Creating a work culture that looks like the world we live in is at the core of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). These programs bring people from all walks of life together to work as one team toward common goals. Building on an inclusive culture often means investing time and resources into fostering relationships with all employees at the company. At Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC), President and CEO Shelton J. Haynes’ Administration understood the keen importance of building such an inclusive atmosphere to extract the best from their workforce.
When assuming the role President & CEO in 2021, Haynes set out to expand and strengthen RIOC leadership, eventually adding first-time assistant vice presidents for communications, administration, and public safety, as well as a chief of staff. With his background in leading organizational change, Haynes understood the need for CEOs to surround themselves with subject matter experts who offer unique perspectives.
Haynes expanded his executive team, to be inclusive in nature with an emphasis on getting things done. The executive team includes four women, and more than half are members of minority groups. “I let people write their own futures and carve their own paths here at RIOC. You can be, and go on to achieve just about anything, within reason; there are boundless opportunities for unlimited growth,” Haynes said.
Haynes himself became the first Black chief operations officer for RIOC when he joined the organization in 2016. He now serves as the second Black president in RIOC’s 39-year history. He understands the magnitude of his role, especially in light of recent reporting that shows while Black Americans make up 13.6% of the population, only 5.9% of all chief executives in the U.S. are black compared to the 85.7% that are white.
“To see the staggering statistic of Black chief executive officers in the United States is enough to sound the alarm and highlight the glaring need for representation,” Haynes said. “It certainly reenergizes me to do good work for our island community.”
The Balancing Act: Constructing A High Functioning Team & Remodeling RIOC
Created in 1984 by the state of New York, the RIOC is a public benefit corporation developed with a mission to design, develop, operate, and maintain Roosevelt Island.
Haynes’ administration has propelled the progress enjoyed by the many residents and millions of tourists who visit Roosevelt Island. When he assumed the president’s chair, Haynes commented, “Progress isn’t progress unless it benefits everyone.” It’s something he deeply vowed to protect at all costs.
Haynes first was named to his current position on an interim basis in 2020 before getting named to the position full-time in March 2021.
After hearing he’d take the helm of the state agency, Shelton Haynes began creating a 100-day master plan to reimagine the corporation amid a global pandemic. Haynes immediately knew he had to restructure the agency, bringing it to 21st-century standards across all departments with an emphasis on creating a robust work culture, increasing efficiency, and improving the quality of life for its residents.
Haynes attributes the attraction of first-class professionals to Reintroducing RIOC, an initiative started during his tenure as COO in 2016 that encompassed a rebranding and reorganization of the authority. Its goal was to make RIOC one of the leading public benefit corporations in New York State and, in doing so, restructure departments for efficiency; streamline processes and procedures; leverage technology to enhance work performance; realign staff members to positions that suit their strengths; bring in robust industry professionals; increase employee activities; invest in employees by providing training opportunities; and enhance internal and external communication.
With a plan in place, Shelton Haynes began restructuring RIOC, emphasizing top-tier individuals in roles he knew would set up the corporation for success. When asked about his approach to filling these roles with such a diverse team, Haynes said, “It’s an added bonus having complementary pieces who happen to be minorities. However, when given a résumé, I first look at the experience of the individual, not their name or background.”
Haynes added, “We completely reorganized and reshaped our organization — we expanded roles and hired new talent thanks to succession planning — but it didn’t stop there; we grew processes and had encouraged team members to think outside the box, impacting change immediately and preparing for the future with proper planning thanks to surrounding myself with a brilliant bunch of individuals.
“Having these individuals in these chairs allowed RIOC to leverage their skill set, and it bore amazing results in every aspect of our organization. The more visible ones are our capital projects, but behind the scenes may be the most impactful — finance, human resources, communications, information technology, facilities, horticulture, public safety and so many others. These changes have translated into real wins.”
Shelton Haynes Built a Strong RIOC Executive Team
RIOC’s executive team includes Mary C. Cunneen, acting chief operating officer; Gretchen Robinson, vice president, and general counsel; Akeem Jamal, assistant vice president of communications and government affairs; Gerrald Ellis, assistant vice president, and deputy general counsel, Tajuna Sharpe, assistant vice president of administration; Kevin Brown, assistant vice president and chief of public safety; Daemen DiStefano, assistant chief financial officer; and Aida Morales, chief of staff.
“As a result of these talented individuals, it has fostered great success with a top-down approach,” Haynes said. “They each have a unique ability to galvanize the troops — working in tandem with their department heads and managers shepherding the progress we have made for some serious internal and external wins.
“Starting with what I like to call the surface wins, what the community can see are the over $100 million investments in capital projects. Together, this administration has transformed the island. With hallmark improvements in various stages started under different administrations, and we made sure to see them through. We strapped our boots, buckled down, and ensured we saw each and every project to completion.”
The first woman and RIOC’s first openly gay Vice President and Acting Chief Operating Officer Mary C. Cunneen, commented, “From an operations standpoint seeing progress made in the multiple waves we have seen from the inception of this administration is beyond satisfying and satiates my appetite for progress. However, with the overwhelming support from the top to invest in human capital, there has been no lapse in ensuring that our workforce is the best versions of themselves; simply put – you can’t put a price tag on that.”
Prior to Haynes joining the state authority, RIOC’s capital projects program’s three-year average from 2013-2015 was $4.5 million. In the three-year span from 2019-2021, in the midst of a global pandemic, the total was $85.8 million.
When asked about what it means to him to be under the spotlight as the second African American president in RIOC’s history, Haynes commented, “I view myself as a CEO who happens to be Black. While I may be the second, I will certainly not be the last person of color in this chair. No matter your color, creed, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation, I wholeheartedly believe I have set the standard of achievement for others to follow when the time comes to welcome someone new.”
Shelton Haynes Focused on Building a Strong, Diverse RIOC Staff
Haynes said his experience at RIOC prepared him for the CEO position. “Believe me when I say nothing would stop me from being successful because I quite literally have managed every department head or worked in concert on every level during my time with RIOC,” Haynes stated.
“One of the things I am most proud of is fostering a workforce that has the requisite skill set to do the task at hand and promoting staff to roles where there are many ‘firsts’ for themselves and their families, which is always amazing to see and show that anything is possible and most importantly the powerful message it sends to the world. You cannot put a price tag on that.”
Since joining the RIOC team in 2016, Haynes has promoted or advocated the promotion of 75 people, nearly 57% of RIOC’s current workforce. Promotions are made under the advisement of department heads, and Haynes regularly advocates for them. Once a promotion is discussed, a committee is formed with the executive team to deliberate in an open discussion about the candidates’ measurable results. Based on those factors, a decision is made.
“It isn’t an accident that over half of our agency has been promoted in recent years,” stated first-time Assistant Vice President of Administration Tajuna Sharpe. “The executive team encourages directors and department heads to submit their employees’ names who they feel have been exceptional in their roles and an asset to their teams for the betterment of RIOC. With this forward-thinking approach, we have created a pathway forward demonstrating our commitment to employees’ success and their personal and professional growth.”
This commitment to supporting and advancing a diverse array of professionals has led directly to RIOC’s impressive achievements over the past several years. When asked about his legacy accomplishments, Haynes put the impressive growth of the Roosevelt Island Youth Center, which provides free after-school programming for Roosevelt Island children, “at the top of the list.”
“I would say the Roosevelt Island Youth Center will be a legacy achievement for this administration,” Haynes said. “We invested $2.9 million to create a state-of-the-art facility for programming and secured a New York State School Aged Child Care license to provide advanced learning instruction, a space for improving technical and motor skills, and maybe most important, a safe space for children. The hours between the final school bell and the time parents get home are the most crucial to a child’s development, and we want to ensure those hours are filled with fun and learning.”
Critical investments in the island’s infrastructure, improved quality of life, and putting Roosevelt Island on the map as a major world destination has all been done thanks in large part to the hard work cultivated by Haynes and his dedicated team.
“Incredible things are in store for Roosevelt Island; the opportunities are endless. The sky’s the limit. Stay tuned for what’s to come because I promise you won’t want to miss it,” Haynes said.
