Capalino - The Future of New York: The Charles B. Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Initiative
City College of New York, celebrating its 175th birthday, has recently launched the Charles B. Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Initiative to create a pipeline of skilled workers for the rapidly evolving urban landscape. Its innovative curricula includes analytical and operational skills, simulation-based training, and experiential learning. The Initiative prioritizes traditionally underrepresented communities in jobs spanning transportation, energy, buildings, water, food, waste, and digital infrastructures.
Join Capalino for a discussion with Honorable Charles B. Rangel, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, and New York Building Congress President Carlos Scissura on the challenges facing NYC and other cities throughout the 21st century, and the impact that a skilled workforce can make in their modernization.
Topics include:
• Charles B. Rangel’s legacy in the House of Representatives, his partnership with City College of New York, and his leadership in the Infrastructure Workforce Initiative
• Prioritizing underrepresented communities in infrastructure industries
• Private and Public sector collaboration in creating a relevant and site-specific curriculum
In deference to our guests’ extremely demanding schedules, we are holding this event on Yom Kippur. As always, this webinar will be recorded and we will share it afterwards, so anyone observing the holiday can watch at their convenience.
Speakers:
Charles B. Rangel
Statesman in Residence at The City College of New York for the City University of New York
Charles B. Rangel Center Infrastructure Workforce Initiative
Charles B. Rangel, a war hero, history-making congressman, and master lawmaker. A founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, he made history as the first African-American member of Congress to lead the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He served for 23 terms in the House of Representatives and was cited as the most effective lawmaker in the House, leading all of his colleagues in passing legislation. He was a prime contributor to President Obama’s historic healthcare reform law.
He was awarded a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for Valor in the Korean War, and with the aid of the G.I. Bill, he earned degrees from New York University and St. John’s University Law School. He began his public service as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and was later elected to the New York State Assembly. He went to Washington in 1971 to serve in the House after defeating the legendary Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Congressman Rangel is currently Statesman in Residence at The City College of New York for the City University of New York. Demonstrating his commitment to education, he created financial mechanisms to construct and rehabilitate public schools across the country. In Congress, following Saint Matthew’s teaching, he has been a stalwart champion for the “least among us,” advocating powerfully and persistently to improve the lives of working people. He is a defender of veterans and treated education as a national security issue.
A leading advocate for equal rights and equal opportunity, Congressman Rangel boosted the incomes of millions of working families with the Earned Income Tax Credit and pumped billions of dollars into revitalization of communities across the nation, including Harlem. His unparalleled foreign policy record focused on Africa and the Caribbean.
Congressman Adriano Espaillat
U.S. Representative, New York’s Thirteenth Congressional District
U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat proudly represents New York’s Thirteenth Congressional District. Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill, and the north-west Bronx.
First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat was sworn into office on January 3, 2017, during the 115th Congress and is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and is ranking member of the legislative branch subcommittee on the committee. Additionally, Representative Espaillat serves on the House Budget Committee. Together with his Democratic colleagues, Representative Espaillat worked to pass more than 900 bills during the 116th Congress, including bipartisan legislation to clean up government, defend access to affordable health care, lower prescription drug costs, respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, invest in our nation’s infrastructure, and support policies for job creation and economic growth.
Carlo A. Scissura, Esq.
President & CEO
Carlo A. Scissura, Esq. is President & CEO of the New York Building Congress, a position he has held since 2017. The New York Building Congress is a broad-based membership association committed to promoting the growth and success of the construction industry in New York City and its environs. The organization – which includes members from across the building community – provides a unique forum to advance an industry-wide agenda focusing on economic and infrastructure investment, job creation, and professional exchange. Prior to joining the Building Congress, Carlo was President & CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and served both as Chief of Staff and General Counsel to Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz for nearly five years before leading the Brooklyn Chamber.
Susan Hinkson-Carling
Managing Director
Susan Hinkson-Carling, AIA, LLM has a distinguished background in both the public and private sectors and specializes in housing, land use, and real estate at Capalino. Susan, who has two law degrees from New York Law School, is a registered architect in New York State and is on the Board of Trustees at Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York, specializing in housing, land use, and real estate. As leader of Capalino Ventures, she helps developers, private equity firms, and broker/dealers to secure financing and mitigate risk for complicated, risky, or stalled real estate projects. Her distinguished background in both the public and private sectors includes serving as Vice Chair and Commissioner of the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals, where she adjudicated zoning variances, special permits, and administrative appeal cases and Brooklyn Borough Commissioner for the NYC Department of Buildings. She also administered design and construction contracts for the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. She is a trustee at New York Law School and sits on the board of The Bronx Museum of the Arts.
