News & Events
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli to Deliver 2009 City Tech Commencement Address on June 1
City Tech will mark the annual rite of passage for graduating students at its 69th Commencement Exercises on Monday, June 1, beginning at 10:30 a.m., in the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. President Russell K. Hotzler is expected to confer 1,848 degrees, including 1,057 associate and 791 baccalaureate.
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli will deliver the commencement address.
Thomas P. DiNapoli
Commencement Speaker
Thomas P. DiNapoli took office in February 2007 as the 54th Comptroller of the State of New York. In his short tenure, he has transformed the way the Comptroller’s office does business, increasing oversight of government spending, providing greater openness to the public and developing new opportunities for New York’s entrepreneurs.
DiNapoli, as the state’s chief fiscal officer, is responsible for managing its $154.5 billion pension fund, auditing the spending practices of all state agencies and local governments, overseeing the one million-member state and local government retirement system, reviewing the New York State and City budgets, approving state contracts, and administering the state Oil Spill Fund.
As part of his reform agenda, DiNapoli has changed the way the state pension fund operates to increase transparency and establish strong internal controls. He has committed $1 billion to the Emerging Manager Private Equity Program, designed to level the playing field and increase opportunities for minority and women-owned fund managers, and has made it a priority to invest in New York State companies, nearly doubling the pension fund’s in-state commitment.
DiNapoli also has instituted tough new ethics rules at the Office of the State Comptroller. By executive order, he has banned employees from accepting gifts and mandated ethics training for them. Using his position as one of the largest institutional investors in the world, DiNapoli has pushed for positive changes in the investment world, including implementing the strongest anti-genocide policy in the U.S. for companies doing business in Sudan. When the fall-out of the sub-prime mortgage crisis hit, DiNapoli urged the nation’s mortgage providers to identify long-term solutions for at-risk borrowers and prevent foreclosures.
DiNapoli recently launched a new website called Open Book New York to give the public a roadmap to follow their tax dollars, bringing more accountability to state spending. He also initiated a multi-pronged Green Initiative aimed at reducing the agency’s environmental impact and helping environmentally conscious businesses succeed.
Before becoming Comptroller, DiNapoli represented the 16th Assembly District in northwestern Nassau County for 20 years. During his tenure in the Assembly, DiNapoli chaired the Local Governments Committee and the Governmental Operations Committee. His five years as chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee earned him a reputation as one of the state’s leading voices on environmental issues.
Prior to his career in public service, DiNapoli was a manager in the telecommunications industry and served as an adjunct professor. He holds a master’s degree from The New School’s Graduate School of Management and Urban Professions and a bachelor’s degree in history from Hofstra University in Hempstead. DiNapoli is a lifelong resident of Nassau County.
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Ayesha Siddiqui
Class of 2009 Valedictorian
The class valedictorian is 34-year-old Ayesha Siddiqui, who is receiving a bachelor of technology degree in communication design (with a grade point average of 3.98 out of a possible 4.0). A married mother of two young sons, Siddiqui was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and grew up in a small town in Oman.
“I want to help bring peace and harmony to the world,” says Siddiqui, who is proud to be an American-Muslim, a Pakistani-American and a New Yorker. “I feel I can be a bridge between different faiths and cultures. I truly believe that effective visual communication can help resolve issues, conflicts. Design is a universal language – it speaks to so many people.” She intends to work as a graphic designer for non-profit organizations.
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Jhonatan Echavarria
Class of 2009 Salutatorian (second to the valedictorian)
The class salutatorian is 24-year old Jhonatan Echavarria, who is receiving a bachelor of technology degree in computer engineering technology. Born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Echavarria managed to overcome language barriers and the challenge of holding down two or three jobs at any given time to support himself and his parents while going to college full-time.
Originally enrolling at City Tech to earn an associate degree, Echavarria – through his participation in the College’s Emerging Scholars Program, Black Male Initiative and Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation – set the bar higher. He now plans on earning a PhD in electrical engineering and continuing his research on artificial intelligence, which he has presented at two conferences, with a publication in the works.
No honorary degrees will be conferred.
05.04.09
