54 The Queens Courier • KINGS OF QUEENS • SEPTEMBER 19, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com kings of queens H SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 H H H s Bryan J. Block Chair Community Board 13 Born in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bryan Block and his family settled in Cambria Heights over 40 years ago. He attended Sacred Heart Catholic grammar school, St. Francis Preparatory High School -- where he developed a work ethic and a sense of service -- as well as City College. He volunteered working with young people as a drug counselor and then began on the path to his present position as a senior paralegal at a law firm in New York City. Block has demonstrated his passion for community through decades of service. His high-profile community involvement includes fighting for increased bus service on the Q84 and fighting for additional school crossing guards. As the youngest president of his block association he fought for traffic lights, pothole repairs and increased community policing. He participated in the “NYPD Block Watch Program” and has assisted in the formation of several block associations. Block served as a community liaison for a Queens state senator, attending local community boards, police precinct councils and local civic associations. He is a board member of the Cambria Heights Civic Association, member of Cambria Heights Kiwanis Club, vice president of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, and a volunteer lay reader of the Scriptures at St. Patrick Cathedral and Sacred Heart Church. He also participated in the 103rd, 105th and 113th Community Precinct Councils. Throughout the years, Block has served as a member Community Board 13, participating on the Land Use and Transportation Committees. Recognizing his steady hand and ability to lead and work with all people, his colleagues on the community board elected him chair in 2009. In this position, he has implemented initiatives such as the first board health forum in southeast Queens and the first bike helmet giveaway event. He is also proud of the campaign his board took on to make the NYC Council aware and eradicate the sale of synthetic marijuana and the downzoning of areas in Community Board 13. He is an active member of the Guy Brewer Democratic Club, The Fred Wilson Democratic Club and The Douglass/ King Regular Democratic Club. James Heyliger President Association of Minority Enterprises of New York James A. Heyliger is the president of the Association of Minority Enterprises of New York, Inc.,(AMENY), the largest business and trade organization in New York State. He founded the Minority Business Leadership Council, an association of 15 MWBE(Minority and Women Business Enterprises) Trade Associations that secured the reenactment of Article 15A/4A, a goal oriented program in New York State that provided greater participation in state contracts for MWBEs. He is also currently serving his fourth year on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Small Business Advisory Board where he serves as a senior member of this group. Heyliger has established MOUs (Memorandums of Understanding) with the United States Small Business Administration, the United States Department of Commerce and the New York State Dormitory Authority and Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, among others. When he was Regional Director for the York College Small Business Development Center Heyliger secured $18 million in financing for small businesses. As a result, in 2000, the center was cited as the number one center out of 24 in New York State for economic development. For the past four years Heyliger has served as the chair for the Economic Development Committee of Community Board 12. He was the principal architect of the “Right of First Refusal,” an innovative tool that allowed local communities to determine the jobs and contracts of development of their communities. Jerry LaSpisa Vice President Branch Manager M&T Bank’s Business Banking Center Jerry LaSpisa is a Vice President, Branch Manager for M&T Bank’s Business Banking Center located in the rapidly growing Long Island City. He has been an active community member since the office broke ground in 2007. He supports organizations such as the Long Island City Partnership, Queens Chamber of Commerce, Queens Economic Development Corporation and the Sunnyside Chamber, to name a few. LaSpisa is currently responsible for Business Development, Commercial and Residential Lending, Consumer Banking, and the daily operations of the Long Island City branch. He is very well respected and loved by his colleagues, clients and by all the local communities he has helped and served. He attributes his successes to all the hard work and the wealth of knowledge he shares with others seeking his guidance. A proud resident of Queens for 40 years, LaSpisa earned a degree in finance from Baruch College - Zicklin School of Business.
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