Westfair’s 2022 Persons of the Year

During 2022, Westchester and Fairfield County saw surplus number of professionals rise to the top of their industries with innovative leadership skills, often addressing tumultuous social and economic situations with inspirational intellect and an undiluted sense of passion for their work.

In compiling our list for 2022”™s Persons of the Year, we are reminded that the concept of “business as usual” is nowhere to be seen in this gathering of the region”™s best and brightest.

Dr. Seamus Carey, president of Iona University, New Rochelle. Carey shepherded the transformation of Iona College into Iona University. The achievement of university status this year followed Iona”™s expansion to the campus of former Concordia College and Concordia”™s students who wished to continue their educations at Iona. The Concordia campus became a health sciences-focused school at Iona, which is continuing its expansion after launching a new nursing program. As a result of Carey”™s work, Iona”™s enrollment and educational activities have seen a remarkable expansion.

John Ciulla, president and CEO of Webster Financial Corp., Stamford. This has been a hectic year for the parent company of Webster Bank and its tireless chief executive. Under Ciulla”™s leadership in 2022, Webster completed its merger with Sterling Bancorp and the relocation of its headquarters from Waterbury to Stamford, which was followed by the acquisition of Bend Financial Inc., a cloud-based platform solution provider for health savings accounts, and the deposit management platform StoneCastle Insured Sweep LLC, which does business as interLINK. In the spring, the company announced a $6.5 billion community development initiative in the markets that it serves and established a new Office of Corporate Responsibility to oversee its community engagement efforts. Ciulla took on increased prominence through his election as chairman of the American Bankers Association”™s American Bankers Council for the 2022-23 membership year.

Janet Giris, partner at DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr LLP, White Plains. Giris is a familiar figure at board and council meetings throughout Westchester, where she represents developers and other clients seeking municipal action on various projects. She also has represented clients seeking Industrial Development Agency incentives. Giris is a member of the Land Use and Zoning Practice group of the law firm DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr LLP. Before joining the firm, she was deputy town attorney for the Town of Greenburgh. A graduate of SUNY Binghamton and Western New England College School of Law, she is admitted to the bar in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

Dr. Edward C. Halperin, chancellor and CEO of New York Medical College, Valhalla. Halperin is an influencer of students and NYMC graduates as they develop careers devoted to helping people through the application of modern-day health care. In addition, Halperin also has been actively working to have an impact on a perennial problem in society that seems to be worsening: anti-Semitism. He has been an outspoken critic in speeches and writing of those who engage in anti-Semitism, whether hidden or in the open, and those efforts continued in 2022. 

Brad Jacobs, executive chairman of XPO Logistics, Greenwich. Under Jacobs”™ leadership, XPO Logistics successfully subdivided into three publicly traded entities. Last year, the less-than-truckload freight operator turned its global business operations into GXO Logistics, and this year the company”™s freight brokerage business became the new entity with RXO Inc. Jacobs stepped down from his CEO role at XPO last month, retaining the position of executive chairman while simultaneously holding non-executive chairman roles at GXO and RXO. The 66-year-old Jacobs, a serial entrepreneur, told the Wall Street Journal that he was plotting additional business endeavors, stating, “I haven”™t burned any calories yet exploring my next company. When the time comes to focus on the next big thing, there will be no shortage of opportunities to create massive shareholder value.”

Arvind Krishna, chairman and CEO of IBM, Armonk. As the head of IBM since 2020, Krishna has enjoyed a 35-year career with the tech leader. He was the face of IBM”™s new $20 billion commitment to expansion in the Hudson Valley, welcoming President Biden to IBM”™s facilities in Poughkeepsie and focusing attention on the Hudson Valley as a tech center. He has also seen the growth of IBM through a mergers and acquisitions strategy that encompassed more than 25 companies since Krishna took the leadership role ”” including eight acquisitions during 2022.

Paul Levesque, chief content officer of WWE, Stamford. After the scandal involving longtime WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon”™s departure amid press reports of hush money payments to former female employees regarding alleged harassment, the company moved far beyond mere damage control with a new vibrancy focused on inventive marketing ”” most notably the clever “White Rabbit” multimedia campaign highlighting the reappearance of wrestler Bray Wyatt ”” and a response to fan input by returning popular wrestlers who were previously forced out by McMahon. Much of the credit for this new level of excitement has been traced to Levesque, who is best known to wrestling fans as “Triple H.” Levesque”™s content focus has helped boost TV ratings and put WWE stock up 15% higher than its level when McMahon was still in charge ”” and financial analysts are no longer dropping rumors of the company being a target for sale.

Keith McCullough, CEO of Hedgeye Risk Management, Stamford. As the founder and leader of the prominent investment research company, McCullough was among the very few thought leaders in the financial services industry to warn investors about doing business with FTX, the Bahamas-based cryptocurrency exchange run by Sam Bankman-Fried. While politicians sang Bankman-Fried”™s praises (and pocketed his donations) and mainstream media gushed over him ”” the Benzinga financial news site nominated FTX for its Fintech Award as Best Crypto Exchange and the 30-year-old Bankman-Fried for a Lifetime Achievement Award ”” McCullough called on Hedgeye”™s customers and anyone following him on social media to steer clear of that investment. The collapse of FTX and Bankman-Fried”™s arrest on securities fraud charges confirmed McCullough”™s warnings, which allowed many people to protect their money from the crypto debacle.

Dr. Joseph Rosa, medical director of the Fred Weisman Americares Free Clinic, Bridgeport. Rosa is a practicing endocrinologist for Yale New Haven Health”™s Northeast Medical Group in Trumbull and is affiliated with Bridgeport Hospital and St. Vincent”™s Medical Center. This summer, he took on the volunteer role of running Americares”™ free medical clinic in Bridgeport. As he told the Business Journals, “I”™ve been extremely fortunate in going to medical school, establishing and having a successful practice and always looking out for the underserved, so it”™s a way for me to continue to look out for patients who, a lot of times, don”™t have people looking out for them.”

Mike Spano, mayor of Yonkers. Under the Spano administration, massive redevelopment has been taking place in the city, with the estimated value of projects so far put at $5 billion. Yonkers is being has become a center for motion picture and television production with Spano as a leading advocate for construction of the Lionsgate Studios near the Metro-North train station in downtown as well as other studio campuses in the city. During Spano”™s tenure, Yonkers grew to become the third largest city in New York state ”” and the stage was set Spano to run for a fourth term when the City Council recently voted to set aside term limits.