R. A. Harding
Guest
FEDERAL BUREAU of PRISONS
(2003-2008)
President
NEW YORK CITY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (1998-2002)
Successfully led multi-billion dollar housing finance corporation with 120 employees.
• Tasked to turnaround underperforming housing finance agency; advised NYC mayor on housing policy.
• Won board approval to triple projects, double number of units financed over prior five years.
• Within first year, reorganized corporate structure; broadly expanded NYC’s middle-income housing programs; increased annual corporate revenue by double digits in difficult low interest rate environment.
• Created first ever assisted-living housing program for middle-income elderly; developed Workouts and Review Division to monitor troubled projects; administered seventy Section 8 projects for HUD, totaling 7000 units of low-income housing.
Executive Vice President
NEW YORK CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (1996-1998)
Directed Corporate Communications Department — comprised of Public Relations, Marketing, Creative Services, and Tourism — for City’s primary liaison to business community.
• Conceived and implemented first multi-million dollar international campaign to promote NYC as an ideal location to do business; campaign included first-time integrated use of television, radio, print, and Web marketing. Resulted in dramatic 800% increase in leads.
• Oversaw five-person press operation; maintained daily contact with mayoral press office to coordinate EDC and City Hall press strategies; planned and executed over 50 mayoral events to announce the beginning or the completion of major EDC events.
Coordinator of Inter-Governmental Affairs
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR THE HON. RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI (1994-1996)
Served as Mayor’s chief liaison to White House Inter-Governmental Office, foreign governments, governors, Congress, and state legislatures.
• Oversaw Mayor’s legislative offices that lobby Washington, Albany, and the NYC Council; coordinated those efforts with all forty-plus NYC agencies.
• Approved the hiring of inter-governmental personnel at all city agencies.
• Performed city-wide analysis of agencies’ grants procurement performance; established Mayor’s Office of Grants Administration, which centralized, modernized, and standardized NYC’s outdated grants process.
• Acted as Mayor’s principal representative on issues dealing with the five borough presidents, the Public Advocate and the City Comptroller.
Director, Intergovernmental Relations
Office of the Mayor-Elect
Nov 93 - Jan 94
Director, Surrogate Speakers Program,
Giuliani For New York
Aug 93 - Nov 93
Director — Corporate Communications
EMI RECORDS GROUP, N.A. (1993)
Headed media planning for America ‘S fourth largest record label.
• Responsible for all corporate press contacts and special events; implemented internal and external public relations strategy.
• Charged by the President and CEO with projecting a positive image of the company and its top executives, as well as communicating a clear corporate structure following several acquisitions and reorganizations.
Vice President
PATTERSON & McLAUGHLIN COMMUNICATIONS, INC. (1991-1993)
Managed high-profile lobbying and public relations firm with blue-chip clients.
• Expert with developing proactive client strategies, drafting legislation, and maintaining ongoing press relations on behalf of clients such as Donald Trump, Bell Atlantic, The New York Post, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Philip Morris.
• Other responsibilities included office procurement, employee payroll, company tax filing, and complying with all city-lobbying laws.
Director, Surrogate Speakers Program
Giuliani Mayoral Campaign,
May 89 - Nov 89
Legislative Correspondent
OFFICE OF U. S. SENATOR ALFONSE D‘AMATO (1987-1989)
One of the Senator’s Washington liaisons between constituents and federal agencies.
• Drafted position statements on behalf of the Senator for use in responding to constituent inquiries in areas of taxes, energy, budget, environment, banking, and agriculture.
• Wrote floor statements and conducted research for legislative assistants; attended and prepared summaries of committee hearings.
Education
Clark University, Worcester, MA. (1983-1987)
Major: Government Minor: International Relations
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
HDC
Functioned as the chief executive officer of the city’s sole not-for-profit corporation established to facilitate the investment of private capital in the creation of affordable housing in New York City. In 2001, the corporation financed the development
of 2,608 units of housing, issued more than $451 million in bonds and generated $186 million in revenues.
HDC has $3.9 billion in assets. (2/02)
• Expanded and tailored HDC’s Middle Income Housing Program to increase its flexibility. Led to the financing of more than 3,000 units, including HDC’s first elderly assisted living projects.
• Changed policy to allow for investment in commercial paper, which helped to produce approximately $38 million in investment income in 2001 for the corporation.
• Created division of marketing and public relations, which, for the first time, has generated regular coverage of HDC and its programs in The New York Times and the New York Daily News
• Initiated the implementation of corporate-wide disaster recovery procedures prior to September 11, 2001, which were invaluable in restoring operations.
• Increased HDC revenues and corporate reserves to record levels.
• Oversaw the initiation of an integrated marketing program designed to market home ownership to New York City residents, whose rate of home ownership is the lowest in the country.
• Initiated the development of the corporation’s first stand-alone Web site.
•Initiated a corporate relocation completed in seven months and more than $1 million under budget.
• Reorganized the corporate structure to improve accountability and increase responsibility for junior staff.
• Developed executive team to ensure on-going strategic business operations.
• Initiated a migration to Oracle applications that allows for electronic sharing of core data between departments for the first time.
• Initiated and oversaw the implementation of HDC’s first employee handbook
EDC:
The executive vice president in charge of corporate communications directs a staff of 23 and an $8 million budget in handling the corporation’s marketing and public relations efforts. EDC is the city’s only corporation created to stimulate business development and generate jobs in the five boroughs through public-private initiatives. EDC generated $491 million in revenue arid issued $294 million in bonds in FY 1997.
• Created the award-winning “Plug n’ Go” campaign with the Alliance for Downtown New York to attract new media companies to internet-ready office space in Lower Manhattan’s Silicon Alley.
• Oversaw the creative development and production of seven campaigns designed to promote individual aspects of the NYC business climate) e.g., “Back-to-School No Sales Tax Week,” “One City, One Fare,” and “Plug ‘n’ Go”.
• Selected private advertising firm and managed their handling of multi-million dollar national campaigns including “No Better Time” and “New York City. We Want Your Business.”
• Conducted international market research campaigns to identify New York City’s key business prospects.
• Established bi-weekly fax to the media to generate press coverage of positive aspects of doing business in New York City coverage in USA Today,The Washington Post The Miami Herald and The New York Times.
• Initiated and oversaw the development of the corporation’s first Web site.
• Issued over 200 press releases on mayoral and agency initiatives relevant to business in New York City.
• Initiated and secured funding for a $2 million overhaul of Management Information Systems (MIS), including installation of new cabling, the integration of databases, the upgrading of operating software.
• Oversaw the production of fifty corporate and mayoral events designed to announce the beginning or the completion of major EDC projects.
• Conceptualized and oversaw the development of a corporate trade show strategy, which included the creation of a booth as well as research and implementation of a trade show calendar.
CITY HALL:
Created and oversaw Offices of Intergovernmental Affairs and Grants Administration
for the Giuliani Administration
Drafted and implemented a comprehensive system designed to track the mayor’s intergovernmental and legislative efforts citywide - system included oversight of agency intergovernmental activity as well as support of the mayor’s local, state and federal lobbying efforts.
• Established and oversaw the Mayor’s Office of Grants Administration, which supervised city agencies in their spending of grant monies and acts as the city’s agent in procuring public and private grants.
• Oversaw the acquisition of a $4 million competitive grant from the Kellogg Foundation.
• Functioned as the mayor’s liaison to heads of state as well as local, state and federal elected officials and government
representatives.
• Served as Mayor Giuliani’s representative to various boards, commissions, and task forces.
