PANY/NJ Reelects Executive Leaders

The individuals are:

• Chairman Kevin O’Toole: O’Toole joined PANY/NJ as a Commissioner in July 2017, after resigning his state Senate seat from Essex County, N.J. He was elected the 20th Chairman of the agency’s Board of Directors in August 2017. O’Toole is also a founding and managing partner of law practice O’Toole Scrivo. A career public servant, he served previously on the Cedar Grove (N.J.) Town Council and as Mayor. He was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly four times and to the State Senate three times. He received a B.A. and a J.D. from Seton Hall University. 

• Vice Chairman Jeffrey H. Lynford: Lynford was appointed to the Board of Commissioners in June 2011 and reappointed in 2013. He was first elected Vice Chairman of the Board on July 20, 2017. He is currently President and CEO of Educational Housing Services Inc., a New York City not-for-profit that provides housing for college students and interns. He was the co-founder of the Wellsford group of public and private real estate companies. Lynford’s public service includes two previous gubernatorial appointments to the New York State Council on the Arts and to the Trust for Governors Island; he previously served on the Boards of New York University and the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the State University of New York at Buffalo, a master’s degree in public affairs from the Princeton School of International and Public Affairs, and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. 

• Executive Director Rick Cotton: In August 2017, Cotton joined PANY/NJ as Executive Director. He was previously New York State’s Special Counsellor for Interagency Initiatives, serving as the point person for such downstate infrastructure projects as the redevelopment of LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports. He also spent 25 years at NBC Universal, holding such positions as EVP and General Counsel and President and Managing Director of CNBC Europe. Additionally, Cotton held senior advisory roles at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare and the U.S. Department of Energy. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School and was a law clerk for Justice William J. Brennan Jr. on the U.S. Supreme Court.

• Secretary James E. McCoy: McCoy’s PANY/NJ career began in September 1990 as Clerical Aide in the Office of the Secretary. He later became General Manager of the Board Unit and Manager of Board Management & Support. McCoy took on the role of Deputy Board Secretary in July 2018, and was first appointed Secretary in February 2020.

• General Counsel Amy H. Fisher: Fisher joined PANY/NJ in 2017 as First Deputy General Counsel. She has led consideration of legal issues in airport development activities; for the lease negotiations in support of the recently opened Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center; for the extension of the air and marine terminal leases with New York City and the City of Newark, N.J.; and for construction closeout for the Goethals Bridge, the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, LaGuardia Terminal B, and other projects. Previously, Fisher was Managing Director at GE Energy Financial Services. She has also been a transactional partner at several New York City law firms, specializing in project finance, banking, and insurance insolvency. Fisher earned her undergraduate degree at Wesleyan University and graduated from Columbia University School of Law.

• Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth M. McCarthy: McCarthy is responsible for overseeing, managing, and directing PANY/NJ’s financial and accounting functions. This includes responsibility for more than $5 billion of annual revenues, $3 billion of annual operating budget expenses, and the annual Capital Plan investments in support of the agency’s 2017 to 2026 Capital Plan. Prior to joining PANY/NJ as CFO in January 2013, McCarthy had more than 30 years of financial experience in both the public and private sectors.

• Comptroller Daniel G. McCarron: McCarron joined PANY/NJ in 2022 as Aviation Lease Accounting Manager and rose through the ranks to Financial Accounting and Reporting Manager and to Corporate Controller, his current role. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and a Master of Business Administration degree in corporate finance from Seaton Hall University.

• Treasurer Sherien N. Khella: Khella has served as Treasurer since March 2022. She joined PANY/NJ in 2007 and has held such positions as Senior Economist; Supervising Financial Analyst/Economist; Advisor/Chief of Staff to the Chief Financial Officer; Deputy Director, Financial Planning, Office of the CFO; and Deputy Aviation Commercial Officer, Aviation Department.