New NYRA execs meet state oversight board

ALBANY -- The New York Racing Association introduced a state oversight board to its new executive team, a revamped crew that now includes a top marketing executive who worked for the Super Bowl champion 2007 Giants.

Association representatives appeared Tuesday with the Franchise Oversight Board in its first meeting since the May ouster of longtime NYRA president Charles Hayward and general counsel Patrick Kehoe amid a state investigation. Preliminary findings in that case alleged that Hayward knowingly broke racing law when NYRA overcharged bettors millions in commissions. Hayward has denied any wrongdoing.

The new executives include president Ellen McClain, who had been chief financial officer under Hayward; financial officer Suzanne Stover; general counsel Kenneth Handal; and the latest addition, chief marketing officer Rodnell Workman, who is also a vice president.

For weeks, NYRA spokesmen have refused to provide any details about Workman. He received the most attention at the meeting from oversight board members, who have long been concerned about NYRA's limited marketing efforts and the challenges faced by the racing industry as it attempts to attract new fans.

Workman, who held posts at Madison Square Garden Co. and the National Football League before joining NYRA a few weeks ago, said he is trying to make the NYRA brand more recognizable. Facebook and Twitter, for example, are being used to score with younger people, he said.

Workman said he is trying to find ways to make the track relevant to a new generation of fans.

He said he could not discuss his salary, and McClain would not take questions from reporters.