Carol Hill Albert

Carol Hill Albert is co-owner of Coney Island's largest amusement park, Astroland Park, which includes the world famous Cyclone roller coaster.  The author of five novels and a former judge of the National Book Awards, Ms. Albert spent her early career as an author, publishing executive and teacher. Ms. Albert has taught writing at a wide range of institutions, including Riker's Island high school, a school for prison inmates; Bryn Mawr College; and the University of Miami. A close business partner of her husband Jerome Albert, who is co-owner of the Astroland, Ms. Albert manages all of the park's operations. Ms. Albert has received honorary awards from the Community Mayors Association of New York for her work with physically and mentally challenged children, the Ribalow award for distinguished contributions to literature on a Jewish theme, as well as other distinctions. She is a founding member of the Coney Island History project and an active member of the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce and Community Board l3.
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Paola Antonelli

Paola Antonelli joined The Museum of Modern Art in February 1994 and is a Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design. Her first, acclaimed exhibition for MoMA, Mutant Materials in Contemporary Design (1995), has been followed by several others, covering all facets of design in the contemporary world.  Her most recent exhibition, Workspheres (2001) was devoted to the design of the workplace of the future. Her goal is to make design the most loved, understood, and celebrated subject of the 21st century. She is currently working on a book about foods from all over the world as examples of outstanding design, on an exhibition entitled SAFE: Design Takes on Risk; and on trying to get a Boeing 747 into the collection of The Museum of Modern Art. She is a member of the Van Alen Institute Board of Trustees.
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Jon Benguiat

Mr. Benguiat has served as Borough President Marty Markowitz’s Director of Planning and Development since January 2002.  In that capacity he advises the Borough President on economic, housing and waterfront development, environmental and land use issues and the Borough President’s budget review process.  Mr. Benguiat serves as President Marty Markowitz’s appointment to the Coney Island Development Corporation.  He has served as the Brooklyn Borough President’s Director of Land Use planning since 1990.   Prior to joining the Brooklyn Borough President’s staff, Mr. Benguiat served as Director of Planning and Development for the Staten Island Borough President. From 1978 to 1987, he directed waterfront development for the city at the former Department of Ports and Terminals and city’s New York City Economic Development Corporation.  Among the many projects undertaken during his tenure were the South Street Seaport, Sheepshead Bay Piers, Bay Street Landing, the Water Club and Water’s Edge restaurants, the Intrepid Museum and the Brooklyn Bridge Esplanade. Prior to that, Mr. Benguiat served as a community development planner with the Department of City Planning and the Mayor’s Office and then as the first district manager of the Flatbush-Midwood Community Board in Brooklyn. Mr. Benguiat has a Bachelor of Science in architecture and city planning from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and has a certificate in real estate development from New York University. He sits on the board of the Coney Island Development Corporation.
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Michael A. Manfredi

Michael Manfredi established Weiss/Manfredi Architects with Marion Weiss in 1989. Known for their integration of architecture, art, infrastructure, and landscape design, they were awarded the Academy Award for Architecture by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and were named “an emerging voice” by the Architectural League of New York. Their work has won numerous awards including national and international design competitions and has been featured in numerous national and international publications and exhibitions including the Venice Architectural Biennale, the Sao Paolo Bienal of International Architecture and Design, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum’s “Design Culture Now” triennial, Yale University and the National Building Museum. Princeton Architectural Press published a monograph titled Site Specific: The Work of Weiss/Manfredi Architects.

Michael Manfredi was born in Trieste, Italy, came to the United States and received his Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. A winner of the Paris Prize, he studied with Colin Rowe at Cornell University where he received his Master of Architecture. There he received the Eidlitz Award and was a Cornell University Fellow. He has been a visiting critic at numerous institutions including Princeton University, Cornell University, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania. He was a founding trustee of the Van Alen Institute.
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Sheryl Robertson

Sheryl Robertson is a life-long resident of Coney Island and local community organizer.  She works to effect positive change in the critical areas of housing, education and youth services by forging coalitions with different Coney Island groups and providing technical assistance.  She serves as the Executive Director of the South Brooklyn Youth Consortium, a 21st-century community learning center that provides afterschool and sports programs, a summer leadership academy, GED and ESL classes and mentoring.  For the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, Ms. Robertson is on the Neighborhood Advisory Board, where she helps author an annual report detailing community priorities that is used to secure funding for local initiatives.  Ms Robertson is a member of Community Board 13 and sits on the Board of the Coney Island Development Corporation. ––Back to list >>

Jennifer Siegal

Jennifer Siegal is the principal and founder of Office of Mobile Design, a progressive architecture/design studio that is dedicated to the exploration and production of mobile and eco-logic structures. She earned a master’s degree from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in 1994, and was a 2003 Loeb Fellow at Harvard University’s School of Design where she explored the use of intelligent, kinetic, and lightweight materials. Ms. Siegal’s work, including the well-known prefab projects, Portable House and Swellhouse, was exhibited at the prestigious Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum’s 2003 National Design Triennial: Inside Design Now; and the Walker Art Center’s Strangely Familiar: Design and Everyday Life. Her innovative design sensibilities and expertise in prefab and green building technologies were recognized by the popular media in 2003 when Esquire magazine named her one of the “Best and Brightest.” In the same year, the Architectural League of New York included her in the acclaimed Emerging Voices program. Ms. Siegal is a Full Professor at Woodbury University in Los Angeles, and the editor of Mobile: The Art of Portable Architecture, a book and reference guide for architects on the art of transportable environments. Her forthcoming monthly publication series entitled Materials Monthly will be launched in 2005. Ms. Siegal's grandfather had owned a push cart on the Coney Island Boardwalk. ––Back to list >>

Josh Sirefman

Josh Sirefman has just been appointed Director, Mayor's Office of Economic Development and Rebuilding. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Sirefman served as Chief Operating Officer of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the primary vehicle for promoting economic growth in each of the five boroughs.  NYCEDC’s mission is to stimulate job growth through expansion and redevelopment programs that encourage investment, generate prosperity and strengthen the City’s competitive position. Mr. Sirefman has worked and will continue to work on many of the City’s development priorities, including waterfront projects such as Brooklyn Bridge Park, Governors Island and the redevelopment of Coney Island, and the continued development of the City’s primary business districts, including Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn.
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Julius Spiegel

One of the original and longest-serving borough commissioners, Julius Spiegel was appointed by Parks Commissioner Gordon Davis in 1981. An institution at Parks, and Brooklyn in particular, Commissioner Spiegel made the revitalization of Coney Island a top priority in the early days of his administration. He organized the initial cleanup of the defunct Steeplechase area, paving the way for the introduction of concerts, festivals and the new Keyspan Stadium. Behind the scenes, Commissioner Spiegel worked to secure $25 million in capital funding, organized new programming and procured new amenities for the Coney Island Beach and Boardwalk area. His efforts have resulted in new comfort stations, shade-giving plantings, lifeguard stations, beach playgrounds, benches, drinking fountains and landscaped entrances to Coney Island. His vision and leadership have helped re-establish Coney Island as one of the premiere beaches in the country.
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