Karen Franz Honored at Coro New York Gala

With the importance of leadership on daily display amidst the state’s COVID-19 response, Coro New York Leadership Center hosted its Annual Gala & Award Ceremony celebrating New York City’s most upstanding civic leaders through its first-ever virtual awards ceremony on April 27, 2020.

Coro’s 2020 honors were awarded to Karen Franz, CEO of AKRF, along with William Rudin, CEO and Co-Chairman of Rudin Management Company, and Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services.

A professional engineer at AKRF for 20 years, Karen Franz became CEO in 2018 after leading the Engineering Department and leading major New York City initiatives to bring coastal resiliency and sustainable infrastructure to local communities. Her prominent projects have included East Side Coastal Resiliency, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Astoria Park, Governors Island Park and Public Space, and New York City Green Infrastructure, as well as infrastructure planning for Coney Island, Columbia University’s Manhattanville Campus, and the Cornell Tech Campus.

“I am grateful to Coro New York for this award,” said Karen Franz. “Coro’s network is built upon a commitment that all individuals, communities, and institutions participate in creating a just, engaged society. This reflects both our own dedication to diversity, inclusion, and belonging at AKRF, and the relationship we have cultivated with our many disadvantaged, minority, and woman-owned business partners.”

“Karen and AKRF have been long-time corporate partners of Coro, recognizing that actively investing in leadership is a fundamental component of a successful organization,” said Scott Millstein, Executive Director of Coro New York. “Karen’s commitment to ensuring that the leadership of AKRF reflects the diversity of our city is what inclusive leadership is all about, and, by highlighting her success, we hope other companies will emulate.”

Karen shared her thoughts and remarks from the evening:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/leadership-during-crisis-change-karen-franz/