Westchester County Revolving Door (10/28)

Phelps CEO Resigns After 25 Years

After 25 years, Keith F. Safian, president and CEO of Phelps Memorial Hospital Center is resigning from the institution, effective November 30. Phelps is expecting to sign an affiliation agreement with North Shore-LIJ Health System shortly, and Safian decided that as Phelps transitions to become a North Shore-LIJ partner, it was an appropriate time to step down. In order to ensure a smooth transition, the Board has selected Daniel Blum, Phelps Senior VP since 2009, to succeed Safian as the next President. Richard Sinni, Board Chair, credited Safian’s leadership with making Phelps one of the most clinically sophisticated and consistently profitable community hospitals in the Hudson Valley Region. Since Safian joined Phelps, the operating budget has increased from $40 million to $240 million, the number of physicians on staff went from 200 to 500, and the number of employees grew from 800 to 1,700, making Phelps the 7th largest employer in Westchester County. During Safian’s tenure, Phelps became a teaching hospital for the first time with the creation of residency training programs for family medicine and dental residents in partnership with New York Medical College and Open Door Family Medical Centers.

New Hire at Heinken

White Plains-based HEINEKEN USA has hired Alicia Chin as its new Corporate Relations Associate Manager.  Alicia joined HEINEKEN USA in July 2014 and will be overseeing alcohol responsibility and sustainability programs as well as trade media efforts. Prior to her new position, Alicia served as the Senior Research Associate at Esty Environmental Partners, a corporate sustainability consulting firm, located in Washington D.C.  During her three-year tenure, Alicia led several projects strengthening the corporate sustainability programs of Fortune 500 companies spanning from a range of industries from personal care to transportation to pharmaceuticals. Alicia recently graduated with a Master’s in Business Administration from the Ross School of Business and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University.

New Director for Neuberger Museum

Tracy Fitzpatrick, who has been the Neuberger Museum of Art’s chief curator since 2012, has been named director of the museum, as of Nov 1. Her appointment as the museum’s eighth director was announced by Purchase College President Thomas J. Schwartz. An associate professor of art history, Fitzpatrick has taught for 10 years at Purchase, and was the editor of the newly published “When Modern Was Contemporary: The Roy R. Neuberger Collection,” a collection catalogue chronicling the museum’s founding patron’s work as collector, donor and arts advocate, and curated the current exhibition of the same title celebrating the museum’s 40th anniversary year.

The Westchester Bank Makes Appoints New Branch Manager

The Westchester Bank has appointed Justin Maneen as Vice President, Branch Manager of the Bank’s newest full-service branch located at 51 South Monger Avenue in Mount Kisco. Manes, a Westchester County resident and an active member of the Mount Cisco Chamber of Commerce and the Westchester County Association’s Young Professionals Group, has a wealth of retail banking experience.

Prior to joining The Westchester Bank, Manes was Branch Manager for KeyBank in Mount Kisco, where he was steadily promoted from positions in commercial lending, portfolio analysis, sales and customer relations.  He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Oneonta with a BS degree in Business Economics and focus on Finance.

New Tri-State Business Banking VP for First Niagara

First Niagara Financial Group, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Niagara Bank, N.A., recently hired Gary Grandstaff as Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager, Business Banking for the Tri-State Region. Grandstaff joins the bank as part of First Niagara’s strong focus on the Tri-State market and its continued expansion of commercial resources to serve the needs of Hudson Valley businesses.  He will be responsible for developing new commer

cial relationships throughout the region, with primary focus on Westchester, Putnam, and Duchess counties.  Grandstaff will support the bank’s existing commercial relationships and will be responsible for generating new commercial banking opportunities by growing commercial loans and deposit relationships with area companies that range from $2 million to $30 million in gross annual revenue. Grandstaff joins First Niagara from Wells Fargo where he most recently served as Principal Relationship Manager and previously as Business Banking Manager. 

Realtor Dan Bucci Joins Douglas Elliman

Experienced realtor Dan Bucci has joined the Chappaqua office of Douglas Elliman Real Estate. Bucci, a Westchester native, brings with him a diverse professional background and expansive knowledge of the real estate market. Before starting his career in real estate, Bucci worked for over 25 years in the corporate finance industry for many global companies such as PepsiCo, Fuji, and Ernst & Young. His various work assignments sent him to more than 15 countries around the world, giving him the opportunity to meet people across different cultures, social statuses and income levels. Bucci received a degree in Accounting from NYU’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business and also has his Certified Public Accountant license. He was previously a real estate broker with Houlihan Lawrence in Irvington prior to joining Elliman.