First Read Coronavirus Update: Effect on Industry

As Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), Jonnel Doris is charged with running a dynamic City agency focused on equity of opportunity, that leads to economic self-sufficiency and mobility for New York City's diverse communities. SBS actively connects New Yorkers to good jobs, creates stronger businesses, and builds a thriving economy in neighborhoods across the five boroughs. Doris previously held the role as the City’s first Senior Advisor and Director of the Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE). Under Doris’ leadership, the city more than doubled its certifications to 9,620, tripled its utilization and awarded over $14.6 billion to M/WBEs. His engagement in business communities, city agencies and both state and city legislatures has also influenced city efforts to pass critical state legislation that expands opportunities for M/WBEs. Doris previously served as the first Chief Diversity Officer for the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR), where he developed and implemented strategic initiatives resulting in increased utilization of state and federal M/WBEs and Section 3 businesses. He created the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights, and developed the award-winning GOSR’s Local Workforce Opportunities Program. His professional career includes extensive experience in the energy, utility, government and business sectors working at Public Service Enterprise Group- Long Island, Long Island Power Authority, KeySpan and in both State and City Government. He is also a former small business owner who understands firsthand the challenges that M/WBEs face. Doris holds several degrees and certificates including a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Analysis, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sociology from Stony Brook University, a Master of Divinity from Oral Roberts University and a Turner Construction Management Certificate Program. He currently resides in Queens with his wife Aisha Doris and two children.

Bess Chiu serves as Chief of Staff to the Counsel to the Mayor. In this role, she works with senior policymakers in City Hall and across City government to provide oversight of and guidance to critical projects. Bess played a key role in the City’s response to the 2019 measles outbreak and has worked on vital issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the momentous task of shutting down the City, and the subsequent task of determining how to safely reopen the City. Bess has also led on some of the Administration’s equity-focused policies, including: the salary history ban and the creation of the Office of Minority and Women Business Enterprises (M/WBE). Bess serves as a member of the City’s Safe Reopening Task Force, Chair of the Franchise and Concession Review Committee, and as the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer for the Mayor’s Office. A lifelong New Yorker, Bess is proud to co-host the City Hall Pass podcast, which provides New Yorkers with a behind the scenes look into the decision-making process of City government’s most influential leaders. She has represented the City on various panels for legal and non-legal audiences, including the New York State Bar and Queens Public Library. A committed and experienced public interest lawyer, Bess joined the Administration in 2014 and previously served as Associate Counsel to the Mayor and Managing Counsel. She has also served as an attorney with the City’s Administration for Children’s Services, where she prosecuted child abuse and neglect cases. The daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong, Bess has a deep passion for exploring different cultures. She has visited over 20 countries and 39 of the 50 US States. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and Cardozo School of Law.

As a senior team member for the Counsel to the Mayor, Kate advises the Mayor’s Office on the most sensitive legal issues that face the City of New York and works to develop and advance policy proposals by coordinating across multiple agencies. Kate was a significant architect to the City’s legal response to the global pandemic. From the onset of the pandemic, she worked tirelessly on many high profile issues, including developing the legal framework for the City’s outdoor dining program, open storefronts, citywide checkpoints, the City’s shutdown, the rush to acquire PPE, ensuring New Yorkers understood the City’s travel restrictions and finding solutions to many other “insurmountable” issues. Kate has also overseen the development and production of City Hall Pass the first podcast of its kind to provide New Yorkers with an unprecedented look inside City Hall. Kate and her cohosts discuss key issues with City Hall and New York City’s most influential leaders and decision makers. She has represented the City on various panels for legal and non-legal audiences, including the New York State Bar and Queens Public Library. Prior to joining the Mayor’s Office in 2016, Kate was an Associate at Levitt LLP, where she worked on commercial litigation and resolving business disputes. She also served as a Fellow at the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor where she represented the Commission in administrative matters and coordinated with New York and New Jersey law enforcement. Kate holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a J.D. from Hofstra Law. Kate lives in downtown Manhattan with her husband and their golden-doodle Charlie, who is prominently featured on the Counsel to the Mayor Twitter account: @NYCMayorCounsel.