Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

New Class of Brooklyn Community Board Members Inducted, Including First-Ever Teen Appointees

Photo: Kathryn Kirk/Brooklyn BP's Office Last Tuesday, at Brooklyn Borough Hall, Borough President Eric L.
community board members, new, Eric Adams, induction
Photo: Kathryn Kirk/Brooklyn BP's Office

Last Tuesday, at Brooklyn Borough Hall, Borough President Eric L. Adams inducted the new class of members for Brooklyn's eighteen community boards, including teenage appointees for the first time, part of an effort he has launched to advance youth involvement in the borough's civic matters.

Community boards are the most local representative bodies of government in New York City-- responsible for dealing with land use issues, assessing neighborhood needs, and addressing community concerns.

The sixteen and seventeen-year-olds will hold seats in Brooklyn Community Boards 2, 3, 6, 9, 11, and 16 for two-year terms.

"Community boards are important institutions that promote healthy civic engagement," said Borough President Adams. "I am proud of my role in working closely with all of our board members to assist their neighborhood advocacy and to speak out on their behalf when their voice needs a helping hand. This year's class of new appointees reflects the diverse set of backgrounds from across our borough, and for the first time includes the critical presence of our young people, something I have been dedicated to advancing in our public sphere."

In addition to the youth appointees, notable new members that represent Borough President Adams' goal of having diverse skill sets on community boards include:

  • Joel Landau of Williamsburg, a building manager joining Community Board 1
  • Kate Davey of Boerum Hill, a freelance writer joining Community Board 2
  • Adrian Sinclair of Bedford-Stuyvesant, an adolescent health educator joining Community Board 3
  • Sandra Nurse of Bushwick; a carpenter and former United Nations consultant joining Community Board 4
  • Ronald Modeste, a laundromat entrepreneur operating in Cypress Hills and joining Community Board 5
  • Joanna Oltman Smith of Park Slope, a full-time mom and community activist joining Community Board 6
  • Ramon Acevedo of Sunset Park, a retired NYPD sergeant joining Community Board 7
  • Yahya Raji of Crown Heights, a non-profit executive director joining Community Board 8
  • Zorina Frederick of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, a driving school owner joining Community Board 9
  • Ramsey Joudeh of Bay Ridge, an attending physician joining Community Board 10
  • Robert Whittaker of Gravesend, a bus operator and Eagle Scout joining Community Board 11
  • Hyman Shamah of Midwood, an apparel company president joining Community Board 12
  • Michael Russo, a restaurant co-owner operating in Coney Island joining Community Board 13
  • Jo Ann Brown of Ditmas Park, a nutrition graduate student joining Community Board 14
  • Joe Shamie of Gravesend, president of a children's furniture company joining Community Board 15
  • Carlos Diaz of Brownsville, a teacher joining Community Board 16
  • Nadya Stevens of East Flatbush, a union organizer joining Community Board 17
  • Violine Roberty of Flatlands, a credit risk analyst joining Community Board 18



Comments