PEOPLE

Adi Shamir-Baron

Adi Shamir-Baron was appointed by Mayor de Blasio to serve as NYC Landmarks Preservation Commissioner in 2014. She also serves as an appointed commissioner with the State Department U.S. National Commission for UNESCO focusing on advocacy and outreach related to World Heritage Sites. Shamir-Baron served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and a member of the SF MOMA Design Accessions Board. As Dean of Undergraduate Studies at the California College of the Arts in Oakland and San Francisco, Shamir-Baron directed the fine arts, design, architecture, visual criticism and writing school divisions. As Executive Director of the Van Alen Institute, Shamir-Baron led the national membership organization and fellowship research center in developing programs dedicated to promoting and improving the design of civic architecture and public space. Adi Shamir-Baron holds a a PhD in Architecture History and Master of Architecture from University of California, Berkeley, a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Cooper Union, and MBA candidate at NYU Stern School of Business.

Richard D. Baron

Richard D. Baron is co-founder and chairman of McCormack Baron Salazar, a leading urban real-estate development company focusing on revitalizing neighborhoods throughout the United States. The firm, founded in 1973, redevelops blighted areas and areas of concentrated poverty into economically-integrated communities. The firm has been closely involved in the formation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOPE VI and Choice Neighborhood Programs and, under those programs, has revitalized over 30 former public housing sites into thriving, economically-integrated, safe communities. The firm has also received allocations of New Markets Tax Credits, which have been used for economic development, provision of social services, healthy food initiatives, educational investments and job creation in revitalizing communities. In addition to his leadership of McCormack Baron Salazar, Mr. Baron was the co-founder and co-chairman of the Vashon Education Compact, a partnership of the St. Louis Public Schools and major corporations, and he is the founder and developer of The Center of Creative Arts (COCA), in University City, Missouri.

Mira Zikk 

Mira Zikk focuses on public-private partnerships and direct investment in real estate projects. She provides credit support to developers during the construction and operational phases of each project. With an expertise in the Treasury’s CDFI fund’s New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program, Zikk provides NMTC consulting services, including structuring, sourcing allocation, identifying other gap funds, and compliance/asset management services. 

Amiran Kosovsky

Amiran Kosovsky is a registered professional engineer and has more than 30 years of engineering and construction experience, having worked in a variety of engineering, construction, and leadership positions both in corporate and project roles in nine countries. Amiran leads the green building and neighborhood certification process, and has guided successful LEED, Energy Star, Enterprise Green Communities, and other green certifications for many sustainably built communities and facilities nationwide.