Queens Power List honors the leaders driving the borough forward – QNS

Queens’ spirit, strength and some of its many successes were on full display Oct. 20 as Schneps Media honored business leaders for their influence, impact and importance to the borough as part of the 2026 Queens Power List.

The group, from entrepreneurs to educators, aviation leaders to attorneys and healthcare providers to union leaders and non-profit professionals, gathered at Russo’s on the Bay to be honored, network and make connections.

“It takes a village, doesn’t it?” said Schneps Media President Vicki Schneps, who launched her company in Queens. “We have grown from one newspaper, starting in Bayside, in the beautiful borough of Queens, with four children, a dream and a prayer.”

620% of honorees were CEOs, 40% were C-suite executives and 70% were in executive leadership, with representatives from nearly 60 companies and organizations, she said.

Schneps Media donated raffle proceeds to the Queens Centers for Progress, serving children and adults with developmental disabilities. Founded in 1950, QCP seeks to remove barriers, serving more than 1,500 people in Queens.

“We meet people from all different industries,” said Bruce Flanz, president and CEO of the MediSys Health Network. “Just like Queens, this is a very diverse group of people. Queens is the most culturally diverse of the counties in the United States. Look at how beautiful the diversity is here.”

The MediSys Health Network includes Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Flushing Hospital Medical Center and numerous other entities. “I don’t look at this as an individual accomplishment,” Flanz said. “I look at this as representing all 7,000 of our employees being recognized.”

Leadership of Labor Honoree Jack O’Donnell, managing partner at O’Donnell & Associates, said the group unites people across industries.

“Being included has been great. To be here, among everyone and celebrating together,” O’Donnell said. “And getting to hear about the things these people do every day and the difference they are making in Queens, New York, and America.”

While some honorees have roots around the globe, others have spent their lives in the borough.

“I’m from Queens, USA,” said Emmy Award-winning Spectrum News NY1 journalist and event emcee Cheryl Wills. “Born in Elmhurst Hospital, raised in the Rockaways. I’m Queens through and through. When Queens is happening, I have to be here.”

Education excellence

Queens College Interim President Elizabeth Field Hendrey saw this as a night when people from a wide range of industries could interact.

“I enjoy seeing the community come together,” she said. “I’ve run into quite a few alumni at the event, talking to people in the school about how we can work together.”

Graham Browne, founder and CEO of Forte Preparatory Academy Charter School, agreed it’s important for educators to meet those in other fields.

“It’s useful to connect with people who are making a difference in our borough,” he said. “And folks that I might not, as a school leader, get to connect with otherwise.”

He leads a college preparatory middle and high school that is graduating its first class of 12th graders.

“We moved into our forever high school home this year,” Browne said. “I’m excited to see where they go and what they do next.”

A big project in the borough

Resorts World New York City Senior Vice President of Community Development Michelle Stoddart described the night as a way to connect with community groups and companies.

“It’s a magnificent way to meet organizations supporting the community,” Stoddart, who won the Community Stewardship Award, said. “It’s a fantastic networking opportunity to discuss potential partnerships, how we can support each other, and do the work to make Queens better.”

Resorts World, which launched live table games April 28, is opening its international room, one of its first luxury lounges, at noon Oct. 22.

“We are really seeing business coming in to New York that would have normally gone to Atlantic City, Philadelphia or Connecticut,” Stoddart said.

Aviation’s economic engines

The night also spotlighted aviation leaders, with airports framed not simply as travel hubs but as engines of commerce. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Deputy Chief of Intergovernmental and Community Affairs Hersh Parekh quantified the financial impact.

He said the Port Authority and its partners are investing nearly $30 billion in transforming LaGuardia and JFK as “gateways to New York and the country.”

“It’s critically important that we are connected to our neighbors and other organizations investing in the future of this borough,” Parekh said. “That’s what this event allows us to do, meet, network, partner with and explore ways to make Queens an even better community.”

Others talked about airports’ role in the local economy as a job engine, as well as connecting the borough to the globe.

“It’s how my family migrated to this country,” Akshar Patel, manager of external affairs and community outreach for the JFK Redevelopment Program, said of JFK. “A lot of my friends and family worked here. It provided us opportunities to be part of the middle class.”

The Port Authority over the next six months plans to open two new terminals at JFK, a significant milestone in the airport’s redevelopment.

Health honors

Vice President of Behavioral Health Services at Episcopal Health Services Tanya Barros talked about the importance of mental health.

“We maintain our priorities in patient care and behavioral health, increasing access to behavioral health services, demystifying mental health,” she said. “There’s stress, isolation and stigma.”

Director of Nursing and Finance Operations at Episcopal Health Services Debra Als won the Caribbean Impact Award.

“While I wasn’t looking for it, when it came, being recognized at this forum made it even more special,” Als, who has worked in healthcare for more than 25 years, said. “This is the first time I’ve been recognized in an event like this.”

While some people had been honored before, others said a public pat on the back is a powerful recognition.

“This is my first time coming to one of these events,” said Kimberley Augustin, a family nurse practitioner at the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center. “They recognized the work I do in the community. It’s a very diverse crowd of people.”

For many in the room, the night was as much about the connections made as the honors received, a fitting tribute to a borough whose strength has always come from its people and the work they do for one another.

Schneps Media’s Power List series continues to recognize the leaders shaping communities across the region. To nominate someone for a future event, contact Events@SchnepsMedia.com.