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Administration Cabinet and Senior Staff

	Steven M. Casey – First Deputy Mayor/Administration Steve Casey possesses over 18 years of public service, including 13 years of senior management experience. He served in the administration of former Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski as Senior Executive Assistant, and also with the New York State Senate as Deputy Director of Communications, Legislative Director, Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor. As First Deputy Mayor, Steve utilizes his management skills in overseeing the Executive Staff, Inter-Governmental Relations, the Department of Communications, Administration and Finance, Human Resources and Community Service. Currently Steve sits on the Board of Directors for the Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corporation and the Buffalo Police Athletic League. He is also a former board member of the Allentown Association. He holds a B.A. in Communications from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Steve and his wife Pamela reside in North Buffalo with their two children, Andrew and Sean.

	Donna Brown – Deputy Mayor/Administration A 1983 graduate of D’Youville College with a B.S. in Business Management/English, Deputy Mayor Donna M. Brown comes to the administration of Mayor Byron W. Brown after over five years as Director of Community Relations for LP Ciminelli, coordinating the company’s interaction with elected officials and community leaders on the ten-year, $1 billion Joint Schools Construction Project in the Buffalo Public School District. Following her years overseeing the company’s M/WBE business development initiatives, managing mentoring programs in collaboration with the Buffalo Public Schools, coordinating and executing LPCiminelli’s public communications strategies and serving as a direct point of contact with community based organizations, Ms. Brown was promoted in November 2007 to the position of Assistant Vice President of LPCiminelli Solutions. Ms. Brown also served as a community developer for the Kensington Bailey Neighborhood Services. She began her professional career first at General Motors and later HSBC, where she engaged in analytical research, annual budget planning studying conditions related to operational and client services.

	Brian Reilly – Commissioner, Department of Economic Development, Permit and Inspection Services Brian Reilly is an innovative leader with over 15 years of public and non profit sector program and policy experience in land use and economic planning, construction and real estate, public process design, community engagement and sustainable development. Prior to coming to Buffalo, Reilly led Cleveland’s 106-member Economic Development Department, and while in Milwaukee he managed the City’s 1,200-acre Menomonee River Valley redevelopment. His work garnered national recognition including Sierra Club’s “Best 10 New Developments in the US (2006).” Before city government, Brian created the Johnson Foundation’s national program on Sustainable Development at its Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Wingspread conference center in Racine, Wisconsin. Brian Reilly holds a Master’s degree in International Peace Studies from the Kroc Institute at the University of Notre Dame. He served as a US naval officer on a guided missile cruiser and NATO flagship after being commissioned from Notre Dame and earning a B.A. in American Studies.

	Janet Penksa – Commissioner, Administration, Finance, Policy and Urban Affairs In 1983, Janet Penksa began her career in the State Legislature as a graduate scholar on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. She was ultimately appointed Secretary (Chief of Staff) to the Ways and Means Committee in 1993, becoming the first woman in the history of New York State to oversee one of the three key state fiscal departments in Albany (Senate Finance Committee and the Governor’s Division of the Budget being the other two departments). She later served as an associate vice president at the University at Buffalo (1998-2005), directing the University’s Office of Government Affairs and also served as a Director of the then newly formed Erie County Fiscal Stability Board (2005). Penksa recently represented the City of Buffalo in the State Capitol, working for the Albany-based firm of Hinman Straub, P.C. With Penksa leading Buffalo’s efforts during the 2006 state legislative session, the City of Buffalo secured over $700 million in state funding.

	Martin Kennedy – Commissioner, Assessment and Taxation Marty Kennedy brings a wealth of knowledge to this important city department and I am confident he will lead this department well as Commissioner, said Mayor Brown. His years of public sector experience coupled with his private sector background will help with his new responsibilities in leading the Department of Assessment and Taxation in the future. Martin Kennedy has worked in the Department of Assessment and Taxation for the past 17 years and was most recently in the position of Assessor. He has 21 years of real estate experience in the private sector, is a graduate of Bryant and Stratton and also completed coursework at Erie Community College and the University at Buffalo. He also served in the US Army. I want to thank Mayor Brown for the opportunity to lead the Department of Assessment and Taxation, said Kennedy. I will continue the excellent work of my predecessor and I look forward to working with the Brown Administration to improve and enhance the Department’s service to residents of Buffalo.

	Karla Thomas – Commissioner, Human Resources Karla Thomas is the first African American and the first African American woman to receive the distinguished appointment of Commissioner of Human Resources for the City of Buffalo. She comes to City Hall with over 13 years human resource experience in progressively responsible positions at Hammermill Paper Company, Moog Inc., Motorola Inc., and Leica Inc. Karla’s most recent public sector employment was with the Erie County Water Authority where she served as Director of Human Resources from 2005-2008. Karla also spent 3 years as Chief of Staff to the 141st District New York State Assembly member, 6 years in Erie County government as Executive Assistant to the Majority Leader and Chief of Staff to the 7th District Erie County Legislator. This broad background in public and private sector Human Resources, as well as multi-level municipal government administrative experience is what shaped her collaborative and progressive leadership style. Karla holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Development from Medaille College.

	Michael L. Lombardo – Commissioner, Buffalo Fire Department A 22-year veteran of the Buffalo Fire Department, Michael Lombardo has earned a reputation as a “fire fighter’s fire fighter” and is acknowledged as one of nation’s leading authority’s on fire operations. Awarded 13 medals for heroism, Lombardo, formerly a Captain in the Department and acting Battalion Chief in the 3rd Battalion, has taught and consulted on operations issues as a national fire service trainer in fire departments across the United States and Canada. As the current Captain of the Department’s Rescue Company 1, Lombardo responds to all fires, haz-mat calls and technical rescues in the city.

	H. McCarthy Gipson – Commissioner, Buffalo Police Department A thirty-five year law enforcement veteran, H. McCarthy Gipson has served in both the Buffalo Police Department and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. Prior to his appointment as Commissioner, he served as Superintendent of the Erie County Holding Center, later being promoted to Chief Deputy, where he participated in the command of approximately 1,000 law enforcement employees in Erie County. Commissioner Gipson began his law enforcement career with the Buffalo Police Department in 1971. He rose through every leadership position within the Department until he retired as a Captain in 1998. His experience includes Department Lieutenant, where supervised police officers and detectives; Precinct Commander, managing and directing daily operations of a Patrol Precinct; head of the Professional Standards Division, directing, managing and investigating acts of misconduct or malfeasance by police employees; and the Staff Inspections Unit, where he implemented, directed and administered the department’s internal drug testing program, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and the Chaplaincy Program.

	Peter K. Cutler – Director of Communications Since beginning his professional career at ABC-News in 1980, Peter Cutler has worked in a variety of communications, public relations and public affairs positions in the private and public sectors. A staff member to former Governor Mario Cuomo and Mayor Anthony Masiello, Peter also served as Director of Communications to the Albany County Airport Authority during its four-year, $300 million modernization program and, most recently, was Senior Public Affairs Counselor with Travers Collins & Company, a Buffalo-based marketing communications company. Peter has a B.A. in History from Lake Forest College (Illinois).

	Steven Stepniak – Public Works Commissioner Public Works Commissioner Steven Stepniak has previous experience working as the Senior Engineer for the City of Buffalo Division of Engineering, which has given him the opportunity to develop extensive administrative and organizational skills. Mr. Stepniak has also worked as Director of Street Cleaning and Snow Removal, where he gained leadership experience through controlling the daily activities of a multi-functional department. Stepniak majored in Communications at Canisius College and has specialized training in Risk and Technical Management, Hazard Communications, and Engineering.

	Tanya Perrin-Johnson – Commissioner, Community Services Ms. Perrin-Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA of Western New York since 1998, possesses an exceptional track record and commitment to women's issues, as well as a reliable and experienced facilitator and trainer in leadership development, diversity and inclusion, capacity building, governance, managing change and achieving results. She is an accomplished professional with a wealth of experience in the development and delivery of health and human service programs. Ms. Perrin-Johnson has managed a multi-million dollar organization, employing 250 plus individuals, serving over 12,000 women, children and families per year. She is a graduate of Syracuse University (Bachelor of Science) and Master of Science (Education) degree holder from Canisius College. Ms. Perrin-Johnson has a distinguished career leading the YWCA, which provides services in 69 locations throughout three counties in Western New York (Erie, Niagara & Cattaraugus). Among her responsibilities as CEO of the YWCA, Ms. Perrin-Johnson insured that the organization's programs and services were aligned and in concert with its mission and vision. As Commissioner of Community Services, she will oversee contract administration and compliance, the Division of Senior Services, the Division of Substance Abuse, Section 3, the Youth Bureau and the Division for Workforce Employment Training. The department has 54 employees and has an annual budget of $2.4 million.

	Oswaldo Mestre, Jr. – Director, Division of Citizen Services Oswaldo Mestre has a strong background in human services, developing programs systems and community development initiatives in not-for-profit and governmental organizations. Since 1997, Oswaldo has headed the Buffalo Weed and Seed Program, which was awarded the New York State Attorney General's Neighborhood Watch Award of Excellence in 2003. Oswaldo began his human service career in 1991 as a Senior Youth Counselor at St. Augustine's Center, Inc. Oswaldo has studied in Public Policy and Administration at the University at Buffalo.

	Otis T. Barker, Sr. – Director, Division for Youth Otis Barker has over 24 years of results-oriented experience in staff management, project management, budgeting and planning, and product/market research. Since 1996, he has served on the staff of former New York State Assembly Deputy Speaker Arthur O. Eve and, most recently, as Director of Community Relations for State Senator Byron Brown, where he oversaw constituent services. Otis has a B.A. in Communications from the State University of New York at Fredonia.