Armyn, Nader to lead panel that distributes NYS business aid on LI
Linda Armyn of Bethpage Federal Credit Union and John S. Nader of Farmingdale State College will lead the regional council. Credit: Bethpage Federal Credit Union/Farmingdale State College
A banker and a college president will lead the panel that has helped distribute state grants and tax breaks on Long Island since 2011, officials said.
Linda Armyn, senior vice president of corporate affairs at Bethpage Federal Credit Union and John S. Nader, president of Farmingdale State College, have been appointed co-vice chairs of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council. The positions are unpaid.
The announcement coincides with Thursday’s resignation of longtime co-vice chair Kevin Law, who Gov. Kathy Hochul has nominated to become chairman of Empire State Development, the state’s primary business-aid agency. He also is a partner and executive vice president at The Tritec Real Estate Co. in East Setauket.
Armyn, who joined the 22-member council in 2016, said, “I’ve seen first-hand how our regional private-public collaboration, along with academia and labor, can help grow manufacturing and innovation…from tech to life sciences to clean industry and defense.”
Armyn has worked at the credit union for more than 20 years. Besides the development council, her other volunteer board memberships include the Child Care Council of Suffolk Inc., Cradle of Aviation Museum, President’s Council of Stony Brook University and YMCA of Long Island.
Nader, a development council member since 2018, said, “I look forward to building on the success of the council and working to ensure Long Island’s economic prosperity.”
He was named Farmingdale State president in 2016 after serving as provost of SUNY Delhi and mayor of Oneonta, both in upstate. He has a doctorate in economics.
The Long Island council is one of 10 established by then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to develop an economic growth plan and recommend building projects for state aid. Each project is judged on a 100-point scale, with the council giving a maximum of 20 points and the state agency with the funding awarding up to 80 points.
Prior to last year, the Regional Economic Development Council competition divided the 10 regions into five big winners, each receiving $80 million to $100 million, and five runners up, each receiving about $60 million.
Long Island was a big winner six out of nine years, securing $727 million for 885 projects, the second most after Syracuse.
The 2021-22 contest is ongoing, and so far, Long Island ranks in the lower third among the regions, according to a Newsday analysis of state data. The local council had secured $43 million for 45 projects as of April 4.
Law, together with then-Hofstra University president Stuart Rabinowitz, had led the council since its inception.
Law said Armyn and Nader “are dedicated to a strong and inclusive Long Island economy and thus I am confident they will do a great job leading the council.”
Rabinowitz agreed, adding that Nader will use “his deep understanding of, and commitment to, the region’s higher education landscape” to transform academic research into businesses with the “potential to transform our economy and our daily lives.”
In December, Rabinowitz left the council to return to teaching and the practice of law.
James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.
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