publishing entities, and she has handled many of the leading cases involving prior restraint, defamation, the intersection of commercial and editorial/entertainment litigation, and developing IP issues. McNamara has represented Associated Press, CBS, CNN, Financial Times, and NBC, among many others. She is a proud member of THE CITY’s board of directors. 

Luis Miranda, Jr.

Luis A. Miranda, Jr. has almost four decades of experience as a leader in the public and private sectors. A native of Puerto Rico, he has held managerial positions at Community Service Society, the NYC Board of Education, and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, among others. He has served under previous New York City Mayors from Ed Koch through Rudolph Guiliani. 

Miranda, Jr. is a founding partner of MiRam Group, where he has consulted on a number of successful political campaigns. He previously served as the founding President of the Hispanic Federation and founded the Amber Charter School, one of the few charter schools in New York at the time to welcome unionized faculty. He is a member of the Board of Directors of THE CITY and John Jay College Foundation, as well as the Chair of The Public and the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance. He also serves on the advisory boards to Nielsen Ratings and R.Evolucion Latina. 

Richard Murray

Richard Murray is a Wealth Advisor at Bernstein Private Wealth Management who works with Impact Players to influence the world. His clients are Entertainers, Entrepreneurs, and Endowments. They range from successful artists, in front of the camera, to innovative founders, philanthropists, and executives using their capital behind the scenes to fuel meaningful change. As their trusted advisor he focuses on managing money, building teams, and providing advice to create the legacy they want to leave for future generations. Prior to ing in 2013, Richard launched his career at Goldman Sachs in 2008. With a BS in finance and management from NYU Stern, he’s an active member of AB Black ERG and NEXUS, a global community connecting next-gen wealth holders with social entrepreneurs to bring about the most promising solutions across the world. He resides in New York City with his wife.

Perri Peltz

Perri Peltz is an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, journalist, and public health advocate with a doctorate from Columbia University’s School of Public Health. Most recently, Perri created the documentary news series “Axios on HBO” with Matthew O’Neill. Perri & Matthew also co-directed and produced the 2019 HBO documentary “Alternate Endings: Six New Ways to Die in America.” Previously, Perri directed the HBO documentary “Warning: This Drug May Kill You” about the opioid addiction epidemic. She produced the HBO documentary “Risky Drinking” and co-directed “A Conversation About Growing Up Black” as part of the “Conversation on Race” series for The New York Times Op-Docs. Other films include HBO’s “ing the Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr.” and “Prison Dogs.” Perri hosts “The Perri Peltz Show” on SiriusXM. She was previously an award-winning broadcast journalist for NBC, ABC, and CNN. Perri is the mother of three children, two of whom are proud Brown graduates.

Rob Speyer

Rob Speyer is the Chief Executive Officer of Tishman Speyer. Over the past decade, he has driven the firm’s growth and entry into new markets across the U.S., Asia, Europe and Latin America, and the development of innovative new business lines. He serves as Co-Chair of the Partnership for New York City, the city’s leading civic organization. 

In addition to being a member of THE CITY’s Board of Directors, Speyer is Chair of the Advisory Board of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, the government’s nonprofit arm. He is also an active member of the Board of Trustees of NewYork-Presbyterian and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, as well as the Vice Chair of the Shanghai Mayor’s International Business Leaders Advisory Council. He is an emeritus member of the Board of Visitors at Columbia College and previously served as the youngest ever Chairman of the Real Estate Board of New York.

Richard Ravitch

Founding Director Emeritus

Craig Newmark

Director Emeritus