About Us



We strive to make NYC work.

The 5BORO Institute is an innovative, action-oriented think tank advancing creative solutions to strengthen NYC. We exist to help solve NYC’s most challenging problems. We believe our city must remain vibrant, dynamic, and diverse — a home for New Yorkers to thrive in and a destination for trailblazers, immigrants, and visionaries.

We partner with policymakers, the private sector, academia, and community leaders to bring best practices to government and tackle complex issues with innovative thinking and actionable plans. The 5BORO Institute is headquartered at New York Law School and is a 501c3 non-profit organization within the Fund for the City of New York’s fiscal sponsorship network

Our Team

Grace Rauh

Executive Director

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Tasfia Nayem

Chief of Staff

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Our Leaders

The 5BORO Institute is led by our Board Co-Chairs, Tom Allon and Raj Goyle. Tom Allon is a media entrepreneur and the founder and publisher of the media company City & State. Raj Goyle is a lawyer, tech founder and executive with deep roots in politics and advocacy. Together, the two of them guide 5BORO’s work to improve NYC’s future.

The 5BORO Institute was founded in 2022 by Tom Allon and the late Dick Ravitch, a lawyer, businessman, and legendary figure in New York civic life who served as Lieutenant Governor of New York and chairman and CEO of the MTA. Together, they established the 5BORO Institute to secure our city’s future.

Our Board

Our board is comprised of business and community leaders from diverse sectors in NYC and government veterans who served at the highest levels of New York City and State. These leaders are deeply committed to our city’s future and understand how to effectively create change in NYC. Board members marked with * also serve on 5BORO’s Executive Committee.

Tom Allon * (Co-Chair)

City & State

Raj Goyle * (Co-Chair)

Goyle Ventures

The Late Richard Ravitch (Co-Founder and Co-Chair Emeritus)

Former Lieutenant Governor

Steve Anderson

APLnyc & InfrastructureUSA

Kamal Bherwani *

GCOM

Dr. Erik Blutinger

Mount Sinai

Marie Boster

Fifth Avenue Association

Michael Braun

Kasirer

Ariana Caplan Marra

Microsoft

Fred Cerullo

Grand Central Partnership

Eileen Cifone

National Grid

Neill Coleman

Mission Magnified Consulting

Lou Coletti

Building Trades Employers Association

Brian Ellner

WPP

Rafael Espinal

Freelancers Union

Sarah Feinberg

Feinberg Strategies and Former NYC Transit President

Hal Fetner

Fetner Properties

Henry Garrido

DC37

Audrey Gelman

Six Bells and The Wing

Dan Gerstein

Gotham Ghostwriters

Teresa Gonzalez

Bolton St. John’s

Martin Hassner

Liberal Party of NY

Jesse Horwitz

Founder Agora

Camille Joseph

Charter Communications

Maya Kurien

REBNY

Neal Kwatra

MPS

Jason Laidley

Moonshot Strategies

Caitlin Lewis

Work for America

David Lombino

Two Trees

Holly Lynch

Holly Lynch Consulting

Kerri Lyon

SKDK

Elsie McCabe Thompson

Mission Society of NY

Charles O’Byrne

Related Companies

David Picket *

Gotham Organization

Angela Pinsky

Google

Andrew Rasiej

Civic Hall

Arthur Samuels

MESA Charter

Julie Samuels

Founder Tech:NYC

Jessica Schumer *

Amazon

Karla Silverman

Center for Health Care Strategies

Basil Smikle

Hunter College

Martha Stark

NYU Wagner

Carter Strickland

Trust for Public Land

Nick Suplina

Everytown for Gun Safety

Milton Tingling

Former NYS Supreme Court Justice

Jessica Walker

Manhattan Chamber of Commerce

Daniel Zarrilli

Columbia University