Staff Bios

Matthew T. Crosson, Esq. 
Dr. Pearl M. Kamer

Matthew T. Crosson, Esq.
President

Matthew T. Crosson has been President and CEO of the Long Island Association, Inc.. since 1993.

Mr. Crosson is a graduate of Georgetown University (B.A) and Fordham University School of Law (J.D.). He also holds Honorary Doctor of Laws Degrees from Dowling College and St. Joseph’s College. 

Mr. Crosson served as Chief Administrator of the New York State Unified Court System from 1989 to 1993. In that role, he was the chief executive officer of the statewide court system. Mr. Crosson authored the Court Facilities Act of 1987, which has led New York to create the largest justice-related construction program in the nation, outside the federal government.

As an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney's Office from 1974 to 1984, where he became Deputy Chief of the Frauds Bureau, Mr. Crosson investigated and brought to trial complex cases of banking fraud, embezzlement, securities fraud, and international arms trafficking. He also created a multi-state law enforcement organization, the Leviticus Project,  that has become the National White Collar Crime Center. 

In 1983, Mr. Crosson was appointed Assistant Counsel to Governor Mario M. Cuomo, where he was responsible for legislation and other matters relating to the justice system. In 1985 he was appointed Deputy Chief Administrator for Management Support of the New York State Unified Court System, responsible for day-to-day operations of the courts statewide.

During his tenure as President of the LIA, among other things, Mr. Crosson has focused on technology development, through the creation of Project Long Island and the Millennium Centers for Convergent Technologies; regional economic development through the Long Island Partnership and Innovate Long Island; workforce development and the relationship between business and education through the creation of the Long Island Works Coalition; and workforce housing through the successful enactment of the Long Island Workforce Housing Act and the Campaign for Next Generation Housing. 

In addition to his role with the Long Island Association, Mr. Crosson currently is President of the LIA Health Alliance, Inc., a regional health insurance purchasing plan for small businesses. He also is a director or trustee of WNET Inc. and WLIW/21 (Public Broadcasting); the Committee for Modern Courts; the Long Island Housing Partnership; Dowling College; the Long Island High Technology Incubator; the Long Island Works Coalition; and several other not-for-profit corporations. Additionally, he is a past chairman of the Long Island Golf Classic (PGA Champions Tour).

Mr. Crosson currently is a member of the New York State Board of Regents Learning Standards Review Initiative Steering committee, which is charged with restructuring the state’s K-12 educational standards. He co-chairs the Nassau County Immigration Task Force. He has served as a member of the Governor's Task Force on Worker's Compensation, the Assembly Speaker's Task Force on Health Care, the Lt. Governor's Advisory Council for Educational Excellence, the Suffolk County Blue Ribbon Health Panel, and the State Education Department’s Blue Ribbon Panel on School Leadership, among other boards and commissions. 

Mr. Crosson co-hosts the weekly newsmaker interview program, "Focus," which is broadcast throughout the metropolitan area on WLNY-TV.  In recent years, he also has hosted or co-hosted the weekly news programs “Crosson and Welles,” which was broadcast throughout the New York metropolitan area on WLIW, public broadcasting, and "The Cutting Edge", also broadcast throughout the metropolitan area on WLNY-TV.  Both programs received best public affairs program awards from the New York State Broadcasters Association. Mr. Crosson also has hosted several town hall-style programs on public television, including “Smart Growth” and “Health Care: Healing the System,” both of which won national Telly Awards. Mr. Crosson is the co-publisher of Long Island magazine, a regional  publication that has won several national Apex Awards for excellence. His editorial writing in Long Island magazine has been awarded three Folio Awards. 

Mr. Crosson currently resides in Huntington, New York with his wife Elaine, who is Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel for Long Island University, and their son, Daniel.

Dr. Pearl M. Kamer
Chief Economist 

Pearl M. Kamer is Chief Economist of the Long Island Association, Long Island’s largest business organization, where she monitors regional business activity. Dr. Kamer received her Ph.D. and M.B.A. degrees from New York University and her undergraduate degree from Queens College where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

She serves on the Board of Directors of the Broadhollow Bioscience Park at Farmingdale and is a member of the College Council at Farmingdale State University. She also serves as an economic advisor to the Ways and Means Committee of the New York State Assembly. Dr. Kamer has taught at Hofstra, Adelphi, SUNY Stony Brook, New York University and Queens College. She is the author of two books: Crisis in Urban Public Finance and The U.S. Economy in Crisis: Adjusting to the New Realities.