2025 Annual Meeting
The BID and its board of directors cordially invite you to our 2025 Annual Meeting
Learn about the progress of our projects and updates of what we have accomplished this past year and what we have planned for this coming year.
RSVP will close at 8am on the day of the event to verify people
If you are a Commercial Property Owner, Property Manager, Property Representative, Commercial Tenant or Resident within the BID boundaries of West 96th -West 110th Street along Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues, please make sure to register to become a BID Member. Those who are not registered will not be able to vote.
Those who are not registered by 9/12/25 will not be able to vote at this meeting
Board Members Running for Election/ReElection
Class A (Property Owner):
Bruce James
200 West 108th Street
Bruce James was born in Boulder Colorado in the mid 1940’s. He received his Bachelor's and Master’s 7 Fine Arts (Painting) from the University of Colorado.
Bruce moved to Los Angeles in 1973 and pursued a career in art, worked as a bar manager and as an artist assistant. He worked with artist lead to curate a large Native American Art collection which entailed a lot of travel to New York City where he met his wife. Bruce joined a partnership in a set building business serving the advertising industry and left the partnership and operated his own until 2002. In 1989, he purchased a co-op apartment on 108th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in which he currently lives.
With the neighborhood’s high crime rate, Bruce got involved in community organizing of as well as the President of his Block Association which led to training and becoming an organizer for the Industrial Areas Foundation. Working in the neighborhood brought him into contact with Peter Arndtsen and the BID. They shared a passion for street trees with Bruce earning a Citizen Pruner Certificate and later becoming an instructor of the program. Bruce continues to study Trees and the Urban Forest at the New York Botanical Gardens.
Bruce joined the Board of Directors of the BID many years ago. He recently led the Succession Committee in the process of finding Daniel Bernstein our new Executive Director and preparing for the retirement of Peter Arndtsen (former BID Director)
Bruce is the Interim Chair of the BID Board and hopes to keep the good work for the neighborhood going with support from the BID’s past Chair, Robin Baez.
Isabel Cruz
Hostelling International, NYC Hostel
Isabel Cruz holds the position of General Manager at Hostelling International New York. In this role, she oversees a team of over 60 employees dedicated to welcoming and accommodating guests from around the globe. With over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, for nationwide brands like Hyatt and Holiday Inn.
She is passionate about serving others and is committed to empowering her team members to enhance their skills and talents. Her dedication to leadership and fostering camaraderie earned her The Robert B. Johnson Award, recognizing her embodiment of HIUSA's principles of Leadership: Friendship and Understanding.
As a proud native New Yorker, Isabel thrives on providing guests with exceptional and unforgettable local experiences, ensuring each visitor leaves with cherished memories of their stay.
Rhea Vogel
938-940 Amsterdam Avenue
Rhea Vogel was born and raised right here in this neighborhood. She has been on the CABID board for many years and has served as treasurer for some time. Her family-owned Tic Toc Laundercenter at 932 Amsterdam Avenue for over 30 years. Though no longer owned by her it still is a laundromat! In 1970, Berek Nierenstein, Rhea’s father, purchased two apartment buildings, 938 and 940 Amsterdam Avenue. They have remained in the family for 54 years.
Rhea moved to the “burbs” shortly after her first son was born but she still identifies as “an Upper Westsider.” Her oldest son, now grown, lives right here in an apartment in one of their buildings. Rhea has been involved in several non-profit organizations over the years lending her assistance in various rolls, as President, CFO, and Treasurer. She is pleased to be able to participate with CABID and hopes to continue to be able to contribute her energy to keeping this part of the Big Apple the vibrant and welcoming community she knows and loves.
Ana Juarbe
991 Amsterdam Avenue
Ana Juarbe is a resident and shareholder of Harambee Housing Development Funding Corporation. From 1986 to 1988 as a member of Harambee, Ana's family was part of HPD’s Homesteading Program which required participation in the construction of her apartment and the common areas. Despite the difficult work she is grateful for the program and has been living there since 1988.
Previous work has allowed her to collaborate with many community groups and families providing information about healthcare coverage and other programs. She looks forward to sharing her experience and skills with the Columbus Amsterdam Business Improvement District Board.
Robin Baez
Manhattan Valley Development Corp.
Robin Baez has served as the Executive Director of Manhattan Valley Development Corporation (MVDC) and Manhattan Valley Management Company, Inc. since 2015. Since its founding in 1968, MVDC has developed over 1300 units of affordable housing in the Manhattan Valley community, and MVMC currently manages nearly 800 units of that affordable housing in the Manhattan Valley community. Prior to coming to MVDC, Robin was a Paralegal for MVDC’s attorney, Martin McCarthy, for 22 years before he retired in 2015. Robin grew up on the Upper West Side and resided in the Manhattan Valley community for 21 years before relocating to New Jersey. She has served on the BID’s Board of Directors since 2015.
Doren Greenberg
GRFO Alternative Investments
Doron Greenberg has 13 years of experience in real estate private equity. He is the founder of GO-RE Partners, a New York Citybased real estate PE group, and previously served as General Counsel for a prominent NYCbased PE fund. A Columbia University graduate and a qualified lawyer, Doron combines legal expertise with a strong background in asset management and operational leadership.
Class C (Resident):
Jennifer Pliego
985 Amsterdam Avenue
Jennifer is a local community member, cultural worker (with El Taller Latino Americano), and artist who has lived on Amsterdam Avenue since 2005 and raised her son here. Since the early 2010s, her academic, cultural, and artistic projects have largely centered on the Bloomingdale/Manhattan Valley neighborhood. Jennifer’s work has allowed her to partner closely with the Columbus-Amsterdam BID, presenting art, music, and workshops (with El Taller) during Bloomingdale Family Days (a pre-COVID tradition) and recently during Open Streets, in addition to the large-scale Good Neighbors installation at Anibal Aviles Playground, and the Bloomingdale Medallions project.
Jennifer’s roots in this neighborhood run deep. The apartment she lives in was purchased by her husband, Bernardo Palombo, in 1986 from his brother, Jorge Palombo - the original Sweat Equity Homesteader for the building. Jorge worked at the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB) at that time (1976-1984), helping low-income and working-class New Yorkers become homeowners during the worst part of New York City’s fiscal crisis. Their building, 985 Amsterdam, was part of a historic group of five Amsterdam Avenue buildings: 985 (Merengue Gaucho), 987 (Nation Builders), 989 (La Lucha), 991 (Harambee), and 993 (Roaring Thunder) that were all brought into UHAB’s Sweat Equity program at the same time.
It would be an honor for Jennifer to bring her deep neighborhood ties, creative perspective, and commitment to community sustainability to the next level by serving on the Board of Directors of the Columbus-Amsterdam BID.