Senior Staff Biographies

Mark J. F. Schroeder  – City Comptroller

Mark J.F. Schroeder brings 25 years of private sector experience to the city comptroller’s office, in addition to a decade as an elected official, a role in which he earned a reputation as an independent, tireless voice for his constituents in the state capitol and county hall.  “If Teddy Roosevelt came back to life to oppose Mark Schroeder, we’d have to think long and hard before backing TR,” said the Buffalo News, who also called Schroeder a “perpetual motion machine” with a “solid record of achievement” who “values the taxpayers’ dollar” and “stands up for what he thinks is right.”  Schroeder, a former state assemblyman and county legislator, said he ran for Buffalo City Comptroller because the people of Buffalo deserve a qualified, independent watchdog protecting their tax dollars.  “My business experience balancing multi-million corporate budgets, managing a team of professionals, and practicing fiscal discipline give me the background to manage the city’s finances,” said Schroeder, who served as vice president of two large corporations before his career in government.   “But being city comptroller is not just about dollars and cents - it is about knowing what is important to the citizens of Buffalo,” said Schroeder.  “It is about making sure their tax dollars are spent wisely, and in ways that will make their neighborhoods a better place to live.”  Schroeder grew up in South Buffalo, attending St. Thomas Aquinas School before graduating from Public School #72 and Bishop Timon High School. He earned an Associate’s degree from Erie Community College and a Bachelor’s degree from Empire State College.  After serving as a top executive in the corporate world, Schroeder left the private sector to serve as a county legislator in 2002. Upon taking office, he immediately founded the South Buffalo Education Center, which offers free G.E.D. classes and computer and vocational training. More than 500 students have earned their G.E.D since the school first opened its doors ten years ago.  Throughout his career in government, Schroeder has advocated that more resources and attention be devoted to adult education across the state.  The same year he opened the school, Schroeder also created The Greater South Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, which now has more than 300 members and holds several annual community events.  Schroeder was elected to the state Assembly in 2004, where he was widely known as an independent voice who would speak out on their behalf of his constituents, no matter what the consequences.  During his time in the Assembly, Schroeder wrote “Amanda’s Law,” which requires carbon monoxide detectors in all homes.  The law was named after a teen in his district, Amanda Hansen, who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while at a sleepover at a friend’s house.  Schroeder also sponsored legislation banning text messaging while driving, a law safeguarding children from sexual predators, and a plan that would take the redistricting process out of the hands of politicians and give it to an independent panel.  He also hosted an annual health fair in his district that offers free flu shots, blood pressure screening, wellness tests, and other health care services.    Schroeder was also the chairman of the Assembly Subcommittee on Autism, and created an inclusive panel of mental health professionals, autism advocates, and concerned parents with the mission of providing for better care for those afflicted with the disorder.  During his time in the county legislature and the Assembly, Schroeder spearheaded major capital projects in his district.  He teamed up with the Valley Community Association to construct a spectacular waterfront attraction, the Buffalo Riverfest Park, which opened last year in the city's historical Old First Ward neighborhood.  The Seneca Street Redevelopment Project made major physical upgrades, including new street lights, benches, waste receptacles, and paving, to the streetscape on one of Buffalo’s major commercial thoroughfares.  He teamed up with the civic organization Can U Dig It to create the Irish Heritage District on Abbott Road, which celebrates the Celtic culture of the South Buffalo neighborhood with Irish language street signs and gateway signage.   Since his election to public office, Schroeder has earned a reputation as someone his constituents can turn to when they have a problem, whether it be minor or major. He has also worked to ensure that veterans, young and old, get the care and assistance that they deserve.  Schroeder , a lifelong City of Buffalo resident, has three children – Matthew, Michael, and Allison – with his wife Kate Horan Schroeder.

Anne Forti-Sciarrino  – Deputy Comptroller

First Deputy Comptroller Anne Forti-Sciarrino has more than 35 years of experience managing the city’s finances, heading the city’s accounting division before being named to her current post in 2012.  Forti-Sciarrino began her career with the city in 1976 as an Assistant Accountant, rising through the ranks to eventually lead the accounting division as City Accountant.  During that span, she also served as Budget Examiner, Senior Accountant, Supervising Accountant, and Principal Accountant for the city.  As City Accountant, she led a division of 24 employees and was responsible for all of the city’s accounting functions, as well as preparing all financial reports.  Forti-Sciarrino earned her MBA from Canisius College in Buffalo, and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from SUNY Fredonia.  A member of the American Society of Women Accountants, Forti-Sciarrino is a past president of the organization’s Buffalo chapter.  A lifelong resident of Buffalo, Forti-Sciarrino lives in the city with her husband Jim, and has two daughters, Sarah and Laura. 

Robbie Ann McPherson  – Executive Assistant to the Comptroller, Communications and Intergovernmental Affairs

A native of Clarence, New York, Robbie Ann McPherson has worked in both corporate public relations and journalism throughout her 15 years of communications experience.  She began her career writing more than 200 entertainment reviews and feature stories for the Buffalo News, first as a Buffalo State College intern and later as a freelance writer.  After relocating to California she served as Community Relations Manager for a nonprofit affordable housing lender in Los Angeles, coordinating public-private partnership events, political efforts and projects with the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and the City of Long Beach, among many others.  She also worked as a television reporter in Montana, before finally returning to Buffalo in 2010.  She holds a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Buffalo State College, and is an honors graduate of Clarence Central High School.

Patrick J. Curry  – Special Assistant to the Comptroller

With experience in city, county, and state government, Patrick J. Curry has been a top advisor to Comptroller Schroeder for nearly a decade, in addition to being a published journalist and public relations specialist.  Prior to joining the comptroller’s office, Curry served as Chief of Staff for Schroeder during his three terms in the New York State Assembly.  As Chief of Staff, Curry was responsible for overseeing all communications, public relations, legislation, constituent service, and capital projects for Schroeder.  He had similar responsibilities when Schroeder was an Erie County Legislator, serving as his Communications Director.  A grandson of Irish immigrants, Curry was born and raised in Buffalo, graduating from City Honors School before earning a Bachelor’s Degree from the University at Albany in just over three years.  As a reporter for The Record, a daily newspaper out of Troy, NY, Curry wrote 45 published articles, 16 on the front page, during a five-month internship.  Also published on the front pages of The Record’s Region, Money, and Education sections, Curry covered local and national politics, crime, health care, education, business, technology, weather, and human interest stories for the newspaper.  Curry has broadcast experience in both television and radio.  He was an intern on CNN’s Connie Chung Tonight, in the network’s New York City Bureau, and was the host of The Pat Curry Show, a weekly radio program on WHLD-AM in Buffalo that discussed politics, sports, and current events.  Curry serves on the board of directors for the South Buffalo Education Center, which offers free GED test preparation, vocational training programs, and computer classes.  Since it was founded in 2002, more than 500 students have earned their GED at the South Buffalo Education Center, and thousands more have taken advantage of the training programs and computer classes.  An avid rugby player, Curry formerly served as Vice President of the South Buffalo Rugby Football Club, and continues to be involved with the team, both as a player and a member of the executive committee.  Curry has done pro-bono writing and public relations work for the South Buffalo Education Center and South Buffalo Rugby Club, and has written several pieces for the Greater South Buffalo Chamber of Commerce’s business directories and newsletters.  Curry is a homeowner in Buffalo with his wife, Katie.

William Ferguson - City Accountant

A certified public accountant with more than two decades of experience, William D. Ferguson brings a private sector background and mindset to the Department of Audit and Control’s accounting division.  Prior to being named the city’s top accountant, Ferguson was a Director at Toski & Co., P.C. (formerly Toski, Schaefer, & Co., P.C.), focusing on governmental, real estate, and non-profit clients of the local accounting firm.  This followed his tenure as Corporate Controller and Underwriter at a local real estate company.  Ferguson also spent more than a decade at two of the “Big 4” national accounting firms, as a Senior Manager at Ernst & Young, LLP, and a Staff Accountant at KPMG, LLP.  Ferguson earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the University at Buffalo’s Registered Accounting Program.  He lives in Buffalo with his wife Concetta and their three children, and has a grown stepdaughter.

Darryl Mcpherson is currently the City Auditor for the City of Buffalo’s Department of Audit and Control. As a deputy of the City’s elected Comptroller Andrew SanFilippo, Darryl heads the Division of Audit, which audits all City accounts and approves all checks issued by the City, including payroll. He made this move after serving for almost two and half years as Chief Counsel to the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority, the control board created by the State to oversee the City of Buffalo’s finances in 2003.  McPherson graduated from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 1992. While at the Law School, he served on the Student Bar Association for two terms and became Features Editor for the School’s newspaper, the Opinion. He previously graduated from Canisius High School and the State University College of New York at Buffalo.  After a short stint in private practice, he was appointed by Mayor Anthony Masiello to work for the City of Buffalo’s Law Department as an Assistant Corporation Counsel in 1994. During the majority of his time there, he served as counsel to the Common Council, researching and drafting legislation and legal opinions and advising numerous departments, including the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication, the Office of Licenses and the Zoning Board of Appeals. He was appointed as staff attorney to the Charter Revision Commission, which drafted the new City Charter approved by the electors of the City in 1999. In addition to his advisory duties, he negotiated cable and other utility franchises, litigated Charter and other municipal issues, personal injury matters and prosecuted violations of City ordinances. In 2003, he was appointed Deputy Corporation Counsel, the third ranking managing attorney in the department.  A member of the Erie County Bar Association since 1992, Darryl is a member of the Municipal and School Law Committee. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the Western New York Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, the Minority Bar Association of Western New York and the New York State Government Finance Officers Association.  Darryl was named one of Business First’s Forty Under 40 in 2001. He is a member of Leadership Buffalo, having graduated from the Class of 2003.   He has served on the boards of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Society, Inc., the New Group at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and is currently Vice President of the City Centre Condominium Association Board of Managers.  A lifelong City resident, Darryl enjoys living in downtown Buffalo.

Richard was appointed as the city’s Investment and Debt Management Officer in 2004 and is responsible for the day-to-day cash management of city’s financial resources.  Prior to joining the city, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Community Action Organization of Erie County where he was responsible for the development and implementation of the goals, policies and procedures relating to financial management, including cash flow analysis, budget, accounts payable & receivable and the procurement of banking relations. Previously, Richard had served for 20 years as the Cash Management Manager for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA). In that position, he was responsible for the supervision of all cash management staff, directing the NFTA’s investments and banking functions, and overseeing the preparation and analysis of various reports relating to those investments. Today, as the Investment and Debt Management Officer for the City of Buffalo, Richard is responsible for the issuance of debt for the City of Buffalo, the Buffalo City Schools, the Buffalo Municipal Water Finance Authority and the Sewer Authority. He works cooperatively with credit rating agencies, financial advisors, bond counsels, investment bankers, and other related City Departments to solidify all of the financial resources that flow through City Hall on a daily basis.  Richard is a 1982 graduate of Niagara University and has been a certified government financial manager since 1996.  Mr. Calipari is also a member of the NYS Government Finance Officers’ Association and the Association of Government Accountants.