Board of Trustees

Mark Fischl, Vice Chair

• Appointed by: Governor
• Term Expires: December 31, 2021
• Board Committees: Oversight and Clean Energy (Chair), Finance & Audit
• Member of the American Public Power Association’s Policy Makers Council

Mr. Fischl is the President of Pinnacle Real Properties LLC, a real estate consulting and development advisory firm that focuses on closing transactions and redeveloping downtown areas. Pinnacle also has experience with industrial properties.

Prior to joining Pinnacle, Mr. Fischl spent 13 years with RGE, a local real estate firm located on Long Island. At RGE, Mr. Fischl managed commercial properties as well as dealt with certain environmental issues. While at RGE, Mr. Fischl assisted the acquisition of almost 1 million square feet of space. Mr. Fischl spent six years as President of the American Platform Tennis Association.

Elkan Abramowitz

• Appointed by: Governor
• Term Expires: December 31, 2019
• Board Committees: Governance, Planning and Personnel (Chair), Finance & Audit

Mr. Abramowitz is a leading white-collar criminal defense lawyer experienced in handling civil and criminal matters in state and federal court. Mr. Abramowitz has been named a Leading Lawyer by Chambers USA, "America's Leading Lawyers for Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations," every year since Chambers' 2003 launch in the United States. Mr. Abramowitz became a principal at a predecessor firm to Morvillo Abramowitz in 1979. His professional resume also includes serving as Assistant Deputy Mayor for the City of New York, Special Counsel to the Select Committee on Crime for the U.S. House of Representatives, and Chief of the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Abramowitz is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a former Director of the New York Council of Defense Lawyers. He is a member of the New York State and American Bar Associations, New York City Bar Association and Federal Bar Council. Mr. Abramowitz is a graduate of Brown University and the New York University School of Law, where he was a Pomeroy Scholar and editor of the Law Review.

Valerie Anderson Campbell

• Appointed by: Assembly Speaker
• Term Expires: December 31, 2023

Ms. Campbell has more than 20 years of experience in building successful organizations, including her current position as a Senior Executive Recruiter and Consultant at Anderson Campbell Recruiting, a division of Anderson Campbell Enterprises. She has shaped high-performing cultures at Fortune 500 companies with communications and developmental programs to drive revenue growth while attracting and retaining high-potential talent. Ms. Campbell is a leader in the community, serving as the Nassau County Director for the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Vice President of Membership for the Uniondale Community Land Trust. Ms. Campbell also served on the Nassau Community College’s Presidential Search Committee.

In 2020, Ms. Campbell was honored as one of Long Island’s Top 50 Women in Business by the Long Island Business News and in 2019 as one of the Top Influential Long Island Women by Long Island Weekly. Ms. Campbell is a graduate of Long Island University.

Reverend Alfred L. Cockfield

• Appointed by: Governor
• Term expires December 31, 2021

Reverend Cockfield is the Chief Operating Officer of God’s Battalion of Prayer Ministries with experience in leadership, education, youth development, and civic and community engagement. Reverend Cockfield also serves as Executive Director of the Battalion Christian Academy in Far Rockaway, Queens, and Brooklyn, New York, as well as the Lamad Academy Charter School in Brooklyn. As Executive Director, Reverend Cockfield manages a diverse portfolio of services to ensure successful outcomes for the students and their communities.

Reverend Cockfield is a graduate of Nyack College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Religious Studies and a Master of Business Administration and International Business Marketing and Management.

Sheldon L. Cohen

• Appointed by: Governor
• Term Expires: December 31, 2020
• Board Committees: Finance & Audit (Chair), Governance

Mr. Cohen is a retired business executive. Mr. Cohen formerly served as senior managing director of CBRE. He was responsible for strategic planning, day-to-day management, and new business development and growth initiatives for the firm’s downtown Manhattan operations, as well as heading up the firm’s practices in health care, education, and government sectors in the New York tri-state region. Before CBRE, Mr. Cohen served as the first director of real estate planning and development for Nassau County and was a member of the County Executive’s management team. Mr. Cohen’s work for the County also included management of the County’s building and space utilization. Prior to his service to the County, Mr. Cohen served as Vice President of Facilities and Services for MetLife. Mr. Cohen is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, holds a Master of Laws from the NYU School of Law, a Doctor of Law from the University at Buffalo Law School, and a B.A. from SUNY Stony Brook.

Nancy S. Goroff, Ph.D.

• Appointed by: Assembly Speaker
• Term Expires: December 31, 2024

Dr. Goroff has a record of accomplishment as a leader, scientist, and communicator. She served as a Professor in the Chemistry Department of Stony Brook University for more than 20 years, rising to lead the Department as its Chair. Among her various leadership roles in the scientific community, Dr. Goroff is a Member of the National Advisory Board of the Union of Concerned Scientists, served as Chair of the Graduate Education Advisory Board of the American Chemical Society, and serves as a Faculty Affiliate of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. Dr. Goroff is a graduate of Harvard University with a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Goroff is an active member of the community, including serving as President of the Board of Gallery North, Long Island’s largest non-profit art gallery, and as a Founding Board Member of the Institute for Digital Media and Child Development.

Laureen Harris

• Appointed by: Governor
• Term Expires: December 31, 2021
• Board Committees: Finance & Audit

Ms. Harris has established herself as a credible authority on tax certiorari proceedings within the State of New York. With over 30 years of experience, Ms. Harris has gained extensive trial and appellate experience, while creating legal precedent in a myriad of areas, both in terms of valuation and legal principles. She is the past Chair and Vice Chair of the Nassau County Tax Certiorari & Condemnation Committee (1988, 2013, 1992, 2010, 2013, 2012) and has continued to be an active participant in the Committee. Ms. Harris is currently President of the Association for a Better Long Island (ABLI) and has been a Board Member since 1996. She is also a founding member and current President of the Institute of Real Estate at Hofstra University, an educational forum for the Long Island real estate community. She currently serves as the Downstate Chairman in Tax Certiorari and Condemnation for the New York State Bar Association.