New Directors for Business Council of Westchester

The Business Council of Westchester has announced the election of six new members to its Board of Directors: Kevin Bovet, Heidi Davidson, Taryn Duffy, Eon Nichols, Patricia Simone and Mark Weingarten.

“We are very pleased and honored to have such a talented group of business leaders joining our board of directors. They bring a tremendous depth of experience in a wide range of fields from law to sports marketing to real estate to government affairs. We look forward to their insights and perspectives as we move ahead in 2016 with exciting new programs and initiatives,” said Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester. 

“As Chairman, I feel very fortunate to have such a distinguished and outstanding group of professionals elected to our board. They are all leaders in their respective fields and will be a true asset to our board,” said BCW Chairman Anthony Justic.

Kevin Bovet is Vice President of Sales and Business Operations, Westchester Knicks (NBA Development League, NY Knicks affiliate). He is responsible for leading the day-to-day operation of the Westchester Knicks and partnering with the respective divisional leadership in the execution of marketing partnership sales, team tickets sales, event presentation and the overall game-day fan experience, as well as marketing and MSG Networks to optimize visibility for the team. Mr. Bovet brings experience in project management, business development and operations. Prior to joining The Madison Square Garden Company, he was Director of Business Development for Hoop It Up 3x3 with the North American Sports Group (NASG). A native of Switzerland, Mr. Bovet received his undergraduate degree in Economics and Law from Gymnase de Burier, and a Master of Sports Sciences in Sports Management and Marketing from the University of Lausanne.

Heidi Davidson is a marketing and communications executive with more than 20 years of experience helping companies of all sizes tell their stories. Through the firm she co-founded, Galvanize Worldwide, she serves on the advisory board of a number of start-ups in the New York area and works with venture capital funds to evaluate investment opportunities. In addition, she lends her crisis communications, issues management and reputation management expertise to G.F. BUNTING+CO to support the growth of the firm’s rapidly expanding New York practice. Most recently, Ms. Davidson spent four years as part of the turn-around team at BlackBerry in the roles of Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing and before that Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications. Prior to that, she worked at MasterCard Worldwide at its global headquarters in Purchase for 11 years. Ms. Davidson was recently named to the PR News list of Top Women in PR.

Taryn Duffy is the Director of Public Affairs at Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway where she oversees lobbying and political activities, and manages civic engagement and community relations. She began her career as a litigation paralegal in California and then returned to New York to work at a law firm. Her entrance into the political arena began with working for New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and then the team of Jeff Klein in his 2004 New York State Senate bid. She has worked on dozens of political campaigns and briefly served as Director of Admissions for Mercy College before taking her current position at Empire City. Duffy also has a long history of volunteer service and civic engagement including awards for the 2015 Women of Influence Celebration Honoree and the 2013 City and State Magazine’s Above and Beyond Award.

Eon Nichols is a Partner in the Real Estate/Transactional department at Cuddy and Feder LLP, where his practice includes both commercial and residential real estate, real estate financing, commercial lending transactions and leasing. Some of Mr. Nichols previous transactions include a $247 million straight-lease transaction with the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency and a property purchase from the City of White Plains for $15.5 million, all on behalf of one national developer. He was also listed as a ‘Super Lawyer’ in 2013/14 and was the recipient of the ‘2013 Rising Star: 40 Under 40 Award’ honoring young professionals in Westchester County demonstrating excellence in their profession. Mr. Nichols also has a long background of community service including involvement in the Westchester Community College Foundation and the Carver Center Board of Directors.

Patricia Simone is President of Simone Management Group, a division of Simone Development Companies, a full service real estate investment and development company. A graduate of Emory University with a Bachelor’s degree in economics, Ms. Simone began her real estate career as an intern at Cushman & Wakefield, absorbing in-depth and real-time knowledge about property management and the leasing of Class A office space and high-end retail space in Manhattan. She joining Simone Development Companies, she worked her way through a variety of challenges and assignments focused on the development process, while taking on increasing responsibilities for Simone’s property management and leasing activities. During her early years at Simone as a full-time employee, she simultaneously attended the NYU Shack Institute of Real Estate, earning a Master’s degree Cum Laude.

Mark Weingarten is a partner at DelBello, Donnellan, Weingarten, Wise & Wiederkehr, LLP, a highly successful law firm with thirteen practice groups dedicated to assisting companies and individuals achieve their goals. He is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and the Land Use and Zoning and Government Relations practice groups. Mr. Weingarten represents developers and owners of commercial and residential real property and acts as an advisor to clients on other complex commercial matters. His career in law spans 30 years and includes his work with billions of dollars of land use and development approvals for urban renewal, infill, commercial and residential projects, totaling millions of square feet of development in the Hudson Valley region. Mr.Weingarten was recently cited in the New York Times as one of the top five land use attorneys in Westchester and was listed in the New York Super Lawyers Metro Edition for 5 years.

About The Business Council of Westchester
The county’s largest and most influential business membership organization, The Business Council of Westchester is committed to helping businesses market, learn, advocate and grow. In addition, The Business Council of Westchester is actively involved in reviewing federal, state and county legislation and regulations in order to assess the potential impact on the business community and to influence the outcomes through advocacy when the business community’s interests may be affected. It also acts as an information resource for the business community and government leaders at all levels.