ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she is nominating Hope Knight as the next president and CEO of Empire State Development (ESD) and as commissioner of the state’s Department of Economic Development.
Knight will serve as acting commissioner, president, and CEO until confirmation by the New York State Senate, Hochul’s office said.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo had appointed Patrick Foye as the interim president and CEO of ESD back in June, but Foye told Hochul that he decided against serving in the role, per a Sept. 7 article on the website of Long Island Business News. Foye had been serving as president, chairman, and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He was set assume the duties that Eric Gertler had previously held. Gertler departed ESD for the private sector earlier this year, according to a June 8 article on the website of the Albany Business Review.
About Knight
Knight has served as president & CEO of Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC) since 2015.
In that capacity, she has focused on advancing the economic growth, community building, and “sustainable” real-estate development that has “immeasurably revitalized and strengthened” the Southeast Queens region, Hochul’s office contended.
In addition, Knight also serves on the New York City Planning Commission, as a commissioner. Prior to leading GJDC, she was COO of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, overseeing more than $150 million in investments, leveraging more than $1 billion in private capital, and working on projects such as the East River Plaza, Potamkin East Harlem, and the Victoria Theater & Hotel.
Knight also served as VP at Morgan Stanley in the institutional equities division, U.S. and as VP of strategic planning and e-commerce at Morgan Stanley, Japan.
Earlier in her career, Knight worked at Accenture (NYSE: CAN) and in New York City government.
Knight holds a bachelor’s degree from Marymount Manhattan College and an MBA degree from the Graduate School of Business of the University of Chicago.