CORO NEW YORK LEADERSHIP CENTER CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF VISIONARY LEADERS AT ANNUAL GALA

NEW YORK -APRIL 22: CORO NEW YORK LEADERSHIP CENTER CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF VISIONARY LEADERS AT ANNUAL GALA on Wednesday, April 22, 2015 at GOTHAM HALL, 1356 Broadway, New York City, NY 10018 (212) 244-4300 SURI KASIRER, JOHN H. ALSCHULER, HON. DONALD H. GIPS & HON. RITCHIE J. TORRES HONORED WITH PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING CIVIC LEADERSHIP (Wednesday, April 22, 2015) – Four hundred thirty New Yorkers gathered tonight as Coro New York Leadership Center, the city’s premier leadership training program, hosted its annual fundraising gala in Manhattan’s Gotham Hall. This year’s Coro Awards Gala, “30 Years of Visionary Leaders,” raised $750,000 to support Coro’s leadership training programs, providing the city’s top talent with skills, knowledge, and a network to influence meaningful change. Tonight’s event, which included a cocktail reception, seated awards presentation and video featuring Coro alumni, honored outstanding leadership in the civic arena. The honorees exemplify Coro’s belief that a single person with sufficient drive and passion will make their community a better place for all. The 2015 Civic Builder Award was presented to Suri Kasirer, President, Kasirer Consulting, LLC, by MaryAnne Gilmartin, President & CEO, Forest City Ratner Companies. The 2015 Lewis Rudin Award for Civic Leadership was presented to John H. Alschuler, Chairman, HR&A Advisors, Inc. by Carl Weisbrod, Chairman, New York City Planning Commission. Hon. Donald H. Gips, Former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa and Senior Counselor, Albright Stonebridge Group, was presented with the 2015 Alumni Impact Award by John Stern, President, Storm King Art Center. Gips is a member of the first class of Coro Fellows in New York City (1985). The 2015 Alumni Award for Public Service was presented to Hon. Ritchie J. Torres, New York City Council Member and a 2004 graduate of Coro’s youth program Exploring Leadership, by Frantzy Luzincourt, a student at Leon Goldstein High School for the Sciences and participant in Coro Youth Leadership Academy, and Bernadette Benjamin, a student at High School for Public Service and participant in Coro's Exploring Leadership program. Scott Millstein, Executive Director, Coro New York Leadership Center, said, “In a city as big as New York, overflowing with intelligent, driven, and creative individuals, it can be difficult to have one’s voice rise above the crowd. But tonight’s honorees have done just that. I would like to congratulate and thank Suri, John, Donald and Ritchie for their unwavering commitment to New York and their support of our mission. Thanks to them, 400 community leaders will come to Coro this year to learn how New York City works so they can make it better.” Past honorees include Bill Bratton, Diana Taylor, Jonathan Tisch, Hon. Robert M. Morgenthau, Danny Meyer, Marcy Syms, Wynton Marsalis, and Gael Greene. Coro New York Leadership Centerr also recognized posthumously the contributions to the City by Senator Roy M. Goodman, and a $250,000 gift from the Committee for Goodman. Coro will use the funds to establish the Senator Roy M. Goodman Fund, which will support Coro's renowned Fellows Program in Public Affairs, a full-time program that prepares young professionals for effective, bipartisan and ethical leadership in the public arena. Coro is a community of 2,200 alumni across business, government, schools and non-profits with the belief that a single person, with sufficient drive and passion, is what will make New York a better place for all who live and work here. # # # ABOUT CORO: Coro is New York City’s premier civic leadership training program and a community of 2,200 alumni across business, government, schools and non-profits that is shaping the city’s future. Coro programs provide participants with 3 things: a deeper knowledge about how the city really works; leadership skills to make change in their organization and community; and a remarkable network of engaged and influential alumni to help them reach their goals. Coro currently runs eight leadership training programs for youth and adults, each serving a different constituency at different points on their educational and career paths. Coro alumni are the city’s Commissioners and Councilmembers, Executive Directors and entrepreneurs. It is one of the most diverse and influential leadership communities in the city. MEDIA CONTACT: Kim Esp / Tel: 212-575-4545 or e-mail: kesp@lakpr.com / FIRM: LAK Public Relations, Inc. PHOTO CREDIT: Marc Hall Photography & Katie Lord Photography. Photos courtesy of Coro New York Leadership Center