{"id":378878,"date":"2026-10-21T21:24:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T21:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/378878\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T21:24:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T21:24:08","slug":"queens-power-list-honors-the-leaders-driving-the-borough-forward-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/378878\/","title":{"rendered":"Queens Power List honors the leaders driving the borough forward \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Queens\u2019 spirit, strength and some of its many successes were on full display Oct. 20 as Schneps Media<\/a> honored business leaders for their influence, impact and importance to the borough as part of the 2026 Queens Power List.<\/p>\n

The group, from entrepreneurs to educators, aviation leaders to attorneys and healthcare providers to union leaders and non-profit professionals, gathered at Russo\u2019s on the Bay to be honored, network and make connections.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes a village, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d said Schneps Media President Vicki Schneps, who launched her company in Queens. \u201cWe have grown from one newspaper, starting in Bayside, in the beautiful borough of Queens, with four children, a dream and a prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe meet people from all different industries,\u201d said Bruce Flanz, president and CEO of the MediSys Health Network. \u201cJust 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MediSys Health Network includes Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Flushing Hospital Medical Center and numerous other entities. \u201cI don\u2019t look at this as an individual accomplishment,\u201d Flanz said. \u201cI look at this as representing all 7,000 of our employees being recognized.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leadership of Labor Honoree Jack O\u2019Donnell, managing partner at O\u2019Donnell & Associates, said the group unites people across industries.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing included has been great. To be here, among everyone and celebrating together,\u201d O\u2019Donnell said. \u201cAnd getting to hear about the things these people do every day and the difference they are making in Queens, New York, and America.\u201d<\/p>\n

While some honorees have roots around the globe, others have spent their lives in the borough.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m from Queens, USA,\u201d said Emmy Award-winning Spectrum News NY1 journalist and event emcee Cheryl Wills. \u201cBorn in Elmhurst Hospital, raised in the Rockaways. I\u2019m Queens through and through. When Queens is happening, I have to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Education excellence<\/p>\n

Queens College Interim President Elizabeth Field Hendrey saw this as a night when people from a wide range of industries could interact.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy seeing the community come together,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve run into quite a few alumni at the event, talking to people in the school about how we can work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graham Browne, founder and CEO of Forte Preparatory Academy Charter School, agreed it\u2019s important for educators to meet those in other fields.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s useful to connect with people who are making a difference in our borough,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd folks that I might not, as a school leader, get to connect with otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

He leads a college preparatory middle and high school that is graduating its first class of 12th graders.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe moved into our forever high school home this year,\u201d Browne said. \u201cI\u2019m excited to see where they go and what they do next.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

A big project in the borough<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a magnificent way to meet organizations supporting the community,\u201d Stoddart, who won the Community Stewardship Award, said. \u201cIt\u2019s a fantastic networking opportunity to discuss potential partnerships, how we can support each other, and do the work to make Queens better.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWe are really seeing business coming in to New York that would have normally gone to Atlantic City, Philadelphia or Connecticut,\u201d Stoddart said.\n<\/p>\n

Aviation\u2019s economic engines<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

He said the Port Authority and its partners are investing nearly $30 billion in transforming LaGuardia and JFK as \u201cgateways to New York and the country.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s critically important that we are connected to our neighbors and other organizations investing in the future of this borough,\u201d Parekh said. \u201cThat\u2019s what this event allows us to do, meet, network, partner with and explore ways to make Queens an even better community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others talked about airports\u2019 role in the local economy as a job engine, as well as connecting the borough to the globe.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s how my family migrated to this country,\u201d Akshar Patel, manager of external affairs and community outreach for the JFK Redevelopment Program, said of JFK. \u201cA lot of my friends and family worked here. It provided us opportunities to be part of the middle class.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Port Authority over the next six months plans to open two new terminals at JFK, a significant milestone in the airport\u2019s redevelopment.\n<\/p>\n

Health honors<\/p>\n

Vice President of Behavioral Health Services at Episcopal Health Services Tanya Barros talked about the importance of mental health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe maintain our priorities in patient care and behavioral health, increasing access to behavioral health services, demystifying mental health,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s stress, isolation and stigma.\u201d<\/p>\n

Director of Nursing and Finance Operations at Episcopal Health Services Debra Als won the Caribbean Impact Award.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I wasn\u2019t looking for it, when it came, being recognized at this forum made it even more special,\u201d Als, who has worked in healthcare for more than 25 years, said. \u201cThis is the first time I\u2019ve been recognized in an event like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

While some people had been honored before, others said a public pat on the back is a powerful recognition.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my first time coming to one of these events,\u201d said Kimberley Augustin, a family nurse practitioner at the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center. \u201cThey recognized the work I do in the community. It\u2019s a very diverse crowd of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Schneps Media\u2019s Power List series continues to recognize the leaders shaping communities across the region. To nominate someone for a future event, contact Events@SchnepsMedia.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Queens\u2019 spirit, strength and some of its many successes were on full display Oct. 20 as Schneps Media…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378879,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123,15717],"class_list":["post-378878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-queens-power-list"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}