Interviews by Lynn Adams Smith
The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade and has pledged to gradually increase rates in the future. We invited a group of senior banking executives to answer the same six questions concerning how rate hikes will impact consumers, savers, corporations, and local economic growth. more
By Ilene Dube
These words, from former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, continue to be a guiding maxim for Rachel Haot, who was New York City’s Chief Digital Officer from 2011 to 2013.
These days, as Chief Digital Officer and Deputy Secretary of Technology for New York State, Haot’s role is to develop digital products, programs and policy. Her team has re-launched the official state website, NY.gov, its first overhaul in 15 years, and she is committed to making government more accessible to better serve all citizens, regardless of income, age, ability or language. more
By Ingrid W. Reed
When Mayor Michael Bloomberg concluded his unprecedented 12 years of governing New York City, his record was assessed in the local and national media, and by organizations that agreed and disagreed with his performance in office as well as in the political campaigns of his would-be successors. In spite of epithets like “Nanny-in-Chief,” the ultimate consensus was that he instituted modern management, safeguarded the health of the City’s inhabitants, initiated long-range plans to protect its environment, upgraded performance of schools, reformed transportation policies to include pedestrians and bicyclists, and invested in the arts for the public good. more
Interview by Lynn Adams Smith
As Police Commissioner, you spearheaded the modernization of the New York City Police Department and created a counter-terrorism operation. How many planned terrorist attacks did your team avert, and are other urban cities adopting your model for a counter-terrorism operation?
In 2002, we created a counter terrorism bureau, the first and only one of its kind at the municipal level. To better assess threats coming from overseas, we established an overseas intelligence liaison program, in which we stationed NYPD detectives in eleven foreign cities, such as London, Tel Aviv, Toronto, and Amman. But unlike federal intelligence offices overseas, the NYPD’s detectives are embedded with each country’s police forces, which affords them access and ability to respond quickly. more
By Ellen Gilbert // Photography by Tom Grimes
"I’m flattered,” Esther Dyson says quietly when asked how it feels to be referred to by names like “queen of the internet,” “digital visionary,” or “innovation evangelist par excellence.” In a list of “Famous Real-life People Named ‘Esther’” her name appears next to Queen Esther and the competitive swimmer/movie star, Esther Williams. A tenacious pursuer of new causes and a swimmer who steadfastly hits the pool every day no matter where she is, citing this trio of Esthers in the same entry has a certain unintended logic. more
