Mayor Gerald D. Jennings
The Honorable Gerald D. Jennings is the 74th Mayor of the City of Albany, New York's Capital City. First elected in 1993, he is currently serving his fourth term. Born in North Albany, Jennings had a 21-year career as a popular teacher and high school administrator for the Albany City School District. Prior to becoming Mayor, he served for 13 years as a member of the Common Council representing the 11th Ward. He distinguished himself as a tireless voice for the citizens of Albany and an advocate for Albany's Pine Bush.

Mayor Jennings took office on January 1st, 1994 and assumed the responsibilities of leadership that turned a city with a structural financial deficit and pessimistic outlook for its future into a true renaissance. In an environment where upstate New York cities were decaying over the last decade, the City of Albany has experienced a bona fide renewal in both downtown and its historic neighborhoods as a result of his leadership and vision. As Mayor, Jerry Jennings has presided over an unprecedented reduction in crime and meaningful increases in quality of life for all of Albany. The most critical element of Mayor Jennings public service is his unparalleled dedication to the children of Albany.

The Mayor has created collaborative partnerships with New York State, the business community, educational institutions, and nonprofit groups that have produced new development projects representing more than $2 billion in new investment since 1994.

Mayor Jennings has secured, through his Capitalize Albany initiatives, the construction of new headquarters for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Office of the Comptroller, and the Dormitory Authority as well as a 2,300-car parking garage at Madison Avenue and Eagle Street. The most critical element of this renewal is the Albany Convention Center project for which the Mayor secured $75 million from Governor Pataki in the 2006 state budget.

Further, Mayor Jennings has implemented a comprehensive redevelopment of Albany's beautiful waterfront and the Corning Preserve. The construction of the Hudson River Way Pedestrian Bridge links downtown Albany with the Hudson River and new Amphitheater at Albany Riverfront Park. He has also initiated various programs that have produced significant improvements to Albany's neighborhoods through infrastructure projects in commercial/neighborhood districts as well as residential enhancements. The Mayor secured over $26 million in federal funds to reconstruct the Corning Homes in North Albany. He also facilitated the rehabilitation of Dudley Park Apartments by helping to secure over $13 million in funding.

Mayor Jennings has received numerous awards for his visionary and progressive leadership and is recognized nationally for innovative and effective government. He and the City of Albany received the prestigious City Livability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The Mayor was also recognized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors with the Public/Private Partnership Outstanding Achievement Award for his collaborative partner-ships with the business community. Further, he was honored by the National Council for Urban Economic Development with the Public-Private Partnership Program Award.

Susan V. Herbst
Dr. Susan Herbst came to the University at Albany with a distinguished academic career as both an administrator and a scholar. She is Provost and Executive Vice President at UAlbany, and with President Kermit Hall's passing in August of 2006, now leads the University as Officer in Charge.

Previously, Dr. Herbst was dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Temple University and professor of political science. Named to this role in 2003, she was responsible for strategic planning, finances, recruitment, fundraising, and alumni affairs of the college, which had more than 4,400 students, 25 departments, programs and centers, and an operating budget of more than $35 million. At Temple, Dr. Herbst also participated in university governance, including serving on the Council of Deans and creating the university's first Board of Visitors for the College of Liberal Arts. From 1989 until 2003, Dr. Herbst was at Northwestern University, where she held a variety of academic and administrative appointments including associate dean for faculty affairs. She was appointed by the president to chair both the Northwestern University Commission on Women and the University Program Review Council after having served as a member on each.

Dr. Herbst has authored numerous academic works, including Reading Public Opinion: Political Actors View the Democratic Process (University of Chicago Press, 1998), Politics at the Margin: Historical Studies of Public Expression Outside the Mainstream (Cambridge University Press, 1994), and Numbered Voices: How Opinion Polling Has Shaped American Politics (University of Chicago Press, 1993) for which she won the 1994 SCA Diamond Anniversary Book Award. Since 1996, Dr. Herbst has been co-editor of the University of Chicago Press series, Studies in Political Communication, Media, and Public Opinion.

Dr. Herbst received her Ph.D. in communication theory and research from the University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communications, in Los Angeles, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Duke University. She has also completed advanced research and study at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Ralph W. Hingson
Dr. Ralph Hingson is the Director of the Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Before joining NIAAA, he was Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the Boston University School of Public Health.

He has authored or co-authored over 130 research articles including studies of the effects of: (1) Raising the legal drinking age, (2) zero tolerance laws for drivers under 21, (3) .08% legal blood alcohol limits for adult drivers, (4) comprehensive community programs to reduce alcohol problems, (5) early drinking onset on alcohol dependence, traffic crashes, unintentional injuries and physical fights after drinking, as well as 6) assessments of morbidity and mortality associated with underage drinking and drinking by U.S. college students ages 18-24.

In recognition of his research contributions, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation honored Dr. Hingson in 2001 with its Innovators Combating Substance Abuse Award. In 2002, he received the Widmark Award, the highest award bestowed by the International Council on Alcohol Drugs and Traffic Safety. Currently, Dr. Hingson is President of that organization. In 2003, Mothers Against Drunk Driving instituted the Ralph W. Hingson Research in Practice Annual Presidential Award, with Dr. Hingson honored as its first recipient.

Robert L. Carothers
Since Dr. Robert L. Carothers became the 10th president of the University of Rhode Island in 1991, he has initiated a series of progressive changes to URI's structure, infrastructure, and curriculum. During his tenure, the University has increased enrollment of the best and brightest students in the state and region, shed its moniker as a "party" school, improved its physical campus environment, increased the diversity among students, faculty and staff, and enhanced its levels of alumni, corporate, and state support.

In fact, The Princeton Review, which gave the University the party school label in the mid-1990s, featured URI in the Review's Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement published June 2005. This latest accomplishment is a direct result of President Carothers' efforts to create a University that links classroom learning to community service.

Such a designation is related to Dr. Carothers' new vision for student education that shifts students from being passive listeners to active learners and that develops in the students a concern for their neighbor, whether across the street or across an ocean, as a top priority of URI's curriculum and Student Life programs. This new culture includes clearly defined expectations that echo his "no tolerance" policy toward violence and drug and alcohol abuse.

In concert with his vision, President Carothers initiated a Centennial Scholarship program to attract high-achieving students and strengthened programs to assist them once enrolled. The Centennial program rewards students strictly on academic accomplishments, disbursing now more than $6 million annually. As a result, the average SAT score for incoming freshman has risen nearly 160 points since 1991.

President Carothers has been a pioneer among public universities in providing talented students with the tools to win prestigious awards, opening an Honors Scholarship Office in 1996. While building a stronger student body, as well as leading the physical transformation of the campus, Dr. Carothers has continued to pay close attention to the status of women and minorities, issues surrounding substance abuse, and the development of future leaders in higher education.

In 2002, President Carothers completed three years of service on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's Committee on Campus Drinking, which culminated with the publication of a research agenda for the nation. He was one of only six university presidents to serve on the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Prevention Presidential Leadership Group. Dr. Carothers has also been an outspoken advocate of Rhode Island legislation that lowered the legal threshold for drunk driving to .08% of blood alcohol.

President Carothers is a mentor to many administrators who aspire to top jobs in higher education. In February 2005, at the American Council on Education annual meeting, he was jointly honored with the first Council of Fellows Outstanding Mentor Award. Last spring, he received the President's Leadership Group Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for establishing some of the country's most comprehensive alcohol abuse programs on their campuses.

President Carothers received his B.A. in English from Edinboro University, Pennsylvania, his Ph.D. from Kent State University, and a J.D. degree from McDowell School of Law, University of Akron.

Peter A. Baynes
Peter A. Baynes is Executive Director of the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials (NYCOM), a membership association representing more than 580 city and village governments. NYCOM has been in existence since 1910.

Employed by the association since 1985, Peter A. Baynes has previously served as Legislative Analyst, Director of Intergovernmental Finance, and Deputy Director. Baynes received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Siena College and has taken Masters-level courses in History and Public Policy from the University at Albany.

Prior to his employment with NYCOM, Peter A. Baynes worked for United University Professions in Albany, New York, and the Close Up Foundation, a government studies program based in Washington, D.C.

Lois B. DeFleur
Dr. Lois B. DeFleur, fifth president of the State University of New York at Binghamton, is an eminent sociologist and an experienced administrator. President DeFleur administers a public research university with more than 14,300 undergraduate and graduate students. The University is consistently highly ranked nationally for its high quality education and it has been named by the American Council on Education and NAFSA as a model institution for its comprehensive approach to internationalization.

Under President DeFleur's leadership, the University has added new doctoral programs in nursing, education, management, and several engineering fields. Dr. DeFleur has enhanced University relationships with external groups and community outreach, with the University completing its first-ever comprehensive gifts campaign and developing partnerships and programs that contribute to state and regional economic development, including a New York State Center of Excellence in Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging. In addition, the University has undergone a significant physical expansion, which has included two new academic buildings, a research and technology transfer building, a new University Union, and an Events Center. Planning is underway for more than $300 million in additional projects.

President DeFleur came to the University from the University of Missouri-Columbia where she had been provost. A former professor of sociology at both Missouri and Washington State University (where she was also the dean of the College of Liberal Arts), President DeFleur has chaired the board of directors of both the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges and the American Council on Education. Dr. DeFleur is a pilot and the owner of a Comanche 260 and served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Air Force Academy.

A graduate of Blackburn College in Illinois, President DeFleur received her M.A. degree from Indiana University and her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. Dr. DeFleur was recently honored with the Council for the Support and Advancement of Education's Chief Executive Leadership Award.

Abraham M. Lackman
Abraham M. Lackman, the sixth President of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (cIcu) based in Albany, New York, assumed that position in November 2002, following his selection by cIcu's Board of Trustees. As cIcu's President, Lackman is responsible for leading and coordinating the state and federal public policy advocacy of more than 100 college presidents of New York State's private, non-profit, independent institutions of higher education and for carrying out the policy directives of cIcu's Board of Trustees.

Since January 1995, Abraham Lackman had been Secretary of the New York State Senate Finance Committee, where his responsibilities included evaluation of the fiscal and budgetary implications of all major state legislation. Concurrently, he was a special advisor to the Senate's Majority Leader, Joseph L. Bruno. In the preceding year he served as Budget Director of the City of New York under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. From 1984-93, he had been the Senate Finance Committee's Director of Fiscal Studies.

Lackman serves on a number of state and community boards and committees. He was appointed by former Governor George Pataki to serve as a member of the Public Authority Governance Advisory Committee and by Chief Judge Judith Kaye to the Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts. In addition, he is on the boards of several organizations including the New York Academy of Sciences and Northeast Health Systems. His previous activities included serving on the boards of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the New York State Deferred Compensation Board and on the Advisory Committee for the Staten Island Charter Commission. Lackman co-authored chapters in Principles of a High Quality State Revenue System (published by the National Conference of State Legislatures) and in A Guide to New York State Government (published by the League of Women Voters of New York State).

In the field of higher education, Abraham Lackman is an expert and frequent speaker on the topics of higher education access and economic development. He has been a guest lecturer at Albany Law School as well as New York University's School of Law, and an adjunct instructor in Economics in the M.B.A. program at the School of Business at the University at Albany. He earned a B.S. degree at New York University and a Master's degree in Economics at UAlbany, where he completed course work for a Doctorate in Economics.

R. Mark Sullivan
Dr. R. Mark Sullivan is the eighth president of The College of Saint Rose, having assumed this office in August 1996. The College of Saint Rose is a comprehensive, liberal arts college serving over 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students in nearly 60 degree programs.

Prior to his appointment at Saint Rose, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Marist College from 1987 to 1996. He also served as Vice President for Administrative Affairs at Southern Connecticut State University and Assistant Commissioner for the Connecticut Board of Governors for Higher Education. In 1980, he served as Acting Commissioner for Higher Education in Connecticut.

Dr. Sullivan, an active volunteer in the community, serves as Co-chair of "Re-Capitalize Albany", a task force created by Mayor Gerald D. Jennings to guide the development of New York's Capital City. Throughout his tenure at Saint Rose, Dr. Sullivan has advocated and supported numerous partnerships and alliances. He is also actively involved in Irish-American Affairs at the local, state, and national levels. The College's Oldcastle Lectureship on Irish-American Affairs, initiated in 1997, has featured many prominent speakers. Dr. Sullivan has been honored by New York's American Irish Legislators Society for his outstanding work in furthering Irish-American relations in the Capital Region.

Dr. Sullivan's awards have included the Educator of the Year Award from Progress Inc. and Progress High School and the Citizen Laureate Award from the University at Albany.

President Sullivan holds a Doctorate in Education from Harvard University, a Master's degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Rhode Island.

David W. Craig
Dr. David W. Craig is a professor of biochemistry at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. He is a project co-director of the colleges' Alcohol Education Project, a collection of education and research initiatives, and directs a research group monitoring late night blood alcohol concentrations in a college population. His work has informed students and faculty about social norms and abuse problems related to alcohol and other drugs.

Dr. Craig co-authored an alcohol abuse case study for the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention in 2002. His work with social norms creator and Hobart and William Smith Colleges Professor of Sociology Wesley Perkins has won two model program awards from the U.S. Department of Education for demonstrated alcohol prevention effectiveness. Dr. Craig's work with student athletes was published in "The Peer Educator," NCAA News, and most recently in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol. His work has been featured recently on CNN Your Health and twice on ABC News 20/20.

Dr. Craig earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California and B.A. from California State University.

Jonathan Fader
Dr. Jonathan Fader is a licensed clinical psychologist. He is an assistant professor of family medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and teaches in the Beth Israel Residency Program in Family Medicine in New York City. The Department of Family Medicine is housed within the larger organization of the Institute for Urban Family Health.

At Beth Israel, Dr. Fader is responsible for teaching and researching cultural competency and Motivational Interviewing techniques in healthcare settings. He has over ten years of Motivational Interviewing experience and has participated in the "Training for Trainers" program, making him part of the nationally recognized Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers.

In addition to expertise in Motivational Interviewing, and cultural competency in healthcare, Dr. Fader has clinical and research interests in: brief interventions for substance use, family therapy, clinical work with under-served populations, multiculturalism in patient-care, psychotherapy with Spanish-speakers, addictive behaviors across the lifespan, harm reduction and alternative medicine. He maintains an active clinical practice in New York City and conducts trainings on the topics above nationwide.

Dr. Fader received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington in Seattle where he worked with Drs. Mary Larimer and G. Alan Marlatt. He then completed an internship in clinical psychology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

Michael P. Haines
Michael Haines is the Director of the National Social Norms Resource Center at Northern Illinois University (NIU). The Center provides consultation and resources to individuals and agencies working to prevent alcohol and social problems.

In 1990 Haines and his staff at NIU designed and implemented the first successful use of Social Norms Marketing. During the 10-year social norms campaign, heavy drinking and related harm were cut in half. More recently, Haines was senior consultant to a community coalition that was the first to successfully use social norms to reduce teen smoking and drinking. The program received the 2001 Prevention Award in Illinois.

Haines speaks at workshops and conferences throughout the country and has written a number of articles and four training manuals. He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Report on Social Norms. Haines is a Fellow of the American College Health Association and was Co-chair of the Illinois Attorney General's Task Force on Prevention of Sexual Assault. He is the former Co-chair of the advisory committee for the National College Health Assessment, an annual survey of college students.

Haines received The Year 2000 Outstanding Service Award at the National Drug Prevention Conference, and his office was cited as one of five national exemplary prevention programs by the U.S. Department of Education. The results of his Social Norms project at NIU have been highlighted in major news publications. Also, Social Norms was chosen as one of "80 ideas that shook the world in 2001" by The New York Times.

Haines was a certified addiction counselor for 17 years and has worked in the substance abuse field since 1970. He has an M.S. in Community Mental Health and has taught courses in alcohol studies and health promotion.

Estela M. Rivero
Dr. Estela M. Rivero is a New York State licensed psychologist who has been Director of the Counseling Center at the University at Albany since 1989. Dr. Rivero has had extensive experience in the delivery of outpatient mental health and psychological counseling services. She has held positions in other university and four year college Counseling Centers, has been a psychologist on the outpatient service of the Capital District Psychiatric Center in Albany as well as providing court consultation with the University of Michigan Family and Law Program.

At UAlbany, she spearheaded the effort to establish alcohol and other drug intervention, prevention and health promotion services and programs on the campus and made essential contributions to the growth of nationally recognized programs such as the Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program. Dr. Rivero has been recognized at UAlbany for her strong commitment to diversity issues, in part reflected by the diversity of the Counseling Center staff as well as its commitment to insuring access to health care for all students.

Dr. Rivero has held leadership positions in both state and national professional organizations. She was appointed in 1991 to the New York State Board for Psychology. In 2001 a State of New York Legislative Resolution honored Dr. Rivero for her work on the Board, noting her numerous contributions to enhancing the professional disciplinary process and to the development of Guidelines Regarding the Education and Training of Psychologists for Practice in a Pluralistic Society. She continues to serve on the Board for Psychology for Licensure and Disciplinary purposes.

Dr. Rivero received her Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialty in Clinical Psychology from the University of Michigan.

L. David Rooney
Dr. L. David Rooney has served as Vice President for Student Affairs at the State University of New York at New Paltz since 2002. In that capacity, Rooney oversees approximately 130 employees covering a comprehensive array of student services and programs including Intercollegiate Athletics, the Educational Opportunity Program, Residence Life, Student Development, Career Resource Center, Judicial Affairs, Student Activities and Union Services, Student Health Center, Psychological Counseling Center and the Campus Media Center. He also serves in an advisory capacity to the Student Association.

Highlights during his tenure with Student Affairs include: opening of the 52,000-square-foot Athletic and Wellness Center, window replacement and interior finishes in campus residence halls and availability of online recruiting and placement capabilities in the Career Resource Center. Additionally, the Educational Opportunity Program has had the highest graduation rates of all SUNY EOPs, the Student Health Center has become a model for those restructuring across the SUNY system and the Psychological Counseling Center has been reaccredited.

Dr. L. David Rooney received his Bachelor of General Studies in Psychology and Special Education and his M. A. degree in Counseling, both from the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

Barry L. Wells
Barry L. Wells is the senior vice president and dean of student affairs at Syracuse University. For 11 years, he has served the University as the senior student affairs officer. He is responsible to Chancellor Nancy Cantor for oversight of the Division of Student Affairs, which serves thousands of students each year by working collaboratively with students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and community members to create programs and services that encourage and promote the excellence, access and support, and engagement with the world that define "Scholarship in Action." Under his leadership, the Division has earned more than 44 state, regional, and national awards.

Barry Wells is the architect of Syracuse University's Twelve-Point Plan for Substance Abuse Prevention and Health Enhancement. This plan provides for: campus leadership, awareness and information, environmental and targeted approaches, curriculum infusion, peer-based initiatives, training, support and intervention services, staffing and resources, policies and implementation, enforcement, assessment and evaluation, and campus-community coalition-building.

Wells writes and speaks widely on a range of topics, including leadership, student retention, and diversity in higher education. He serves on the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Board of the James E. Scott National Academy for Leadership and Executive Effectiveness.

Wells is a strong advocate of community engagement, serving on the boards of many organizations. He has received a number of honors including the Chancellor's Citation for Distinguished Service at Syracuse University, the YWCA Academy of Diversity Achievers Award, and a 2006 Citizen of the Year Award from Temple Adath Yesharun.

Matthew T. Ryan
The Honorable Matthew T. Ryan was elected as Mayor in 2005 to serve the people of Binghamton, New York. He has dedicated much of his adult life to serving the community as both an advocate and lawyer.

Mayor Ryan has always been committed to the City of Binghamton. From 1978 to 1987 he worked as a public defender and as a counselor with the New York State Division of Youth. He also taught environmental law as an adjunct professor at Binghamton University. In 2005 he launched a grassroots campaign for mayor and was elected as the 49th Mayor of the City of Binghamton

Mayor Ryan committed his focus to "Restoring the Pride" which served as the city's mantra under the new leadership. The community support spilled over from the successful campaign and helped to launch Mayor Ryan's Neighborhood Assembly Project, which gives residents a venue to convene and work together with the Mayor and City Council to improve the quality of the city's neighborhoods. He has made great strides in making government more open and responsible, improving safety in neighborhoods, and partnering with community stakeholders to restore community vitality.

In his first year, the Binghamton community was devastated by two, historic floods that occurred in June and November. Mayor Ryan helped lead the community and neighbors in their efforts to overcome the disaster. In his 2007 State of the City Address, Mayor Ryan promised to continue government reform efforts. He also announced a focused, comprehensive strategy of neighborhood development, "The Neighborhood Pact Initiative," to restore Binghamton's reputation as the Home of Innovation.

Mayor Ryan received a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies from SUNY Binghamton. He then earned his law degree from CUNY law school at Queens College in Flushing, New Year, passing the bar exam in 1990.

Manuel J. Rivera
Dr. Manuel Rivera was appointed by the Governor as Deputy Secretary for Education in January 2007 after a nationwide search. In this newly created position, Dr. Rivera serves as the administration's senior education policy advisor, overseeing the implementation of Governor Spitzer's education reform policy, which couples increased funding with necessary accountability and a more transparent school aid formula.

New York State is responsible for the education of more than 2.8 million public school students enrolled in 4,448 schools in 697 districts and 1.1 million students at 273 colleges and universities.

In February 2006, Dr. Rivera was named National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators. In 2005, he was named New York School Superintendent of the Year in December by the New York State Council of School Superintendents.

Dr. Rivera began his career as a school teacher in the Rochester City School District in 1975 and later served as a school and district administrator. In 1991, he was first named Rochester Superintendent of School, a position he held until 1994. After serving on the management team of Edison Schools, Inc., Rivera returned to Rochester in 2002 to serve as interim superintendent. He was again appointed to the position of Superintendent in April of 2003. As superintendent, he led an urban school system serving more than 34,000 students pre-K - Grade 12 and 11,000 adult students. He was responsible for a budget of $459 million and a support staff of more than 5,000 employees.

Dr. Rivera earned both his Doctorate in Education in Administration, Planning & Social Policy and his Master's Degree in Education from Harvard University. He also holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Urban Studies from Brandeis University.

Daniel B. Boyle
Daniel B. Boyle was confirmed as Chairman and Commissioner of the New York State Liquor Authority by the State Senate on February 15, 2006. His term expires on February 15, 2009. A devoted law enforcement professional with over 31 years of service, Chairman Boyle has earned a reputation as a leader with vision, courage and commitment.

Chairman Boyle was appointed Police Officer with the Syracuse Police Department in 1974, serving as the Department's first-ever evidence technician. He rose steadily through the ranks in the Criminal Investigations Division, Personnel & Training Divisions and in the Administration Bureau where he coordinated a newly formed D.A.R.E. program with local school and community representatives. Boyle was appointed Deputy Chief of Police in 1994 and then First Deputy Chief in 1999, where he directed his efforts towards addressing community goals and objectives for the Department. In 2001, Chairman Boyle left the Syracuse Police Department to become Chief of Police of the East Syracuse Police Department. In 2002, he became the Commissioner of Public Safety for the City of Schenectady, and most recently served as Chief of Police for the Town of Glenville, NY.

A native of Syracuse, Boyle earned an Associate's degree in Criminal Justice from Onondaga Community College, a Bachelor's degree as a Dual Major in Psychology and Sociology from Syracuse University and is currently enrolled in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University working towards a Master's degree in Public Administration. Chairman Boyle is a member of the Central New York State Association of Chiefs of Police and a graduate of the National FBI Academy.

Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo
Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo was confirmed as Commissioner of the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) on February 27, 2007. Ms. Carpenter-Palumbo has more than 20 years experience working in both the public and private sectors, particularly in the areas of health, mental health, substance abuse and disability-related issues.

Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo's vision for OASAS is one that will refocus OASAS' efforts on utilizing three strategies – best practices, innovations and collaborations - to achieve real outcomes for New Yorkers. Her goals for the agency are to implement these strategies to improve the agency's prevention, treatment and aftercare capabilities. Enhancing the health of the New Yorkers who depend on OASAS services is her first priority as commissioner. This will mean the field of chemical dependence going back to basics and strengthening efforts on behalf of the patients and the individuals served. Through evidence-based strategies, Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo is committed to making the field of chemical dependence in New York State one of unparalleled excellence.

Prior to coming to OASAS, Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo served as Regional Vice President for the American Cancer Society, overseeing regional operations for this $1 billion national organization. From 1997-2004, she was Executive Vice President of Government Programs for Capital District Physicians' Health Plan, Inc., overseeing the operation of all government programs, including Medicaid, Medicare Choice, and Child and Family Health Plus. In addition, she served as the Corporate Compliance and Privacy Officer and company lobbyist.

From 1990-1994, Carpenter-Palumbo was Assistant Secretary to Governor Mario Cuomo, where she served as his senior policy advisor on issues of state agencies in the areas of mental health, mental retardation, substance abuse and general disability issues. She has also previously served in several clinical and administrative positions in the New York State Office of Mental Health and New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Development.

Frances M. Harding
Frances M. Harding serves as Associate Commissioner, Division of Prevention and Recovery Services, New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS). In that capacity she is responsible for the development of policy and guidelines for drug, alcohol, gambling prevention, and recovery programming.

Harding is recognized as one of the nation's leading experts in the field of drug and alcohol policy and is the author of several widely published articles on prevention. She has served as president of the National Prevention Network (NPN) and a recent board member of the National Association of State Drug and Alcohol Directors, Inc. Harding is the first non-researcher to receive the prestigious Science to Practice Award from the Society for Prevention Research.

Harding began her career in drug and alcohol policy 24 years ago at the New York State Division of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Services (the predecessor agency to OASAS). Early in her career, Harding authored the first manual dealing with meaningful alcohol policies on college campuses. Twenty years later that manual is in its eighth printing, an indicator of her national presence in the field. Her vision and commitment in the field of prevention have been critical in moving the prevention field in the application of science to practice. This has been an essential part of helping communities in New York State work together to change conditions within families, businesses, and schools in driving down the use rates of alcohol and drugs by our young people.

Richard Lucey, Jr.
Richard Lucey is an Education Program Specialist with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. As the team leader for higher education initiatives, He is responsible for communicating the principles of environmental management and other research-based drug abuse and violence prevention strategies in higher education.

Lucey serves as the contract monitor for the Department's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention. He also serves as the lead facilitator for the Department's annual National Meeting on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention in Higher Education.

Lucey formerly served as an Addictions Program Specialist for the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, where he was primarily responsible for that agency's college-based prevention programming efforts. These efforts included providing technical assistance to individual colleges and universities and facilitating regular meetings of the Statewide College Consortia Steering Committee.

Virginia L. Mackay-Smith
Virginia L. Mackay-Smith, S.M., is the director of the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention, a program of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. She brings to the Center over a dozen years' experience in higher education administration in a variety of decanal positions with an emphasis on student services and academic life.

Mackay-Smith has broad experience in campus-based programs addressing alcohol and other drug problems; hazing, sexual assault, hate crimes and other violent behavior; and campus crisis preparedness and response. She has also spent several years in policy analysis and management at the National Institutes of Health. Mackay-Smith received her Master's degree from the Harvard School of Public Health.

James S. Calvin
James Calvin is President of the New York Association of Convenience Stores, a private, not-for-profit trade organization representing 7,000 neighborhood mini-marts and convenience stores across the Empire State.

For the past nine years, he has overseen the group's legislative agenda, finances, events, member services, and educational programs, including a partnership called Responsible Retailers of New York, which provides state-approved tobacco and alcohol sales training to store managers, clerks and cashiers statewide.

A graduate of Utica College of Syracuse University, Calvin previously was a newspaper editor with the Hudson Register Star, Executive Director of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, and Marketing Director of Hudson City Savings Institution.

Scott Wexler
Scott Wexler has served as Executive Director of the Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association since 1985. The organization is the largest trade association of alcohol beverage retailers in New York State. In this position he has been involved in numerous issues on behalf of the association and its members.

Wexler is a trained instructor in responsible beverage service and has trained more than 25,000 servers over the past 20 years. He serves as the director of the association's Alcohol Training Awareness Program, the first server training program approved by the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Scott Wexler has represented the association on the New York State Liquor Authority's Task Force for the Review of On-Premises Licensure, New York State Project Zero Task Force, the Committee on University and Community Relations (Albany), and the New York State Governor's Traffic Safety Committee Strategic Planning Group. He currently serves as an advisor to the American Beverage Licensees' Communications Committee where he is spearheading the association's responsibility efforts.

Wexler has previously served as a Member of the Board of Education of the Albany City School District (including three terms as Board President) and on the Board of Directors of the University at Albany Alumni Association.