LIC’s Innovation, High Tech, and
Advanced Manufacturing Economy
Bartos Screening Room 11:15AM - 12:15PM
While other cities are just learning of the economic benefits of creating innovation-rich mixed-use
environments, LIC’s innovation economy is homegrown. How can we support and grow our diverse
businesses, designers, and innovators; and how can we encourage greater interaction between them
and with the larger community? What public and private spaces are needed to cultivate innovation
and community activities that make innovation districts greater than the sum of their parts? How can
we strengthen our training programs and better match residents with local businesses?
Ron Brachman
Cornell Tech
Ron Brachman is the Director of the Jacobs Technion-
Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech. Before coming to
Cornell Tech, Professor Brachman had a career in
research and leadership at Bell Labs, AT&T Labs,
DARPA, and Yahoo Labs. Professor Brachman has a B.S.
in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University and
Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University.
At Harvard, and throughout his career, his research
interests focused on Artificial Intelligence.
Jeff Merritt
City of New York -
Mayor’s Office of Tech and Innovation
Jeff Merritt prides himself on holding jobs that his
family has trouble explaining. He began his career
in war-torn former Yugoslavia, helping support local
democracy-building. After living in New York during
9/11, he decided to refocus his efforts at home, leading
a good government organization called the Center for
Civic Responsibility then founding Grassroots Initiative,
the nation’s first nonprofit election consulting firm. Jeff
made his first foray into city government in 2009 when
he helped organize the first online public elections in
U.S. history in partnership with the NYC Department of
Education. The following year, he became an advisor to
then Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.
Kate Wittels
HR&A Advisors
Kate Wittels is a principal at HR&A Advisors and
specializes in planning and creating public-private
partnerships within the tech and creative economies.
From Queens, New York to Sydney, Australia, she has
advised municipal entities and private tech and creative
organizations on how to grow local tech ecosystems,
create innovation districts, and ensure tech’s economic
benefits are accessible to all, regardless of income level
and social capital. Kate earned a Master of Science
in Real Estate Development from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban
Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in
Brooklyn with her husband and two young children.
Melva Miller (Moderator)
Deputy Queens Borough President
Melva Miller was appointed Deputy Borough President in
2015 after serving as Director of Economic Development
since 2007 for the Queens Borough President’s Office.
Miller leads and supports the economic development
agenda for the Borough President’s Office, from
business and job development, to housing to quality-oflife
to tourism and culture.
Paula Kirby
Plaxall
Paula Kirby is Managing Director of Plaxall, a pioneering
innovator in the thermoforming industry and a third-
generation family business which owns and manages
over a million square feet of property in LIC. Prior to
joining Plaxall in 2014, Paula worked in Europe for
over 20 years, notably as Head of Marketing for Prada
based in Milan, and as Deputy Director of Prada UK and
Head of Licensing for Alfred Dunhill while in London. A
Queens native who grew up in Forest Hills, Paula serves
on the Board of Trustees of the Queens Museum as Vice
Chair, the Board of Advisors of Mount Sinai Queens, and
the Board of the Long Island City BID.
Carol Conslato (Introduction)
Con Edison
Carol Conslato is the Director of Public Affairs for
Con Edison and is responsible for community and
government relations. She has held key management
roles at Con Edison in Corporate Planning, Energy
Efficiency, and Economic Development. Carol is a Vice
Chair of the board of the LIC Partnership.
Peter Weijmarshausen
Shapeways
Peter Weijmarshausen is the CEO and Co-Founder of
Shapeways, the world’s leading 3D printing marketplace
and community. Prior to Shapeways, Peter was the
CTO of Sangine, where he and his team designed and
developed satellite broadband modems. Peter was
also Director of Engineering at Aramiska, where he
was responsible for delivering a business broadband
service via satellite. Earlier in his career, Peter worked
as ICT manager for Not a Number where he facilitated
the adoption of the widely successful open source 3D
software Blender. Peter was born and raised in the
Netherlands and moved to New York City in 2010.